Africa-Press – Zambia. State House has launched a vicious and scathing attack on political analyst and respected academic Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa. This was after the University of Zambia lecturer on Sunday tweeted that the Patriotic Front could bounce back to power in future.
Dr Sishuwa posted a series of tweets on the PF’s future electoral prospects although he stopped short of specifying when that may be. He said the former ruling party’s chances would depend on who they elect as leader and how the governing UPND performs especially on the economy.
He noted that if the UPND fails to deliver on the economy, President Hakainde Hichilema may be vulnerable to a political rival who combines populist policies in urban areas with appeals to marginalised ethnic communities in rural areas.
“Can the PF bounce back to power in Zambia? Yes, if they sort out their leadership. They have a stable base and face an incumbent who remains vulnerable to a political rival who could exploit economic grievances in urban centres with promises to rural areas that feel marginalised”, Dr Sishuwa tweeted on Sunday afternoon.
“[I] have great respect for Dr. Sishuwa! I disagree with him here! PF is very unlikely to survive. People have bad memories of their brutality over and above many ills! SP leader had a lot of his political capital cashed in when MCS was President! HH is easy to underrate! Watch him!”, wrote Stephen Muyatwa in disagreeing with the academic.
In response, Dr Sishuwa said “the state of the economy will be key” to any future electoral prospects of either the PF or the governing party. He said President Hichlema is facing a perfect storm of crises and his leadership will be greatly tested in the days to come.
“Hichilema is facing a perfect storm of crises in Zambia. His leadership will be greatly tested in the days to come. The state of the economy will be key. Hichilema has shown himself to be out of his depth on many key issues. He only appears positive in contrast to the disastrous Lungu, but as memories of the PF’s terrible record fade, his shortcomings may dawn on more people.
“If the public become disenchanted with the UPND, voters are more likely to see the PF differently, especially if the former governing party manages to resolve its leadership question and comes out of its elective conference united. Also, can the UPND win an election without HH?
“I too wish that the PF would never come back to power, given the extensive damage they inflicted on formal institutions and the economy. But I am capable of putting aside my personal desires to give thought to a possible reality, however uncomfortable that possible reality may be”, Dr Sishuwa wrote in response.
Another Twitter user named The African asked Dr Sishuwa about the chances of the opposition Socialist Party. “The Socialist Party appears to have a better grasp of the roots, nature, and degree of Zambia’s crises and what must be done to address them. They stand to benefit from the possible collapse of the main opposition party and the failure of the UPND. Their challenge is fourfold”, he wrote in response.
“First, their top leadership lacks ethnic diversity. They need to fix this.
“Second, they lack a clear base from which they can project themselves on the national stage. Winning a few elections can cure this.
“Third, they lack a compelling message that connects with the grassroots. As well as building grassroots support networks, the Socialists need to articulate issues that matter most to Zambians and develop a language with which to connect their political agenda with the demands or concerns of the electorate, the majority of whom live in abject poverty”, the UNZA political analyst stated.
“Fourth, there are many Zambians who strongly feel, rightly or wrongly, that Fred ‘sold out’ under Sata’s PF. Yes, many of these are urban elites but they help shape public attitudes and manufacture consent. Fred will have to develop an effective strategy to address the sentiment”, he concluded.
PF-aligned pages such as Smart Eagles and PF Facebook swiftly moved to publish Dr Sishuwa’s tweet but not without distorting his message. The publications claimed that the UNZA lecturer had predicted with certainty that the former ruling party “will” win the 2026 election.
Moments later and in response, State House launched the vicious attacks on Dr Sishuwa, describing him as a “hungry, PF sponsored, job seeker”. State House, among other things, also insulted the respected political analyst and academic by referring to him as “a fart”.
The attacks were delivered on a State House-run Facebook media page named KOSWE in an article titled “PF HUNGRY Sishushi Sishushi SAYS PF WILL BOUNCE BACK IN 2026″. State House deliberately mispelt Dr Sishuwa’s name to sound like a fart when written in the Bemba language.
Recently, veteran journalist, Thomas Zgyambo, revealed on the Zambian WhistleBlower that Koswe is run by State House Media Director, Clayson Hamasaka and his media team that includes Frederick Misebezi and Brian Mwiinga. Zgyambo advised Hamasaka to abandon the page especially that he runs State House media. The journalist who once ran the Zambian Watchdog and helped UPND win power said Hamasaka’s team cannot practice rogue journalism like they did in opposition now that it was in-charge of State House.
In the run-up to the last elections, Dr Sishuwa was nearly fired from UNZA and also accused of sedition by the government owing to his frequent criticism of the PF and the administration of former president Edgar Lungu.
Like Laura Miti, John Sangwa and Trevor Simumba, he was instrumental in shaping the international image of then President Lungu to what some saw as the benefit of now president Hakainde Hichilema.
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