University of Pretoria law professor Michelo Hansungule has vowed to continue speaking against human rights abuses and other malpractices in Zambia and says he won’t be silenced by Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Emmanuel Mwamba.
In a lengthy post, in which he apologised for the error in judgment, Prof Hansungule said that he told Mr Mwamba that the only way to silence him is to kill his and as long as he lived, he will speak my mind and assist people regardless.
Below is the post
By Professor Michelo Hansungule
In relation to Prof. Nicholson and Prof. Frans’ questions, I aver as follows:
For reasons I shall elaborate on in more detail below, I have since withdrawn the letter from the two recipients and replaced it with one not on CHR headed paper attached herein[1].
Without prejudice to 1 above, I sincerely apologise for the use of the CHR headed paper and personally commit that it will never happen again.
As elaborated on below, in the incident aqua, it was an error of judgment that CHR letter head was used and it is regrettable.
Historical context
For a long time now, I have been participating in public discourse on human rights and governance in Zambia and Africa generally in Zambian media. I did so while I was based at the University of Zambia, Raol Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at the University of Lund in Sweden and since I joined the Center for Human Rights, here at the University of Pretoria. At the University of Pretoria, I was inspired to take an even more active participation in canvassing public issues on learning that academics were required to engage in community service as part of their conditions of service. Besides making presentations to various stakeholders in and outside Africa including politicians, government officials, judges, lawyers, law teachers, students, non-governmental organizations, journalists, faith based organizations, women’s groups and others, I keenly wrote opinion papers making plain my views on critical social, political, economic and issues
In addition, as part of this community engagement, I represent individual victims of human rights violations before various treaty bodies including the defunct SADC Tribunal, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Human Rights Committee at the United Nations, African Committee on the Rights of the Child, and as in the case aqua, non-conventional United Nations bodies and institutions.
For example, I have three communications before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights I filed on instructions from Rwanda community members against Rwanda. In one such case yet to be determined by Court, several Rwandans living in South Africa had their passports arbitrarily cancelled by Rwanda government on suspicion they belonged to opposition which is a crime (divisionism) in Rwanda. Acting together with my LLM students, I was first person to bring the maiden communication (Hansungule versus Uganda) before the African Committee of Experts on the Rights of the Child seeking remedies against the child in northern Uganda which was affected by a long war in which children were forcibly recruited into armed conflict or forcible marriages both by rebel and government forces, Committee found in our favour and made a series of recommendations against Uganda. On instruction, I brought a communication before the African Commission against Swaziland (now eSwatin) in which I demanded reinstatement of a High Court judge who was arbitrarily dismissed from the bench by the King on trumped up charges by a former Chief Justice who had a born to chew with him and whom (Chief Justice) later the King dismissed.
As spirited public defender, I have submitted complaints to the Zambian Chief Justice, Zambian Director of Public Prosecutions, Speaker of the Zambian Parliament, Zambia’s Permanent Human Rights Commission, Lusaka City Council, Zambia’s Anti-Corruption Commission, Zambia’s Commission of Lands, Zambia’s Electoral Commission, Human Rights Council in Geneva, etc. These complaints raised public issues or issues affecting members of the public including tribalism in Zambia fostered by current government, alleged corruption of senior officials in government, alleged commission of treason by current president when he breached the constitution and refused to hand over power to the Speaker of Parliament after opposition filed an election petition challenging the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, as provided by the constitution, three Constitutional Court Judges repudiating their own unanimous judgment delivered in an open Court just two days earlier [without the courtesy to invite two of their colleagues including the Court president], etc.
In all these and similar cases I’ve not mentioned, I acted in my personal capacity or on behalf of clients I represented, even then in my personal capacity. Petitions filed in Zambia were widely reported in Zambian media which assisted generate wide discourses on governance, democracy, rule of law, constitutionalism and human rights. Of course government has not liked most of the discourse because my petitions and submissions either were against them, their officials or persons or questioned their decisions and in any case did not praise them.
2016 Elections
Currently, there are serious political tensions in Zambia. Only yesterday, leader of the main opposition Hakainde Hichilema (HH) called on SADC to intervene in Zambia ‘to protect people from political killings orchestrated by president Edgar Lungu’s government….’. This report is trending now at the time of writing. To cut a long story short, basis of the crisis was the 2016 elections including the period during campaigns. In Zambia, there is the Public Order Act, a colonial piece of legislation which has been widely condemned by most stakeholders. The Public Order Act regulates the holding of public assemblies, meetings and peaceful demonstrations.
While the ruling political party does not apply for ‘permission’ to meet, assemble or demonstrate, other stakeholders especially opposition cannot do so without this ‘permission’ from police the regulating authority. Previously, this statute was challenged before the Supreme Court as unconstitutional as the rights to assembly, meetings and peaceful demonstration were constitutional and the Court in both Christine Mulundika versus the Attorney General and Medical Doctors Association versus Attorney General, unanimously declared certain sections of the statute unconstitutional, and ordered that police had no right to issue or decline the permit but to protect the applicants to ensure their meetings were not disrupted by others. These rulings have never been heeded by government and police continue to declare meetings or opposition parties unlawful. During the 2016 election campaigns opposition were literary banned from campaigning or canvassing for votes in Lusaka in particular and other parts of the country. Some of opposition members such as a young lady Mapenzi Chibulo (https://www.lusakatimes.com/2016/07/09/police-shoot-dead-female-upnd-supporter-lusaka/) who tried to go ahead and campaign nevertheless were shot dead by police and ruling party members. I have written various articles condemning these barbaric acts and calling on culprits to be brought to book, all this, however, was futile.
After the 2016 elections and announcement by the Electoral Commission that current president Edgar Lungu had won the presidency, the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) filed a petition in the Constitutional Court (CC) to challenge the declaration as mandated by the constitution. The Constitution provides that once any person files a petition to challenge the declaration of the election, the Speaker of Parliament should act in place of the immediately past incumbent head of state, a fair provision to ensure justice is seen. Current president Edgar Lungu who was declared winner of the 2016 presidential election refused to hand over power to the Speaker of Parliament.
I petitioned the Speaker demanding to know why he abrogated the constitution by not taking power as provided? Speaker responded to me saying he was constrained from commenting or responding to my question as the matter was before court. There was no matter before Court because just four days into the election petition by opposition, the CC dismissed the case saying it {the Court) had no jurisdiction to hear the matter on the grounds of rationale temporis i.e. that the fourteen days prescribed in the Constitution for a presidential election petition to be heard by Court had expired.
I wrote the media and the Chief Justice protesting this unjust decision by three of the five Court judges and demanded the Chief Justice took action. The three were part of the five judges of the Court who in the middle of the night on Friday decided that petitioners would he heard the following Monday and Tuesday and respondents Wednesday and Thursday. On Monday, just before the case started, three of the five judges who were part of the Friday night decision insisted to address the Court against the Court President’s direction that that they were ready to hear the petitioners. In their shocking address, the three judges said they met over the weekend without the President and the other judge and decided their unanimous decision on Friday was illegal for want of time and declared that since the petition is out of time, there was no petition before them to hear. I bitterly criticized this decision and also demanded the Chief Justice act in the case which to me clearly exhibited unethical and even criminal behavior. All my petitions to the Speaker and to the Chief Justice were in public media as well written opinion pieces.
After voting, I returned to South Africa three days after the August 2016 elections. At the Lusaka Airport after security check, I sat down to put on my belt, my shoes and pack my laptop. While I was doing so, two young men came to where I was seated and in English with an East African accent started chatting among themselves saying ‘we were very luck elections were declared in our favour, and there is not going to be a run off, we are lucky the money were going to use in a run off has been saved…………… this was on Sunday before all election results were announced and before the Electoral Commission declared the winner which it did the following Monday. I heard it all myself. Unfortunately, I am illiterate in the use of my phone and could not record it. On the SA aircraft from Lusaka to Johannesburg, a man greeted me in business class and introduced himself as Emmanuel Mwamba, Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa. He said he knew me from long time through my writings in the media which he said he thoroughly enjoyed and looked forward to. We agreed to meet in Pretoria and exchange notes on issues in Zambia.
After the declaration of results on Monday, we met the following Monday at a restaurant in East Gate. By then opposition UPND had filed its presidential election petition on Friday the week the results were declared. During our meeting, I told Mwamba that President Edgar Lungu was committing treason clinging on to power. I explained that by the Constitution, the Speaker of Parliament had to act as president immediately after any person has filed a petition challenging the declaration. Mwamba tried to argue that president Lungu’s decision to continue in office was motivated by security concerns but I reminded him that the Constitution was clear on the issue and that if security was concern in the minds of drafters, they would have reflected it.
In May last year, NOMUSA, a South African Trade Union decided to demonstrate at the Zambian High Commission here in Pretoria to protest rising dictatorship in Zambia. Before that, NOMUSA invited me to their branch meetings across Gauteng and the North West province to address their members and make them understand the political situation there. NOMUSA explained that they were acting under their constitution which provided for ‘international solidarity’ to reach out to Zambia and to Zimbabwe where regimes were reportedly oppressing their citizens including their members and their families. I duly visited NOMSA branches and made several addresses.
Specific instances had happened by that time. First, leader of the Democratic Alliance Mmusi Maimane had not only been refused entry into Zambia after he had flown there. He was prevented from coming out of the aircraft that took him to Lusaka and forced to return to Johannesburg with it. Maimane had gone to Lusaka to observe the court appearance of HH who was charged with treason. I also learnt while at these NOMUSA meetings that Secretary General of NOMUSA was also harassed by Zambian immigration officers when he had gone to Zambia to meet his counterparts, Zambian trade unions. During my briefings, I explained that Zambia was a disaster case faced with a serious case of ethnic tensions fostered by senior political leaders including the president, then Secretary General of the ruling PF party (now defence minister) and his deputy, then minister of Information, who has since been sacked from government for personal differences and is now in opposition, etc.
I said government is openly inciting Zambians to hate certain ethnic groups particularly the Tonga group perceived to support opposition and that people speak openly on radio, newspapers and television about how to deal with Tongas. I told them how government has become so dictatorial closing down independent media, listening to private communications of private citizens including social media, high levels of intolerance and open police and police brutality meted out against opposition party members hundreds of whom are languishing in jail merely for trying to organize their parties or convene peaceful meetings of their parties, impotent judiciaries intimidated by ruling party cadres and officials; that judges receive instructions on how to decide particular cases and threatened with unspecified or specified actions against them or their family members if they did not comply; that ruling party cadres and officials even camped day and night outside the High court to intimidate independent-minded judges and police would do nothing about it, etc
After these meetings, NOMUSA in their numbers held a demonstration at the Zambian High Commission premises at which they condemned the government of president Edgar Lungu and demanded unbanning of the media, release of all political prisoners including HH threatening to moblise its members across the country to not clear Zambian goods at both ports and other parts of the country. I addressed the demonstration and condemned president Edgar Lungu and his government. I repeated various acts of brutalities perpetrated against Zambian people by government simply for holding independent views. When Mr. Mwamba started speaking he claimed that Zambia was a democracy which attracted loud booing from NOMUSA members. He tried to enlist my support and said I agreed with what he said despite what I had just said. He asked me to go stand next to him but of course I refused and told him so. NOMUSA members also told him I cannot stand next to him.
I have referred to arbitrary arrests by government. UPND president HH is the most high profile individual to have suffered the fate. In the Western party of the country which traditionally votes for opposition UPND, is an annual ancient ceremony in which the local king shifts his capital from lowland to highland to escape the floods. HH and his officials decided to honour the kind’s invitation early last year. President Lungu was also invited. On the way, president Lungu’s motorcade which was coming from behind caught up with HH’s motorcade which means the two motorcades were driving towards the same direction. At one point, one of president Lungu’s escorts dangerously pushed off HH’s vehicle it came off the tar before the driver regained control. For this government charged HH with treason an unbailable capital offence which attracts death penalty. He stayed in prison including maximum prison which is used to keep death row inmates, for four months, all that time without trial. On the intervention of the Commonwealth, Edgar Lungu released HH on nolle prosequi which helped government from embarrassment had the case gone to trial. But many other UPND supporters and officials remain in prison todate others not so lucky lost their lives. Only two days ago, HH has called on the SADC especially South Africa under Ramaphosa to intervene in Zambia and prevent the slaughter of innocent citizens by president Lungu’s regime.
Two weeks ago, HH leader of opposition disclosed that United Nations Development Programme Resident Coordinator Janet Rogan had colluded with ruling party officials to rig the 2016 elections. To support this allegation, social media released an email which I still have showing how Ms. Rogan worked with the Electoral Commission to overturn the results of the 2016 popular elections. HH charged that he was aware of Ms. Rogan’s activities and her close relationships with ruling party officials in the government of president Edgar Lungu. Soon after, a group of Zambians based here in South Africa, Zambia, United Kingdom and other places drafted a letter petitioning the UNDP in New York against continued stay of Ms. Rogan in Zambia as UNDP Resident Coordinator. I have some of the names of the petitioners and their contact details. Petitioners asked me to edit the letter which I did and to send it for them to the UNDP. Because the letter revealed issues suggesting catastrophic failure of governance on an issue of paramount importance to Zambia’s democracy, and something which was at the center of current serious divisions in Zambia, I did not hesitate to look at the letter and to edit it. I then asked the individuals (still have email to that effect) under whose name and who would sign the letter to which they said they wanted it to sound as official as possible and that their chairman or other member would sign it but they preferred if I signed it. Since I could not let any of them sign the letter on a CHR letter head and because letterheads for my non-governmental organizations one is still with printers and others in Lusaka, I decided to sign it and send it. I must underline that I signed it in my individual capacity (not as Director of the Center) and this is vindicated in the letter. Also vindicated in the letter is the fact that it was not my letter. Line one clearly says ‘I was tasked with the responsibility to send the letter below….’. I sent the letter to the UNDP but did not originally author it. More importantly, I easily accepted the request to participate in the petition because upon glance, it was clear that it espoused the very issues the Center for Human Rights stands for.
Soon after the NOMUSA demonstration at the Zambian High Commission, I received a classified document from a pan Africanist with several names of both prominent Zambians and non Zambians said to have been compiled by the Zambian State Intelligence equivalent of the CIO in the United States. The document which I still have with me states that the individuals were a danger to government in Zambia. My name was prominently listed at number six. Others include some Zambian opposition leaders not least among them HH, perceived funders of opposition particularly UPND including leading executives in Anglo American empire, etc. Despite this, I continue to do my work as before ensnaring and educating especially the Zambian public of their rights and exposing government excesses. I refuse to be intimidated and silenced.
Not long ago, I received an email (still in possession) in which a man from Lusaka discloses that he was offered a job by the government Inteliigence organization in Zambia. That when he went to meet officials of that organisatiion, they offered to appoint him Third Secretary at the Zambian High Commission in Pretoria but added that his real job would be to spy on me. As indicated, I still have the email with me and even told the young man to consider accepting the offer. I asked him to not worry about me or my safety because I do what I do due to my strong convictions that what I was doing was right and for the good of Zambians. He said however poor he was, he would not take pieces of silver to harm another.
Recently, I got a whatsup message from a young man part of the group that was petitioning Ms. Janet Rogan at UNDP in which he said ruling PF members in Kasama the north of the country were planning to demonstrate against me for insulting president Edgar Liungu and for not respecting him as president. This whatsup (which I still have on my phone) came from district officials of the Kasama District who were mobilizing their members to demonstrate the following day. Indeed, the demonstration went ahead the following day.
What I found surprising is that I did not remember (and still do not) when I made those remarks which attracted the demonstration. The dates of the Globe Newspaper PF officials cited I allegedly published demeaning statements I was here in Pretoria and had not spoken to a journalist either then or prior to publication of the paper. I contacted the newspaper in question seeking clarification on when I made the statements and they did not respond. However, in keeping with my principles, I decided to not distance myself from the alleged remarks and to expose the newspaper.
This is because in the struggle for freedom I believe we need the media including fake media. Young people in the media often want to say something but do not know how and are too scared to do so. Though painful to me, I easily take responsibility and I did so in that case. Second, I found the choice of the northern town of Kasama by whoever arranged the demonstration strange to say the least. Until this free publicity of my name, hardly anyone knew me or my name in Kasama. A friend in Kasama who attended it later told me most demonstrators did not know who they were demonstrating against and the few who did had not even read the newspaper. He said I could have taken part in the demonstration against myself if I was there without any of the demonstrators identifying me as the subject of the demo. It was badly arranged. I later was told it was arranged by high officials in Lusaka who wanted to intimidate me.
On my part, I published an article admitting that I did not respect president Edgar Lungu because as far as I was concerned he was irregularly in office. I asked them to take any action they wanted to take against me. I told them failure by the Constitutional Court to her the president election petition and put the issue of the 2016 elections to rest was the reason I did not recognize the legitimacy of the election which was declared in favour of president Edgar Lungu (I have the response I penned in language not intellectual but intended for the demonstrators to understand me fully).
Recently, a friend based in Lusaka alerted me to the speech by Minister of Justice in Parliament while he was responding to questions on the amendments to the constitution government was working on. According to my friend, my name along with two other colleagues Professors Muna Ndulo and Beyani Chaloka were mentioned in an adverse way. I checked the relevant Parliamentary Hansard and indeed found the relevant parts where when after his speech, the Minister was asked whether he had consulted experts like Professor Hansungule, Professor Muna Ndulo and Professor Beyani on the amendments? He responded that he did not and would not consult us because our political affiliation was common knowledge
I must say though on the positive side that I bear neither grudge nor anger against anyone in government. All I want is good government and greater respect for human rights for citizens. Proof of this is that last year, I single handedly facilitated three workshops on state party reporting under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Maputo Protocol. The workshops, which attracted scores of senior government and non-governmental officials were funded by the Center for human Rights and had no problem with interacting with senior politicians in negotiating relevant approvals and sanctions for the officials and events. I believe we did an excellent job finally coming up with a draft report which, however, is yet to be validated before submission to the African Commission for examination.
But according to the media, Mr. Mwamba, the Zambian High Commissioner to South Africa, is a very dangerous person. The media portrays him as one of president Edgar Lungu’s trusted allies and together with a small group is responsible for rigging the 2016 election in favour of the president. I have several times been warned to be careful about him that there wasn’t anything that he could not do. Beyond the character presented in the media, however, I don’t know him. Nevertheless, I have told myself and told him that he cannot intimidate me into silence. In my letter to him, I told him that the best he can do to silence me is to kill me. As long as I live, I will speak my mind and assist people regardless.
In the letter to the University Rector, Mr. Mwamba claimed that I continuously use my position and facilities of the University to raise things against his government suggesting that the issues I portray are personal or private. I have thought long and hard on this, and am still thinking. Besides this petition to the UNDP, I cannot remember when else I used my position and University facilities in making public my opinions? Because I am deeply troubled by this accusation, I wrote Mr. Mwamba asking him to clarify what he means?
After much thought and before he replies, I thought perhaps he is referring to CHR public statements we have made on developments in Zambia? If this is the case, then he is grossly misled. Though I agreed with them, nevertheless, I did not participate in most of the statement by the CHR issued on Zambia. The only one I participated in was when the CHR called on Zambian government to release HH from prison where as indicated he was held without trial on trumped up charges of treason. This statement was first drafted by a CHR student showed to the Director who handed it to me to edit or suggest otherwise. After my additions together with that of another of our LLD student, the statement was published to the CHR website. Because I don’t remember of any other incident, he might be referring to, I want him to assist me understand him so that I can also address it.
So must we all be – speak-out, tell the truth and shame the devil.
Too much crap for me to read. The man looks as ugly as hehe. He is prof in what if i may ask? Is he prof in violence or cattle ranching?
Go ahead knock yourself out. After all in academia it’s all about Publish or Perish but since you have not published any academic work, you are perishing. See Ya!
No news here..Lusaka times you are now boring
All Chansungule is writing is great. Unfortunately he has wrong name. Names like Dipak Patel are better than any with letter H. Sorrowful in Zambia.
Who pays his salary to sit and write such drivel. Is this that an entire professor can spend time writing?
Omuchende wabayasa!
Zambians are very interesting animals. Let me correct that by saying PF cardres are very interesting animals. They dont care about facts. Even someones death is ok for them so long as their pay masters continue in power. What manner of fasting and praying is required to exorcise you of your blindness?
Continue speaking Prof. We pray that through your speaking, may God raise a thousand more like you. God bless you.
Professor a word of advice…your country men and women lack reading culture apart from when a topic is about sex especially, so learn to keep it simple and brief!!
This Hansungule is a devil in mind. Just read how he refused to help his own son he fathered with a student at UNZA. He failed to support him with his education despite knowing his mother was dead.
A great read , I have ample of respect for this man and I have learned to know a lot more about what the landscape of Zambian politics is now
Thanks
BB2014,2016
@Shooters.
Are you gay for you to want Hansungule to be good looking? Do you want to fuuck the son of the soil since we don’t understand the agenda of you foreigners in our country together with meno meno?
You’re a big shame to society. You’re abusing university resources to advance your personal agenda at the same time you’re pointing your fingers at Zambian government for abusing the country resources. You’re an hipocrite. What law have you studied by the way? You who want to remove the stick from your friends eyes but you have a log in your own. How do you manage to see? Come back to Zambia and join politics stop hiding in SA. Shame on you.
Battles of I am right and you are wrong are never worn easily. Pride becomes a barrier to any logical outlook.
@1.1 God would not forgive me if i fuucked a tonga. They or you are not clean mentally and spiritually.
@1.11 sorry
ati reading culture from aba soma sure
His Name says it all. This has nothing to do with objectivity and Human Rights it’s all politics. Here you are wrong Sir! HUMAN WRONGS, When people’s house/huts were being burnt down in Namwala (tribal cleaning) where were you? What happened to your so called Human Rights instincts? Did you ever get some headed paper somewhere and condemn the opposition party responsible? Stop being childish. Who are you lying to. Hatred and jealous will not take you anywhere. Zambian be on the look out, it appears people are bent on getting to State House by whatever means. Only God knows what they would do if they got hold of the instruments of power. Timely warning.
His Name says it all. This has nothing to do with objectivity and Human Rights it’s all politics. Here you are wrong Sir! HUMAN WRONGS, When people’s house/huts were being burnt down in Namwala (tribal cleaning) where were you? What happened to your so called Human Rights instincts? Did you ever get some headed paper somewhere and condemn the opposition party responsible? Stop being childish. Who are you lying to. Hatred and jealous will not take you anywhere. Zambian be on the look out, it appears people are bent on getting to State House by whatever means. Only God knows what they would do if they got hold of the instruments of power. Timely warning.
That shameless crook Mwamba on GRZ payroll …he is likened to keeping a python as pet that is always measuring you every time you touch it…even Lazy Lungu doesn’t trust him that’s why he is in RSA. He knows absolutely nothing about diplomacy and a headache to Ministry Of Foreign Affairs in Lusaka!!
Hansungule you may be a Human rights activist but I am sure deep down you know that you are a tribalist. If you are interested in solving problems in Zambia have you made any effort to see the Zambian Ambassador in SA who is there for people like you? Have you made any effort to see Given Lubinda the Minister of Justice so that you can share your views on zambia and the injustices you see there? have you made an effort to see president Lungu, a fellow lawyer like yourself. Why cant you get a leaf from some professors in Zambia who do not make noise using social media but do it silently. You make more progress that way. You professor hansangule are a noise maker and not one who wants to solve problems. Please reflect on this. Your kind is toxic! You are a shame. Hiding in SA, come home and…
Talk to who ? You are naive
Something wrong with bamudala why not return to zambia and the fellas
We salute you sir, mother zambia desperately needs patriots like you to speak up against these corrupt theives unleashing thug rule on Zambia lead by a crook fraud convict lawyer lungu….
We say this again…..all institutions of governance in Zambia have been compromised and corrupted by lungu….
Only the international isolation of lungu might tame him and his attack dogs in GRZ and PF …….we all know how lungu likes busking in the light as leader of a free democratic Zambia…..the sooner sham is exposed the better for the future of Zambia.
We do lie in any emails showing lungus brutality and corruption….all incidences are dated and verifiable , no one can accuse us of lying…….let the recipients make their own minds up of what has become of once Zambias illisuturus past as a shining light of democracy and rule of law in Africa.
We do lie in any emails showing lungus brutality and corruption….all incidences are dated and verifiable , no one can accuse us of lying…….let the recipients make their own minds up of what has become of once Zambias illisuturus past as a shining light of democracy and rule of law in Africa.
That’s why you got dununad on Tuesday. With such 1diots advising and supporting hh, are you surprised why upnd has been losing since 2006????
Who cares about UPND losing ? I only care that it is Zambia losing in the long run…..
I FEEL PITY, THE WORK PERMIT IS ALREADY BEING REVIEWED.
PLEASE COME BACK AND JOIN THE INFAMOUS TRIBAL GROUPING.
Tripartite tribal bantustans as they boldly call themselves and branded their shirts/t-shirts with such a slogan, but prof never commented. Human rights have responsibilities. When some tribes were beaten, we never hear him talking about human rights,recently, apf cadres were brutally beaten,he never commented. What human right are you advocating? Rights to do wrong things?Tell us prof.I personally have respect for you as an academician, but on this on,you fished out ilysuma(dried fish instead of a fresh one).Thanks!!
too long and lacking content
Shi.t! “Professor”, you can write that no.nsense tomorrow. Today is reserved to receive your apology to University of Pretoria and to explain your “error” of judgement. Was it an error? How many have you made so far which have gone undetected? For example your tribal inclination asa basis of your “critiques”. Back home all sensible Zambians now have proof ofyour deceitful behaviour to promote your tribesmate. Shameful indeed, good that you have exposed yourself. But to get back to the story please explain your “error” of judgement in an equally lengthy article.
dullard this so called ‘professor’… an embarrassment….
And you claim to have penned an intellectual piece, Hansungule. This?!
So if indeed you are professor of human rights, there are two atrocities that have been committed in h.h’s village, the latest one by himself and the other in 2016 with the agreement of h.h. Tell me what you have written to defend the victims iwe chi “professor” .ca bufi co tribalist nkonko!!! Have you taken h.h to Court or HRC? Fo.oolish idoit who do you think you can cheat??!!!
Which atrocities committed by hh naimwe ba koswe….
Mucibemba baatila ati icinangwa, the lowest form of human being.
Mamamamama……
Professor, you have annoyed the rats like I have never seen…..
hh has displaced fellow tribesmen in Namwala in preference for his animals and what has this useless Professor who is not even admitted to the bar in Zambia said about human rights
Displaced people ? The chinese are doing that every day…..
Just reached the part, “…Currently, there are serious political tensions in Zambia. Only yesterday, leader of the main opposition Hakainde Hichilema (HH) called on SADC to intervene in Zambia ‘to protect people from political killings orchestrated by president Edgar Lungu’s government….’. This report is trending now at the time of writing….” STOPPED READING AND REALISED IT’S ALL CR@P!!! Ifipuba mu Zambia fya fulisha!!!
Professor in Hakaidehichilemanolgy
Why is South Africa tolerating such creatures with absolutely no value to their country? Please deport him for advancing political agenda of a known opposition loser using Pretoria University time and money. But these Tongas, eish, they are sadists!
SA is as the land of the free…..next your fraud convict lungu who gate crashed to meet ramaphosa last time will most likely be unwelcome next time since his mentors zuma and Mugabe are in court….
Am withdrawing my child from this University lest she became polluted by these hooves.
Using stolen monies ba koswe….
Reason why hh and upnd should not lead this country.
University of Pretoria law professor Michelo Hansungule has vowed to continue speaking against human rights abuses and other malpractices in Zambia. This is a wrong statement because professor is not talking about human right abuse in Zambia but I see him as mouth piece of UPND. He has never condemned any evil done by UPND. Especially in SOUTHERN PROVINCE in Namwala to be specific. And he is questioning something which even grade 7 who is not professor can understand. “we were very luck elections were declared in our favour, and there is not going to be a run off, we are lucky the money were going to use in a run off has been saved…………… this was on Sunday before all election results were announced and before the Electoral Commission declared the winner which it did the following Monday…
THIS OLD MAN CHIPUBAFYE ICHI
My view is that Prof> Hansungule is just a glorified tribalist whose lenses only sees human rights abuses when wants to side with his fellow Tonga. It is sameful.
Hansungule, come home. Tizakufaka pa bungee jumping so that you experience some fun in your pants.
How come these attacking the professor are rats from 2 known tribes ? Could these be the predominant theives abound ?
The so called “human rights abuses” are just in his tonga head!!
Am sure you are now BELIEVE why i tell you on daily basis that UPND is full of die hard tribalists!!this Michelo Hansungule thing does not fight for any human right abuses in Zambia BUT FOR A TONGA HH TO RULE ZAMBIA BY ANY MEANS!!!
Moreover,who can read such a long useless statement from this tonga man?
ATI “TENTION IN ZAMBIA”,which Zambia?your Dundumwezi?we are enjoying life here in total peace!!!2 days ago MAJORITY ZAMBIANS VOTED FOR PF,CONFIRMING THAT WE ARE VERY HAPPY WITH PF GOVNT!!
Only tongas can vote for Kainde!!FOR US IN 6.5 PROVINCES,WE SHALL VOTE FOR PF IN LARGE NUMBERS AND RETIRE KAINDE FOREVER!!
I am sure very few bloggers criticising the Professor (instead of the gist of the contents of the article) made any effort to actually read through the writing. Reading and analysing, even by the ‘educated’ in Zambia, is considered a chore. Criticising verbally without facts and blogging on face value is preferred and is the easy way out. Not until selfish individuals become victims themselves, will they know that what bit them, had it’s teeth slowly sharpened when they looked away and were in constant denial.
I do not necessarily agree with everything the Prof. has stated, but I do agree with most of the pointers to a regime that has had no respect for due process, does not understand the link between political-economy and development and will soon be architect of Zambia’s downfall.
The Professor should know that you do not solve problems using social media. Not everyone reads from zambian watchdog, Zambian eye, Zambia reports and Facebook. The Professor is a learned man who I am sure knows people in government. If he does not know, I would like to tell him that government offices are public. The Zambian Embassy in SA is public, he can therefore demand a meeting with the Ambassador to air his views and make suggestions to change the government system. President Lungu is a public officer, who he can demand to see through the right procedure. Or even better still he can go to his tribesmen and his party UPND to bring a bill in parliament. Thats how government works Professor and not through social media, mwamvera? Try it. Otherwise we will just see you as a noise maker.
In my view, the smartest thing thing Hansungule should have done was to apologize to the University of Pretoria and keep a low profile thereafter. What is he going to gain by fighting ECL and the Zambian government? I have traveled quite a lot myself, and most countries still rate Zambia very highly in terms of human rights. If the University of Pretoria decides not to renew his work permit because of the embarrassment he has caused to the university
, where is he going to go?
In my view, the smartest thing thing Hansungule should have done was to apologize to the University of Pretoria and keep a low profile thereafter. What is he going to gain by fighting ECL and the Zambian government? I have traveled quite a lot myself, and most countries still rate Zambia very highly in terms of human rights. If the University of Pretoria decides not to renew his work permit because of the embarrassment he has caused to the university, where is he going to go?
Yeah fighting for human rights is ok but abusing a company letter head wrong.
The only thing education doesn’t cure is idiocy, higher education even aggravates it further. He only sees human rights through jaundiced lenses of tribalism. What a wastage of education!
Spot on, a total waste. It’s not surprising when development is slow because our so called leaders only think leadership is executive power forgetting that they can contribute in their fields as well. Look at the banking sector, busy ripping off locals. But you have leaders like Caleb Fundanga who has the knowledge and experience to correct this situation, but when he speaks, it’s all to attack the executive arm of government and the president. Selfish characters who have no heart for the country!!!
Michello, you would find my tenure as Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa more convenient. However, you need to understand that Emmanuel is the one that I have anointed. You are better placed to understand the limitations of power than many private and public individuals. Please take time to defend a particular political agenda as in politics the application of principles must reckon with political realities. First, using official institutional authority to defend one political agenda raises issues of abuse of office. Academic leaders do not necessarily have the right to teach their opinions to the innocent students or members of the public in the name of academic freedom or community outreach. The ideal situation is a public debate in which two opposing views could be juxtaposed…
The ideal situation is a public debate in which two opposing views could be juxtaposed and then defended consistently and logically. Second, Public Order Act resonates well in the context of a young democracy that is in hurry to achieve industrialization and modernization of business and public administration. Total chaos or absence of law and order can not be condoned by a sitting government. That would unconstitutional because law and order is the basis of the rule of law and good governance. Third, the contribution of Zambia to the emancipation of South Africans from Apartheid puts NOMUSA in an awkward position to give lectures on human rights, civil rights and democracy. Any attempts to impose alien political views on Zambians will backfire.
Take courage bwana . Join politics like meembe.
We know you are a tonga on Oath
You were given the opportunity to suggest what fine tuning you wanted done on the POA and did nothing about it. Come and replace HH and taste loosing.
You are not genuine professer. I don’t believe that at your level you don’t know that it’s an offence to use your organization official letterhead for your selfish endevours. This is not strange, it a disease which most Tongas suffer from. I now agree what Mr Kabimba said when he was Pf secretary Gen. That Tonga think with their tribe not brain. It’s shamefully for an acomplished professor of Law like Hansungule to use his tribe not his brain in trying to market hh who can’t sale. These tribalists like Hansungule are in fact the ones making HH loose. Even a grade five pupil knows that using a school stamp without permission is wrong. the truth is that your a shamrless pet thief who want people to believe that you represent you institution. Just be bold like Ackson Sejani. This is…
He could not use upnd letter head because he knows how un perceive this party
This guy is treading on dangerous grounds. …helping Rwandan rebels is a risk. Kagame’s goons know no borders. …they will track him wherever he’s hiding.
Prof. HaNdulo: “Badala, you wrote a letter to the UN on a University letterhead? Hahaha!”
“Yes, Badala, I did!” Prof. Hansoni.
“What was the point, Badala?” Prof. Handulo. “To make a point and emphasis, Badala!” Prof. Hansoni.
Prof. HaNdulo, “But that Badala, showed that the University was stating its position on Zambia, Hahaha!”
Prof. Hansoni, “That was the point Badala, the UN has to know that educated Zambians don’t want this ‘corrupt’ (code word for NON-TONGA) government!”
Prof. HaNdulo, “I think they got it that you are a supporter of Hazaluza Hagain!” Prof. Hansoni, “That is the point Badala, SUPPORT your local team mudala! The UN can’t tell! If you write our local bodies they will know why! HH is the only person who can and must lead Zambia, Badala!”
HaFu!
“We salute you sir for your tribalism and championing of HaHahaha!”
Professor Who? Prof. Hansoni!
How can a Professor not understand that by not giving way to a Presidential motorcade is an offence, whether Corrupt or not the Presidential could be… can’t believe you still learning to understand the sum of 1+1 Professorie.
The most disappointing article I have read by a person designated as prof.
His is literally rambling.
He lacks practicality and the basics to navigate the Zambian political landscape.
He is also mythical on critical issues that he touches on such as political violence.
He also seems weak on obvious issues like xenophobia in SA or hot spots like DRC or Sudan.
The political party he supports campaigned against the bill of rights…
Besides him trying to be academic, he is childish and big headed on top of being a tribalist…..
If he is so convinced about his opinions let him join politics considering that he has been shamefully unveiled and undressed for all to see thru his tribal shenganans and chicanery.
Now that Pretoria University has hinted that they won’t renew his contract let him come home to document the human rights abuses in Zambia he is singing about.
Let him come and obstruct presidential motorcades in the name of the rule of law and good governance as they do in “democratic” countries where the majority of UPND cadres live