Who are Zambia’s Present-day Heroes?- Sishuwa Sishuwa

Who are Zambia’s Present-day Heroes?

By Sishuwa Sishuwa

Today is Heroes Day in Zambia. I take advantage of this Day to pay tribute to individuals and institutions that – especially since the 2021 election – continue to make a difference in areas that matter most and to stand up for Zambia when many have retreated into praise singing, bootlicking, silence, or defending sectional interests.

When celebrating this Day, the general tendency is to focus on the heroic deeds of those who helped Zambia secure its independence from Britain in 1964. This narrow approach overlooks the present-day heroes whose actions, courage, and principles offer hope and inspiration, and who, through their conduct in public political life, risk the ire of the authorities in defence of the common good.

For a country as big as Zambia, the dearth of individuals who, perhaps without being self-conscious about it, consistently demonstrate an utmost loyalty or commitment to principle, no matter the obstacle or consequence, is a major cause for concern. In general, we are a country that lacks people who show an unwavering dedication to their morals, who exemplify courage in the face of adversity, who prioritise the upholding of the greater good over individual or private gain, and who inspire public trust, regardless of who is in power.

In no order of importance, I celebrate the following as my heroes for this Day:

• the four Constitutional Court judges, namely, Margaret Munalula, Martin Musaluke, Judy Mulongoti, and Mathew Chisunka, who recently declared as unconstitutional the appalling Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill Number 7 of 2025. This verdict is arguably the most important judgement from the ConCourt since the matter of Katuka and Law Association of Zambia vs Inonge Wina and Others in 2016 – the only other occasion when this typically executive-friendly court ruled against the executive in a case with lasting consequences: that the continued stay in office of ministers after the dissolution of parliament is illegal.

In the latest case, the four justices, in effect, upheld the foundational principle of Zambia’s constitutional order: that the source of power is the people; that those in the executive arm of government can change the constitution, but not without consulting the people that put them in office; that any constitutional amendment should originate from the people through a structured process; that politicians are servants of the people, and that the power they use is delegated to them by the people; any changes to that power requires going back to the people. I had nearly given up on Zambia, but the four Constitutional Court judges, in a rare show of judicial activism that combines the spirit and the letter of the law, renewed my hope. I suspect that the magnitude of the importance of their decision on that specific matter will only become apparent to many in years to come;

• ⁠the staff and management of Diamond Television and Hot FM Radio who continue to position their stations as major platforms for public debate, promoting accountability, and the expression of a plurality of views that are essential to the workings of a functional constitutional democracy. Since the 2021 election, one or two private media institutions that were previously on the side of the people have turned around to join hands with the establishment – becoming a daily public diary of the president, promoting official agendas or narratives, denying sufficient coverage to alternative voices from the opposition and civil society even on subjects of major public interest, downing tools of investigative journalism especially as it relates to the prevalence of corruption in government, and spiking stories deemed critical to those in power to secure commercial interests.

In a media climate that has witnessed the capture or co-optation of other independent media outlets by the State, the continued abuse of the state media by the ruling party and the opportunistic decision by social media pages with a historically large following to hire themselves to those in power, the editorial independence of Hot Fm and Diamond TV is to be highly commended. Other private media outlets that deserve an honourable mention, especially taking into account the unconducive environment in which they are operating, include KBN TV, the Daily Nation and The Mast newspapers;

• ⁠Faides Tembatemba, Telesphore Mpundu, Musa Mwenye, Linda Kasonde, Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma, John Sangwa, Brebner Changala, Archbishop Ignatius Chama, Archbishop Alick Banda, Bishop Gabriel Msipu Phiri, for consistently raising their voices to speak out against human rights violations, injustice, abuse, corruption in government, the erosion of democratic and the indifference of the country’s political leadership to the plight of many. Many of the prominent individuals in academia, the church, and civil society who opposed wrongs under the previous administration (s) now constitute an essential part of the vociferous choir that sings praise for the presidency on a regular basis, even where silence would be golden. Others have remained so quiet that one might think they are dead, going by their incriminating silence on subjects that would have previously attracted the expression of their public outrage such as Bill 7, the violations of human rights as lately documented by major rights bodies such as the United Nations and Human Rights Watch, the continued disregard for the Constitution of Zambia by the executive and the Speaker of the National Assembly, and the abuse of State institutions like the police and the courts to suppress peaceful protests against the government and fix political opponents and critics.

Immersed in sea of government kakistocracy, democratic backsliding, the continued careless contraction of huge public debt, extreme levels of poverty and inequality, death and infections, it is easy to lose hope and be pessimistic about Zambia because we are not seeing many green shoots growing from the debris. The individuals mentioned above exemplify a negation of the rotten conditions that characterise today’s Zambia and are among the inspiring few who refuse to be intimidated by repression, to hide what they think or to keep their thoughts to themselves, are fighting to make Zambia free and against those who rob the people of their rights, life and dignity. In a context where the majority of us are spectators, watching these people taking extremely dangerous risks to themselves and to their families, we will do well to celebrate these forthright and upstanding citizens. Amidst the detritus, they represent not only what is green and fresh in us but also a bridge between two extremes: a rotten present and the possibility of a good, better future;

• Binwell Mpundu, the Nkana independent lawmaker, who, though relatively young, continues to hold the powerful to account through informed parliamentary debates. There was a time, especially under the MMD, when Zambia had a crop of outstanding members of parliament who debated with knowledge, held the executive to account, and defended public interest even when they belonged to the ruling party. Examples of such distinguished MPs include Dipak Patel, Crispin Sibetta, Bob Sichinga, Given Lubinda, Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika, and Edith Nawakwi. These backbenchers were aided by the presence of relatively tolerant Speakers of the National Assembly such as Robinson Nabulyato and Amusaa Mwanamwambwa.

Today, the debates in parliament are generally shallow while the Speaker, Nelli Mutti, is so shamelessly partisan in her conduct that she has even stopped pretending. In this uninspiring context, it is refreshing that Mpundu has continued to hoist his voice on issues that matter most to the public such as the continued refusal by the Ministry of Finance to adequately tax foreign mining companies and the reckless expenditure by the executive that has resulted in supplementary budgets and contraction of more debt from commercial banks, to the disadvantage of the local private sector;

• Chabota C. Mweetwa, a youthful patriot, who continues to use social media especially TikTok to highlight – in an accessible language – issues of greater public concern;

• the Law Association of Zambia, as an institution, for remaining steadfast in defending the Constitution and the rule of law;

• ⁠the faceless and unknown Zambians whose heroic acts do not attract media or public attention but who, as part of the wider division of labour that all of us are engaged in (one unit, different roles), work hard and quietly in the background to contribute to the creation of a better society that we all envisage. These are ordinary men and women strewn across different stations such as the civil service, markets, politics, civil society, industry, academia, the professions, secret service, etc. None of these trades is more important than the other.

In the end, and as founding President Kenneth Kaunda wrote in Letters to My Children, it is through the sum total of our countless isolated efforts that everything is changed – hopefully for the better. Regardless of our professional stations in life, it is crucial that we discharge our responsibilities well and in a way that both enhances the lives of others and advances the health of our country, firm in the awareness that we swim or sink together.