Rape, robberies of Levy students anger Nyapachuma
By Ludia Ngwadzai
REPORTS of rape and robberies targeting Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital (LMUTH) female students have angered the Nyapachuma Memorial Foundation (NMF).
NMF programmes coordinator Lameck Simwanza said the organisation was deeply concerned a reports of rape and other violent attacks targeting students at Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital.
Speaking in an interview with The Mast, Simwanza warned that the escalating insecurity in PHI, Mtendere and surrounding areas demands urgent and decisive action.
“Reports of robberies, violent attacks, and, most distressingly, cases of rape are unacceptable and more needs to be done to stop the vice and to arrest people behind that,” he said.
He said no student should be subjected to such trauma while pursuing their education.
Simwanza described the situation as a serious failure of protection that requires immediate attention from all responsible parties.
He said the situation needed urgent and coordinated intervention from police, university management and landlords to safeguard students both on and off campus.
Simwanza said the organisation was alarmed by the reports and that police delayed responding to the distress call when such cases were reported.
“While resource constraints may exist, they cannot justify inaction in life-threatening situations. The safety and dignity of students must be treated as a priority, not an afterthought,” he said.
He urged the Zambia Police Service to urgently address the gaps, strengthen response mechanisms and ensure consistent, visible policing in the high-risk areas.
The foundation said university management at Levy Mwanawasa University had a duty to care for its students regardless of where they lived.
He said the university should take proactive steps to protect its student community, including working closely with law enforcement, setting safety standards for recommended boarding facilities and establishing clear, accessible reporting and support systems for affected students.
Simwanza warned landlords and boarding house to immediately tighten security measures around their premises.
“Students are tenants, but more importantly, they are young people whose safety must be always protected,” he said.
Simwanza stressed that the situation calls for collective accountability.
“Local leadership, the university, law enforcement, landlords and the wider community must act together to end this pattern of violence,” he said.
Simwanza said the foundation stood firmly with the students in demanding urgent intervention and recognised the right of young people to speak out and seek justice.
However, he said all actions should remain peaceful, lawful and well coordinated.
“Meaningful change is most effective when it is organised, strategic, and difficult to dismiss,” he Simwanza.
