THE Zambia Police Service has summoned George Bester, a man seen in a video making rounds on social media slapping his son, for allegedly producing poor school results.
In the said video, Bester is seen slapping the boy, while complaining about the money he has spent on the boy for school books and tuition fees.
A voice of a woman, believed to be his wife, is heard pleading with Bester to stop beating the boy.
According to a call-out dated April 10, 2020, Bester was required to report to the Child Protection Unit offices at the Ministry of Community Development near Levy Junction yesterday, April 21, for purposes of inquiries.
Police, however, assured him that he would not be detained more than was necessary.
60 responses
Do not get involved in other people’s domestic situation. Parenting approaches are different and that’s why you have kids that act differently. Leave the family alone.
I can’t judge George. I would do the same cause my dad did the same and here I’m appreciating the corporal punishment. It’s sad how things have turned nowadays where children have right and all.But I must say George’s wife is uncultured a and childish
That was what we were going through and we have achieved, the wife for sure is uncultured and alangizi should visit her
The woman herself is not at all helping as she has destroyed the trust in a home. Why take a video of what’s happening in a home instead of finding a solution. To the same situation.
Kuoneka ba buju balibe vochita! That petty slap ati child abuse kuti?
Discipline is the key to every childs sucess
We are respinsible citizens becoz of discipline
Who was taking that video??
Well done George.. these chaps need to be serious
These Zambian cops,they fail to bring in real culprits abusing our rights,the taxes that we pay then they bring in a parent trying to remind a son of priorities in life. Slaps are even better than a leather belt or stick because it’s flesh to flesh
Don’t just condemn the boy, where have his parents been all along? The boy was left to grow on autopilot like mushrooms growing in the wild. Surely if his parents were concerned they would have been putting in checks and balances guiding and leading the child. Letting kids do all they want is especially when parental guidance and authority is absent can be very unwise. Even when you send kids away to schools far away ensure you are checking up on them all the time and getting reports from school authorities. Call the school oftenly and find out how your child is performing, don’t just spoil them with fancy things but with knowledge, help where they struggle. Even when in school, don’t expect teachers to do parenting for you because that is your duty and not theirs. So if the performance of the boy is bad, blame the parents too, where were they all along? Didn’t they notice before this if the school performance for the boy was bad. George must slap himself too because you can’t be a parent 20%, 50% or 90% to your children you have got be 100% and more. We must be involved in the lives of our children. God forbid that our children become savages by learning unworthy things from wherever they go to hang around. We have a responsibility until our children are firmly on their own.
The police has no problem the problem is with the one who took the video and post it on social media that’s lack of respect at home. Does it mean everyone has become a journalist by professional?
If this was my wife, Allah kuya bebele
The same police badly beat up suspects.for small crimes, So why get concerned with a father disciplining a child with a slap? I was even laughing that George doesn’t know how to slap, now he has been summoned for the ka weak slap kkkkkkkkk people have nothing to do
Way to go. The chap is playing in school while parents are stressing trying to build is future. Nachibaka would have worked on top.
Its wrong to hit or slap someone on the head or face. Secondly, i still cant understand what was going on in the head of that woman.
The police want to discipline someone for disciplining his child
This is so sad to even bring in public for the people to comment. Life is so unfair cause that child is not going to be helped even by his parents. They are already divided. The man is showing his frustrations on his child because the wife is not helping the child.
Just a quick question, is it ok if this man first slapped his wife for this child performance at school?
From my knowledge, a good wife will give reports to the husband on how the children are doing.
A wise son makes his father proud but a foolish one brings grief to his mother.
Now are the police going to help in paying for the school if this man shifts his attention?
If the man was beating the child for no reason, I will not support that.
Shouldn’t a man discipline his children? If you as me the boy deserved even worse. Leave him a lone!
Zambia is Christian nation. Therefore God allows discipline. So gov’t shut up and work on corona issues.
So what’s your interest actually its noon of your business .
It’s not fear …we try as children to pass our exams ….quite alright he is the father ,everyone making fun of this George issue just take a moment to think how this whole thing will destroy the boys life…..the woman being the mother shouldn’t have taken that video in the first place
George has got no problem, ba buju tamukwete ifyakuchita, there are so many drama, movies, etc related to what George did to the son, I wish sembe anasebenzesa belt kumenyelako
That’s nonsense for the police to do. Am 21 and certainly do not see anything wrong with what the man did, my father did worse than that and I appreciate it today. The pain of spending so much and believing that someone is working hard and only to be presented with very bad results is very bad. Child protection staffs in this case is not necessary. Let’s not promote foolishness in the young generation because of all these rights and things like that.
Every parent always wishes his kids to prosper honestly speaking the boys results HV shown his true colours to his parents. How can he be absent for those subjects n again those fs? The kid never used to take school seriously and parents knew him before his results, beating him was not a solution koz he knew him koz he is his child he knew him from grade 1 that his child will do this after g12,he was just to repeat him either g10 or g11.
Useless, what child abuse that’s nothing…do you know how hard it is to find money, deal with your family and live George alo
ne
Spare the rod and spoil the child even the Bible says we must discipline our children children should know that they don’t run things in the house we parents run things in the house well done father beat him more
@rowdy I hereby stand against your opinion. Let us not be distracted by the fancy things around the house but be realistic. None of us are aware if the parents play a role or not in his life. But his son appears to be mature thus being aware of how expensive and sacrificial that school demands. No matter the kind of life he experiences, the efforts of his father will never be his. My father’s achievements are great but will never be mine.
Although it’s hard but let him repeating the courses be considered as a redemption. That school is more expensive than other private universities in Zambia. For the sake of this hard economic times, may he consider the parents efforts and the day we all build a home we will understand the pressure they all went through because of us. Mr. George is a loving father because if he never cared he would never have put him on the right path.
Social morality over ‘human rights’. I choose to decipline my children the traditional way over raising them as broilers (vi nkhuku va loan). We grew up responsible citizens because our parents regularly reminded us of our all our future through slaps and whips.
No he has a right as a father to beat his son but why are questioning him he didn’t even beat him they are people who beat not like that stop questioning him about his love to his son
Kaili he is not in government! How can the matter be sat on?
The woman should go back to balagizi that man his the father he has a right to beat him infant he didn’t even beat him us we were beaten not that useless slap
We got beaten when we were young and because of that we learnt discipline. Spare the rod and spoil the child. Kids of these days are beyond hopeless. They have become lazy and entitled. Slap the kid and discipline him if you really care about him. If you dont then let him grow however he wants. Instead, someone needs to slap the woman who took the video as well.
The pain on how it feels to pay someone’s school fees who can’t appreciate the effort it is definately felt by the one who pays.Inflicting pain on the child as George did is better than withdrawing the support .Mind your own business and raise your children in a manner you will end up regret in future.Keep on sparing your rod now and your children will be misfits. George did well because money is not easy to come by.The wife also may think she is helping the child and yet she is raising a problem husband to someone’s daughter.
I have no full details of the results and the behaviour of the boy in school. But there are some instances, as a person, I can do the same or even worse. We have situations where a parent strains to raise school fees for a child to study in a prestigious institution but a child gets involved in some silly activities that result in poor grades. When you invest you expect returns. You cannot sell a cow only to realize that you are taking another cow to school.
As for the woman, she will have to look for the next available exit from my house to her mother’s home. It is the responsibility of a parent to discipline a child and that includes agitation for good grades. When the son fails later, it is the father who will largely take the blame. It will be argued that he was just paying school fees without making a follow up on the results. There is no sane person who will like to shoulder such a blame. That father is doing that which he is doing because of HIS LOVE FOR HIS SON and wants nothing but the best for him. If he was not caring, he won’t bother his results.
As such, it is my opinion that what the father is doing is right. The son should explain the reason for the poor grades and make an undertaking to improve them next time. The mother is brutally wrong, unreasonable, immature, clueless, and lacks the tenents of family and parenthood.
We were all brought up that that way,That’s very African.Working hard and smart.As long as a child is under the father’s roof must play to his song or man out
A good parent desciplines his children. Never spare a rode when your child goes wrong. It’s biblical bakalamba.
We need to discipline our children with love. He who loves his child does not spare his rode. Even God disciplines his children. Nothing wrong unless amenyela ku paya
There’s no story here. Came here to find the actual story, such as what school the boy went to, what has the father said or reacted to the story, what transpired at the police station, etc.
Alas, all we read is the same stuff making the rounds on social media. Very poor journalism.
This is Africa and at some point most of us have got a serious beating from our parents. It’s not that they don’t like us but only trying to show us the ryt way to do things. When a child start being absent and not sitting exams.. not just one exam but two or more. this child needs to put in line.. no debating about that… I personally wud prefer a dense but responsible child.. This child is dense and Iresponsible at the same time… Dear parent slap that one till he gets in line.
I think the father was just doing his duty, he loves his son so much Nd he want the best for him
Spare the rod and spoil the child,a good beating is good for the child to be behaving responsibly.
By the way babuju hw far have u gone with the gassing issue?Don’t hide in corona bane.
You’re all just foolish and should shut up ala. Is there such a thing as a petty slap mxxxm
Family matters i don’t see any point of getting this issue too seriously it shouldn’t be in that way …this is family matters
The Bible says spare the rod and spoil the child,I don’t see were Mr Bester went wrong,all he was doing was putting the child in the correct direction.
Doesn’t police also ov slap people in there duties?
The wife is a fool pantu even the Bible says “spare a rod and spoil a child” what Me Bester was doing was showing love to his child plus that’s the African way …..its really hard out there and clearly all he ever wanted was the best for his son but no the wife was too foolish to see it she seems to be uncultured
There is a difference between discipline & abuse .. This is abuse ! The man should fight someone his size and age . Shame on you. I feel for the poor boy who is the victim .
The mother should have reacted more to this abuse
This shows he can beat anyone when provoked . Speak to the boy , find out what the problem is . Make a plan for him concerning his studies and love him .
The son resents the father im.sure now .
He should be a father & speak to his son not abuse him
Well spoken Rowdy. As a parent you don’t wait until closing time to find out about your child performance. Shame on them parents. You woman seek traditional lesson about privacy and secrecy of a family(home). You such an embarrassment. Fyabwela mochudwa
Shame on you slapping the boy , and shame on those who applauded the adult abusing his own child! Violence is not the way to discipline a young boy. The police should have taken him inside + given him a good thrashing to teach him a thing or two and see how he would have liked it !!! If it was the wife who took the video, I would say good on her for saving the boy from the abuse from his very own father. Shame on him !! The wife should start divorce proceedings.I wouldn’t want to be around a man like him. He is not a man he is a coward having to exercise his strength on a vulnerable young person!! Shame on you, I speed on you !!!
Shame on you slapping the boy, and shame on those who applauded the adult abusing his own child! Violence is not the way to discipline a young boy. The police should have taken him inside + given him a good thrashing to teach him a thing or two and see how he would have liked it !! If it was the wife who took the video, I would say good on her for saving the boy from the abuse from his very own father. Shame on him ! The wife should start divorce proceedings.I wouldn’t want to be around a man like him. He is not a man he is a coward having to exercise his strength on a vulnerable young person!! Shame on you, I speed on you!!!
The police should focus their energy on other more important things. The wife is the stupid fool who is exposing her own stupidity.. she should have talked to her husband and come up with a solution to those results and a better way to parent. Take that boy to boarding school he will wake up.. George did nothing wrong in fact he didn’t do enough..limbi a ka malberry tree so would have done justice..
Well done George moreover in our time we got more than that.don’t judge him when you don’t know what it means to spend a lot of money in the hope of getting something and in return get nothing
Violence is counterproductive.
The kids will likely resent him and rebel.
He has only succeeded in alienating them.
He’s an educated fool.
First of all the wife was supposed to be next in line for slaps for taking the video. And the police are useless. Even wasting our money to follow a man doing what is right. I bet the officer who summoned him wud not be in that office if it was not for slaps from his or her parents
The issue may not have started with the results. Stubbornness, playfulness, bad company, could have contributed to this. Beating the head is not encouraged. Belts are more acceptable.
He passed Music with distinction as shown in his results( If that’s a real result as shown) That’s probably his God given Gift. Parents please watch and interact with ur children home schooling the best if you can. leaving it to school and teachers without watching a big fail. No matter how much money you pay for a child education if you are not watching and interacting with them daily and checking on school assessments from time to time child could fail. Music industry help this child in a music career as this may be his interest but my dear child you still need your Maths, English and 3 more subjects as if you make money in Music not knowing how to manage your finance could lose it all. Blessings all and keep safe.
Dont beat the kid. Just talk to him. Now you beating the boy and his brain gets hurt now he can’t do anything. And the zali is fake love. Put the phone down mami and help the boy. The topi is mad og
How can the mother/wife take a video and circulate it??? The possible reason for her taking the video and posting could be that the son is step son to George Bester.
Not every child is expected to score distinctions. So beating is not the solution anyway try to find out what is causing the cold child to perform badly . There are many factors that affect learners not to perform well. It could be bullying,or maybe the child needs special education needs. As a special teacher I feel Ba sir was too harsh on the boy. He has caused the damage on the child. And the person who recorded that did it deliberately to expose that man. Beating is not the solution my dear parents were children’s performance is concerned. Learn to dialogue with your children and understand what they go through at school. So parents don’t understand that giving children more responsibilities can affect their performance. Take care of your siblings at school. Bana Bakwe?? Let children be children
The police should address the issue in an African way, to correct the boy and even punish him before his parents, the police need to give necessary orientation to the mother because her action is to destroy the future of that boy, destroy the image of Zambian and Africans at large. The boy should be lectured on the implication of wastage! Even on Zambian economy. Who knows, if the father doesn’t have such opportunity from his parents. He may be the type that struggled on his own before getting to that position. By the way how many of the police officers/civil servants can afford such amount out of their salary in Zambians? The woman is not cultured, disrespectful, not a peace maker, not looking for the future of that boy etc., in fact she’s not looking for the success of that family. Beating can re-orientate a child. I experienced it and I thank God today. The Bible recommends it.