GOVERNMENT has forcibly taken over Horizon School situated in Lusaka’s Kabulonga area.

In an interview Horizon School board chairperson Leslie Mbula confirmed this incident and said police officers had forcefully taken over the school and that government had appointed a new chairman and had installed a new principle.

Mbula said it was disheartening that government had taken this stance when the matter was still in court.

Last year in December, Horizon School sued the State over the compulsory acquisition of stand number KABUL-N69565/196 Kabulonga.

The school charged that government had not disclosed its public interest over the decision to acquire the premises.

“The police have come forcefully to our school to take over. The chairman went there and he was not allowed entry and he was forced out. The Principle was detained in his room from 10:00 hours to 14:00 hours and he was threatened with arrest and deportation if he tried to phone anybody. The chairman was also told off. Right now they are on the premises with their guns. The matter is in court and the law is very clear about compulsory acquisition, they must be compensation. They have done nothing like that. In other words, it is illegal and please find time to go there with a camera if you can and interview them, they will be very rude to you,” said Mbula.

“They have appointed a new chairman, our lawyer is Chifumu Banda, we spoke to him and he said the matter is in court, they should not have done that, he is pursuing the matter. This is extremely sad. Before the move away from there please go there and see. They have removed the principle from there and they have installed their own principle. They have appointed a chairperson and this school is not an individual’s school, it is a company and is registered under the companies act and not by the registrar of societies. So help us in bringing about democracy. You are the only ones we can look to.”