Musu silungwe

Teacher, Geography and history @OLS| Research: cultural history, Education and development,climate change, Ict.

[Felix @FMwenge]

If I block a tweep for their lazy & weird political reasoning, I’ll end up with only those saying things that I want to hear. That’s dumb & boring (for me). In another sense, that’s being intolerant to dissenting views, a danger to democracy. So, don’t filter. We’re ready. 😂

[Musu silungwe @MusuSilungwe]

@TeamMakeSure the saddest part is that the "untouchables" thrive on the hard work of those who can easily be shown the exist door.

[Musu silungwe @MusuSilungwe]

@LauraMiti At the time of receiving the gift, did he know it was government property? Why should ZCCB show concern over the matter? 🤔

[Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya @BuyoyaJonah]

Did you know that NAPSA owns 8% of MTN Zambia?

In hospitality, they own Stay Easy, Hilton, Garden Court and Radisson Blu Livingstone.

They have fixed deposit accounts with:
Standard Chartered Bank
Zambia Industrial Commercial Bank
First Capital Bank
United Bank for Africa
Citibank
First National Bank
ECO Bank Zambia Limited
Indo-Zambia Bank
National Savings and Credit Bank Zambia
Stanbic Bank Zambia Limited
Zambia National Commercial Bank
Atlas Mara Bank Zambia Limited
First Alliance Bank
Access Bank Zambia Limited
Zambia National Building Society
Absa Bank Limited

They have investments in PUMA, CEC, KGL, ZAMBEEF, ZAMEFA, Chilanga Cement, Zambia Sugar, Marcopolo Tiles, Wonderful Industry, among other companies.

[Musu silungwe @MusuSilungwe]

@YonahBT @BuyoyaJonah I was actually entertaining the same thought today. We are very tolerant as a nation. Nothing is working in this country and we are okay.

[Musu silungwe @MusuSilungwe]

@Sherancis1 @rickymuzala @Airtel_Zambia 5 days? A friend of mine has been waiting for a week and some days now.

[Sishuwa Sishuwa @ssishuwa]

You are right in stating that I have, over the last 25 years, criticised the leadership actions or failings of presidents Rupiah Banda, Michael Sata, Edgar Lungu and now Hakainde Hichilema. The record is in the public domain. Where you get it wrong is in assuming that I had some kind of personal relationship with these individuals or that I “liked” them before they assumed public office after which we fell out. That is not correct.

For instance, I have had no personal relationship with Lungu or Rupiah Banda or Sata. I never met Lungu or Banda before or during their presidencies. I met both of them after they lost power purely for my academic research. Part of the results of that research can be read here:
https://t.co/EBdrKWsWGT

I also met Sata twice when he was in opposition, again, solely in relation to my academic research. Parts of the results of that research can be read here:

https://t.co/eBYTlPmi6U

Hichilema was in opposition for 15 years. Not once throughout this period did I meet him, despite invitations or opportunities to do so. Unless I am conducting research, I consciously stay away from politicians to preserve my independence and avoid forming personal relationships that can compromise my judgement when commenting on their public life. Do I have anything personal against Hichilema? No. Do I hate him? No. As a matter of fact, I am incapable of that emotion. I just happen to disagree with many of the leadership decisions he is making in his capacity as president of Zambia.

I look forward to meeting and interviewing Hichilema when he is out of office for my academic research so that I can understand why he is failing even on basic things. As I suggested in this August 2023 piece, if a leader promises voters something and that leader fails to honour the promise or deliver it, they should have the decency to apologise or explain why.

https://t.co/3ekFnFMxet

If a law says you can’t appoint someone who is above 60 years as Auditor General and you go ahead to do precisely that; if the law says you cannot appoint a person to the High Court unless they have 10 years experience and yet you go ahead to appoint someone with less than 10 years’ experience; if you promise to respect human rights when you are in opposition but then continuously violate them once elected; if you promise to reduce the cost of mealie mealie, electricity, petrol, and other basic services when you are in opposition but go on to do the opposite when in power, it makes perfect sense for me to seek an opportunity to understand your decision making when you are no longer in power. When such a leader is in office however, I have the right to hold them to account, as you do.

This brings me to my next point: Successive ruling parties and their supporters fail to realise my simple approach to public commentaries. I hold to account elected leaders who are in public office at a given time, whoever these may be. Once they exit or leave office, my attention shifts to the failings of the new or next set of leaders. This often makes me appear like I am working with the opposition or that I like them when all I do is to share my views or opinions on matters of governance. If a person promises to deliver a service such as repealing a bad law within a specific timeframe and they do not do so once in power but instead use the same law to curtail the political activities of their opponents, how is it wrong to call them out for their failure to do so?

I repeat: My commentaries on the political affairs of our country are not motivated by any personal, financial, or political interest. Neither are they driven by a desire to see or drive any particular individual politician in or outside State House.

And I do not speak out because I am an academic. I speak out solely because it is my civic responsibility as a citizen – my primary identity – to hold the government to account, to promote the ideals and objectives of Zambia’s constitution. I insist that every citizen needs to take these duties seriously. To be silent in the face of attacks on our democracy, abuse, injustice, inequality, and corruption is to actively participate in sustaining the status quo.

As I have said so many times, I mean well and no deliberate harm to anyone including those in government or in opposition. Like you, I am simply a lover of Zambia and I believe that a better country is possible.

https://t.co/OFESJQyqBP

We all do not have to be in government to participate in the affairs of, or to make a meaningful contribution to, our country. I do believe though that our complex national challenges call for a different kind of leadership, one that is highly competent, sufficiently educated and based on the possession of ethical values – courage, compassion and love for fellow human beings, moral force of character, integrity, genuine humility, honesty, a predilection for consultation, consensus-building, communication, co-operation, active listening, and the selfless pursuit of the public good, and not the selfish striving for personal gain. It is hardly possible to look at, say, Hichilema’s Cabinet today without being struck by the calamity of the absence of this kind of leadership. The question is: what are we going to do about our national plight before we sink further into the abyss? How can we move from simply knowing how bad things are to taking action?

We have a long way to go to get to a better future, but we must go there! In my view, the first step towards that desired future is to demand better from our elected public leaders. Unfortunately, many of us mistake criticism of the actions or policies of our elected public leaders for dislike, hate, support for the opposition, or some other adhominem attack. I bear special understanding and sympathies for those among us who exhibit these unfortunate tendencies.

https://t.co/GoCVK0PCce

There must be many and complex and interrelated social, economic, political, cultural, religious, and spiritual forces combining with our entire history as a people that have moulded and continue to shape the current psychology and character structure of the ‘typical Zambian’, one who generally reveres authority and is unquestioning! Our challenge is to unravel these forces, understand them, and reshape them to build a different and genuinely alive Zambian. We must understand all this as they relate to our place in the whole world.

It is not, in a sense, a Hichilema, Lungu, Sata, Banda, Mwanawasa, Chiluba or Kaunda problem: these leaders have definitely played a part in generating the psychological and material conditions which have created us as a cowardly, zombie-like, easy to manipulate, naive, and quite superstitious people. None of these and more negative qualities are biological, however. They have their roots in our complex history with all the social forces that have shaped this history, including a dominant fawning, ingratiating, degraded Christian theology and practice (largely pacifist) to which we so often appeal to resolve our perfectly manmade problems. Our political and religious leaders simply feast on this historical banquet!

This social milieu or context explains why I often insist on structural change as the route to a truly radical transformation of Zambia, not merely replacing one set of individuals with another. We must desist from thinking that merely changing "presidents" and "parties" will lead to any meaningful changes in our cultures, lives and country. I am extremely optimistic, however, that there is potential for a new national consciousness to emerge in Zambia. In fact, our current deep seated systemic and structural social, economic and cultural crises are a perfect foundation to begin to build a new consciousness, to begin to resurrect the human being in the Zambian.

The first port of call is us, first as individual Zambians, I must maintain. As an individual, one must refuse to be reduced to the subhuman status our current situation confines all of us to. We must peacefully rebel against this status. Then, in our many millions of personal life activities, we must transmit this rebellion to others. So far, the main platform for criticism of our lives is in the media, and largely confined to the deplorable social and economic conditions we now suffer. It need not be confined to this terrain. Ethically, morally, spiritually, intellectually, culturally, and yes, ultimately, philosophically, we must also wage a war against influences in these spheres which define and confine us to subhuman existence. To be who we are is a reflection of inferior qualities in us of all the human essences I have listed. We must question everything and everyone, fearlessly, especially if they are leading us or making claims to want to lead us.

[Stellenbosch History Department @Stell_History]

CONGRATULATIONS to our departmental colleague @ssishuwa for being elected to the highest governing body of @StellenboschUni, the Council. That he was nominated by peers and won majority votes (51%) is a great show of trust, confidence, and respect in his intellectual leadership.

[Musu silungwe @MusuSilungwe]

@FMwenge Taking notes😂

[Hopewell Chin’ono @daddyhope]

This is South Africa ladies and gentlemen, one of the very few African countries where the law and constitution are respected.

In Zimbabwe the President publicly encourages the police to beat up citizens, “….kombai murove,” he said.

Countries that respect their constitutions prosper economically.

That is why you find every African national in South Africa, they are attracted by that prosperity!

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

Have you ever wondered what those letters stand for?
https://t.co/LwyzbZWT1V

[Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya @BuyoyaJonah]

ZAMBIA'S BIGGEST PROBLEM IS THAT PEOPLE DON'T READ

By Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya

Reading gets your mind working across different areas. For starters, it involves comprehension to process the words you read. Beyond that, you can use your analytical abilities, stimulate memories, and even broaden your imagination by reading words off a page.

Both reading and writing work to improve one’s communication skills. That’s why if you’re looking to become a better writer, many of the suggestions that you come across will include reading more.

Don't worry, this article is about nothing. I just want us to check the comments and see the number of people who will comment without actually reading the article. If you have read this far, don't comment, just retweet, and we'll see the ones that comment without reading.

I saw this yesterday on NPR and my goodness, people really comment on just a headline.

[Lit Magogo🕶️ @Litmagogo]

Listen to this before you quit your Job. Organizational Politics is everywhere. I have worked under women, men, American bosses, Indian bosses and Zambian Bosses. Climbing the corporate ladder may have nothing to do with how hard you work.

[Sishuwa Sishuwa @ssishuwa]

Is politics compromising the impartiality and independence of the judiciary in #Zambia today? As promised, here is my in-depth analysis of the judiciary’s response to my previous article…

https://t.co/1NuQohbhG2

[𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒕 𝑶𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉 @Shadaya_Knight]

Young man, if you want to die a loser, pin your hopes to succeed on:

• politicians - they're in it for themselves. Detach your attention, emotion and energy from politicians

• religion - shouting declarations, fasting and all that comes with religion won't solve your problems. Problems are solved with action not faith

• relatives - the only people in your family who want to see you succeed are your parents. Your relatives never want you to do better than them or their children

• friends - your friends want you to do well just not better than them. And your friends will find it easy to support celebrities who don't know them and yet ignore you

• betting - there is no shortcut to being rich. It only robs you off your hard earned money giving you hope with little wins once in a while. Delete all betting apps and never step into a betting shop

Learn OR perish!!!

[Sishuwa Sishuwa @ssishuwa]

Hakainde Hichilema stood in the queue to becoming President of #Zambia for 15 years before voters finally removed him from it in August 2021. This demonstrates how badly the man wanted this job. But it has taken him only two years in office to display his unfitness for the role. When it comes to the bigger national issues, such as safeguarding our cherished democracy, getting the best out of Zambia’s mineral wealth, respecting the constitution and the rule of law, fighting corruption beyond rhetoric, genuine promotion of national unity and equitable distribution of appointments to public service positions, sorting out the cost-of-living crisis and the deplorable conditions of life for most Zambians, Hichilema has, so far, lamentably failed.

And if Zambians were to see the contents of the just signed Shareholder Agreement with Vedanta Resources Limited for the takeover of Konkola Copper Mines, many will be so livid that they will likely demand his immediate resignation for working against the interests of the Republic. I have seen, read, and understood the Agreement, and I challenge the Government to publish it in full in the name of transparency and accountability if they have nothing to hide. I am aware that Hichilema discarded the terms and conditions prepared by patriotic and very capable technocrats in the civil service and exerted pressure on the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines-Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) to wholly accept the ones produced by Vedanta Resources. The concessions given to Vedanta - let us just say the concessions Vedanta has effectively given itself and which Hichilema agreed to without even subjecting the Shareholder Agreement to discussion in Cabinet - are so dreadful and anti-Zambia that any citizen who signs that terrible agreement must ordinarily be charged with SABOTAGE or TREASON. The contents of the Agreement with Vedanta constitute the ultimate betrayal of public trust and the interests of the State.

Argh! We are going nowhere serious with Hichilema at the helm of Zambia, unless he changes course, for the better. He has become a clear and present danger to Zambia’s economy, to our democracy, our constitutional order, our nationhood and its future, to the lives of ordinary Zambians, and must be peacefully removed from office at the earliest available opportunity. What consoles me is the knowledge that as of today, many people in Zambia may not know who they will vote for in the next election, but they already know who they will not vote for.

The best thing about electing Hichilema president was that we are no longer distracted by his threat or potential to be better than those who came before him and we can now start looking for suitable, if better, alternatives. If Hichilema did not become President of Zambia, we would have lived with some degree of guilty for not giving him the chance to govern. We could have also succumbed to certain narratives that suggest that some regions of Zambia can provide better leaders than others. To some extent, it is not regrettable that the man got the opportunity to lead. Now we know that in order to develop, Zambia does not need a given region or an individual from a particular ethnic group in State House. The country simply needs competent men and women who are patriots, have a feasible plan, and are committed to restoring the nation’s dignity, where they come from notwithstanding.

In a certain weird and perverted sense, it is good that Zambians gave Hichilema a chance to reveal who he truly is. The Chewa-speaking people of Zambia have a saying that “The best way of proving the potency of a man who claims that he is able to achieve an erection is for the woman to undress for him.” In August 2021, Zambians undressed for Hichilema after a decade-and-half of claiming that he is capable of taking them to greater heights!

[Ndawana Youngson PhD. @NdawanaY]

This is very good! The President should take note of such best practices. #Zambia

[Shrek @zambianow]

@LauraMiti For a highly opinionated person as yourself, who doesn't say " in my opinion " in your posts, I find it interesting you should say that . Lately you have taking into attacking @ssishuwa and not arguing with what he says.

[Waluu @WaluuK]

Ending a relationship is normal but the manner in which you end that relationship matters..

This thing of ghosting people you owe an explanation or a decent conversation to, when they did nothing wrong to you should remain in 2023..

[Sishuwa Sishuwa @ssishuwa]

On Wednesday last week, @HOT877Zambia featured me on its flagship Red Hot Breakfast Show where I shared my opinion on the state of governance and human rights in #Zambia today.

On Thursday, Clayson Hamasaka, the spokesperson of President @HHichilema contacted the leading private radio station to complain and protest.

On Friday, the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), Zambia's broadcasting regulator, got involved. In a written warning to Hot FM, the IBA stated that my “assertions [on the programme] have the potential to cause disunity in the country”!

For those interested, here is the full recording of the interview.