By Chisomo Phiri
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-A group first-year students at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Science (MUBAS), formerly known as the Polytechnic have condemned the act of some leaders of Student Union at the University who allegedly collected money amounting to MK1,000 from each and every first year student without clearly giving the reason on what they will do with the money.
In an interview with one of the concerned students who is also a group leader Ezekiel Thipa disclosed that the union leaders collected the said amount of money from them during the first-day of their orientations at the school campus.
“They found us during the orientations and told each and everyone of us to pay MK1,000 of which we don’t its use at the school. They refused to tell us the purpose of the money as we don’t know if the school authorities are aware of this,” said Thipa.
Thipa said after rumours erupted at the school that the money was distributed among the leaders, they presented their grievances to Dean of Students for the truth whether the collection of MK1,000 from first-year Students was authorized by Dean’s office.
He said, the matter is still in the hands of Dean of Students who is to give them a feedback soon.
“We delivered our grievances to the Dean of the Students so as we hear from him whether this legal or not since the rumors are circulating on campus that the money was distributed among the leaders. We are waiting for him to give us a feedback,” he said.
Thipa said that if the school management will fail to handle their grievances in an honest way, the students will go to court to be helped, adding that some well-wishers have already pledged to finance them for court costs.
“We want the school management to intervene into this so as we know the truth. If the management fails, we will go to court to present our grievances for a help. This is a big case.
“The good thing is that some well-wishers have already pledged to finance us into the court of law if the school will not give desirable solution to such bad malpractice,” said Thipa.
Another female concerned student Esther Nyondo also confirmed of the development.
“Union leaders demanded MK1,000 from each of us which we don’t know its use. We have written a letter to Dean of Students to intervene into the matter so as we know the truth.
“The money might look small but the students are many,so if you can do the statics, you will find that the money is huge,” she confirmed.
But commenting on the matter, Student Union financial controller Noah Chadza whose name mentioned among those involved in the misconduct distanced himself from his involvement.
Chadza said he was not among the students who collected the money although he was around at the scene where the fraudulence happened.
“I was there where they were collecting money from the students but I was busy working with First Capital Bank where we were opening students’ accounts,” said Chadza.
He went on to describe the allegations that he involved in the swindling as just a basis of defamation.
According to Thipa, a statistical data of first year students who are claiming to have paid MK1,000 is increasing to more than 200, representing that more than MK200,000 was collected by the leaders.