MORE CONDEMN SISHUWA PASSPORT REVOCATION: Joint Statement of the South African Historical Society Executive Committee and the South African Historical Journal Editorial Collective
01 October 2026
The Executive Committee of the South African Historical Society (SAHS) and the Editorial Collective of the South African Historical Journal (SAHJ) express our deep concern at the cancellation of Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa’s passport by the Zambian government on grounds of “security reasons in the interest of national security.”
Dr Sishuwa is a historian and Senior Lecturer at Stellenbosch University, a longstanding member of the SAHS, has served on its Executive Committee, and sits on the Editorial Board of the South African Historical Journal. He is a prominent scholar of Zambian history and politics whose academic and public work contributes significantly to historical scholarship and public debate.
We are particularly concerned by the use of state administrative powers in ways that restrict the fundamental rights of scholars and citizens to freedom of movement and freedom of expression. We join calls for the Zambian authorities to reverse the cancellation of Dr Sishuwa’s passport and to uphold these rights.
The SAHS and the SAHJ stand in solidarity with our colleague and reaffirm our commitment to academic freedom, freedom of expression, and the unhindered pursuit and dissemination of historical knowledge.