Sishuwa Sishuwa

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China, Confucius institutes and the capture of Africa’s future
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on May 12, 2019
The first building that one comes across when entering the University of Zambia, which sits on the terraces of a busy motorway to and from....
He is their leader: why Edgar Lungu cannot stop the violent behaviour of PF cadres
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on May 1, 2019
The thuggery of ruling Patriotic Front (PF) cadres never seems to cease and appears to grow more frequent as time passes. Media reports on their....
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We have created and earned him: why Lungu remains Zambia’s president
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on March 25, 2019
For a long time now, many of us have complained, sometimes with very persuasive arguments, that Zambia is where it is today because of bad....
Brenda Muntemba: vivid in death as she was in public life
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on March 20, 2019
On 19 March 2019, the heart of Brenda Muntemba, 49, ceased to beat, cutting short a soaring career in public service that was so distinguished....
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Zambia is a dream in ruins. Can we rescue it?
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on March 4, 2019
On 5 March 1988, Shem Michael Mlevhu, commonly known as Keith Mlevhu, a multitalented artist and upstanding citizen of our country ceased to breathe. Born....
The real reasons why Nkandu Luo is taking students’ meals off the table
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on February 25, 2019
On 6 February 2019, Minister of Higher Education Professor Nkandu Luo announced that her ministry had with immediate effect stopped disbursing the stipend, popularly known....
Bad losers losing badly: Lessons from Sesheke
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on February 18, 2019
Last Tuesday, the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) scooped the Sesheke parliamentary by-election after defeating the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) and two other....
The real reasons why Lungu won’t fire Chitotela
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on February 11, 2019
Last week, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) arrested Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Development Ronald Kaoma Chitotela on suspicion of corruption. Chitotela, 46, was subsequently charged....
Let the looting continue! Explaining the response to Congo’s chaotic election
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on February 4, 2019
On 30 December 2018, voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) went to the polls to choose a successor to President Joseph Kabila who....
Is Hichilema the lapdog of Zambia’s mining companies?
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on January 28, 2019
In the 2019 national budget, the Minister of Finance proposed a few changes to Zambia’s mining tax regime. As well as introducing a 1.5 per....
He is not Lungu. But what else does Hichilema offer Zambian voters?
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on January 21, 2019
Appearing on Radio Christian Voice’s Chat Back programme last week, opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema revealed that mining companies in....
Class of 2018: Zambians who gravely disappointed last year
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on January 14, 2019
In contrast to the shortage of authentic, consistent heroes in public life, Zambia had a huge surplus of disappointing individuals and institutions in 2018, as....
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Class of 2018: Zambians who inspired last year
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on January 7, 2019
Across 2018, Zambia experienced no shortage of disappointments and setbacks. Yet there are some individuals whose courage and principles made them inspiring figures in the....
The dialogue games: with a third term all but assured, Lungu agrees to play
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on December 1, 2018
Zambians were recently surprised to learn of the commencement of a secretive dialogue process between President Edgar Lungu and Hakainde Hichilema, leader of the main....
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Why are we so good at choosing bad leaders?
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on September 8, 2018
(Editor’s Note: This article was first published on 18 December 2017 and is being republished here only as a flashback to show how the questions....
Why President Lungu’s threats to the judiciary mark a new phase in Zambia’s slide to authoritarianism
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on September 1, 2018
The Constitutional Court has concluded its hearing over the eligibility of President Edgar Lungu to stand for another term in 2021 and judgement in the....
A parting word, for now
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on June 18, 2018
A weekly column such as this one does not exist on its own. It requires the support and interest of readers, the understanding and permission....
Daniel Munkombwe’s political life: what do we learn from it?
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on June 15, 2018
After being at the centre of national politics for over half a century, Daniel Chibbwalu Munkombwe joined, in 2015, the very short list of Zambian....
Understanding the outcome of the Chilanga parliamentary by-election
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on June 11, 2018
Last Tuesday, the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) scooped the Chilanga parliamentary by-election, defeating three other opposition parties: the United Party for National Development (UPND), National....
Has the Law Association of Zambia finally been captured?
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on June 4, 2018
Until recently, the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has been a rare bright spot amid Zambia’s increasingly inactive and ineffective civil society movement. Under the....
Free to rot in poverty: the heart-breaking plight of Mpundu Mutembo
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on May 28, 2018
Last Friday, 25 May 2018, marked Africa Freedom Day. Like every year, our political leaders and foreign dignitaries gathered at State House to offer platitudes....
Why Lungu is truly the President we deserve: he is a symptom of Zambia’s sickness
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on May 21, 2018
Last week, Zambians woke up to revelations that President Edgar Lungu owns an enormous piece of land in a prime area of eSwatini, as the....
An open letter to President Edgar Lungu over human rights
By Sishuwa Sishuwa on May 14, 2018
Dear President Lungu, I am writing to you today regarding the serious matter of the continued and unjustifiable incarceration of one of our fellow Zambians.....

What would the world miss about Zambia if we simply vanished tomorrow?

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 7 May 2018

A visitor to Zambia who restricts themselves to parts of Lusaka could be forgiven for thinking that they had entered a vibrant and developing nation.....

Lessons from the local government by-elections

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 30 Apr 2018

On 24 April 2018, voters in 16 different wards spread across the country went to the polls to choose new representatives following a series of....

Lies, damned lies and delusion: ‘adotolo’ Chomba and our culture of mediocrity

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 23 Apr 2018

Last week, News Diggers published an exposé that accused the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection, Edward Chomba, of....

Your questions answered: on Rogan, constitutional amendments, and the UPND

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 16 Apr 2018

Today’s article is dedicated to addressing a series of new and old questions posed by readers of my weekly political commentaries in this column. I....

UN resident coordinator Janet Rogan during Youth Day celebrations in Lusaka-picture by Tenson Mkhala

Is Janet Rogan, the UNDP Resident Representative, undermining the UN’s neutrality in Zambia?

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 9 Apr 2018

Last Friday, Hakainde Hichilema, leader of Zambia’s main opposition, the United Party for National Development (UPND), accused United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in....

FLASHBACK: Lungu needed Commonwealth to downplay treason humiliation

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 7 Apr 2018

On 16 August, opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema walked to freedom after spending four months in detention. This moment was....

Motion impossible: understanding the UPND’s attempt to impeach Lungu

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 2 Apr 2018

On 23 March 2018, the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) filed in Parliament a notice of motion that seeks to impeach President Edgar....

A matter of conviction: a response to my critics

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 26 Mar 2018

As many correctly guessed, the minister serving in President Edgar Lungu’s Cabinet who inspired last week’s column, ‘Crisis? What Crisis?’, did not respond to my....

A woman selling groundnuts at East Park Mall in Lusaka -picture by Tenson Mkhala

Crisis? What crisis? Ifintu filifye bwino mucalo cesu icaZambia!

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 19 Mar 2018

Last Friday, I met a minister serving in President Edgar Lungu’s Cabinet who, upon seeing me, insisted that contrary to my recent observations, given at....

Ailing from a weak Constitution: how can Zambia be cured?

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 12 Mar 2018

On 7 March 2018, Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini wrote to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) entreating it to hold a by-election....

What explains the PF’s revived interest in constitutional reform?

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 6 Mar 2018

Last week, Minister of Justice Given Lubinda condemned Zambia’s current Constitution as ‘an extremely talkative’ document that was poorly ‘drafted by laypeople’ and contains several....

Munali and Lusaka Central: the appeal cases that reveal a court system in crisis

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 26 Feb 2018

Given that there are relatively few cases before it, what explains the continued delay by the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) in determining the election appeal cases....

What was the purpose of Lungu’s cabinet reshuffle?

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 20 Feb 2018

What explains President Edgar Lungu’s decision to reshuffle his cabinet on 14 February 2018? High-profile changes were announced, including the removal of Felix Mutati as....

Lungu, Hichilema and the mediocrity of their politics

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 13 Feb 2018

On 7 February 2018, opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema argued that President Edgar Lungu has finally confessed to fixing the....

We should not be surprised to wake up and discover that our President is Chinese

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 7 Feb 2018

Last week, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Kampamba Mulenga revealed that the government is in the process of selling the prime land on which....

He exists and thrives off it: why Lungu cannot stop the lumpen behaviour of PF cadres

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 29 Jan 2018

The thuggery of ruling Patriotic Front (PF) cadres never seems to cease and appears to grow more frequent as time passes. Media reports on their....

Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Godfridah Sumaili during an interview with News Diigers at her office in Lusaka-picture by Tenson Mkhala

The solution is prayer! Understanding Sumaili’s response to the cholera crisis

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 22 Jan 2018

On 13 January 2018, Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Reverend Godfridah Sumaili announced a one-week national prayer and fasting campaign, effective 15 January,....

One Zambia, Two Nations! The disturbing ill-treatment of Tongas in Lungu’s Zambia

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 15 Jan 2018

I recently attended a social occasion in Lusaka. The event, not unusual in the capital city, brought together Zambians from disparate ethnic groups such as....

Corruption or succession politics? Understanding Kalaba’s resignation

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 8 Jan 2018

On 2 January 2018, Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba resigned his Cabinet position in protest against the ‘swelling levels of greed and corruption’ under....

Class of 2017: Zambians who inspired or disappointed last year

By Sishuwa Sishuwa on 1 Jan 2018

Across 2017, Zambia experienced no shortage of disappointments and setbacks. Yet there are some individuals whose courage and principles made them inspiring figures in the....