The 2025/26 University of Zambia Students Union(UNZASU) elections are already heating up and once more, the line between campus politics and national politics is being blurred.
This time around, the storm has just landed on the shoulders of Moses Besa, aspiring presidential candidate better known by UNZA students as UNZA Barrister.
On Friday August 15, 2025, Besa’s picture unexpectedly appeared on the official Patriotic Front (PF) Facebook page. Within hours, the gossip mill went into overdrive.
“He’s PF” “He’s politically sponsored” “He’s not independent.” But Besa did not wait for the dust to settle.
He hit back, hard in a passionate and some what emotional statement, he accused his opponents of playing mingalato (dirty games).
“As a student and a youth, I do not involve myself in partisan politics. I distance myself from affiliations with any political party, including the Patriotic Front,” Besa affirmed.
His frustration was evident. First, they labelled him a “management puppet.” Then, they twisted his friendships and professional networks. Now, they are dragging national politics into the student race.
To Besa, this is not just a campaign it is an assault on everything he has built, a brand he has created through his event Mcing at the highest learning institution.And here is the truth, whether you support Besa or not, he has a point.
Why should student elections, a platform meant to showcase young leadership be poisoned by the very political parties that have failed the youth outside campus? Why must every aspiring leader be tied to the strings of national politicians?
The UNZASU Electoral Commission has also spoken and loudly. Chairperson Theophilus Kolobeki has warned political parties and third party actors to stay away.
“Hands off UNZA,” is the clear message. The union must remain independent, or else it loses its purpose.But warnings alone would not save UNZASU.
It is students themselves who must decide what kind of leadership they want. Do we want leaders chosen by national party machinery, or leaders shaped by student struggles, student voices, and student dreams?
On August 29, 2025, the choice will be ours. But let us remind ourselves that UNZASU is not PF, it is not UPND, it is not any political party. It is our union and we have a huge responsibility to safeguard it.
If we let outsiders hijack it, then we will only have ourselves to blame.For now, all eyes remain on UNZA Barrister. Whether he wins or not, his fight has already raised the most important question of this election.
Who really owns UNZASU is the students or politicians?As the UNZASU campaigns kick off this month, I just want to remind my fellow candidates not to let selfish individuals use you in ways that could risk your academic journey here at UNZA. Let us not forget, there is life beyond campus politics.