A Zambian-born historian is continuing to make his mark in one of South Africa’s leading academic institutions, with Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa re-elected to the Council of Stellenbosch University. Stellenbosch University announced the development following an election among permanent academic staff, congratulating Dr Sishuwa on securing another two-year term on the university’s highest governing body. According […]

A Zambian-born historian is continuing to make his mark in one of South Africa’s leading academic institutions, with Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa re-elected to the Council of Stellenbosch University.

Stellenbosch University announced the development following an election among permanent academic staff, congratulating Dr Sishuwa on securing another two-year term on the university’s highest governing body.

According to the university, Dr Sishuwa received 64 percent of the vote, an increase from the 51 percent he obtained when he was first elected to Council in August 2024.

The result means the Zambian-born academic will continue to serve at the highest level of governance of the institution.

From Zambia to one of South Africa’s leading universities

Dr Sishuwa is a Senior Lecturer in History in Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

His academic work focuses on areas including elections, civil society, the history and politics of Zambia and racial nationalism.

His first appointment to the University’s Council came in August 2024. Stellenbosch University’s 2024 Annual Report records his Council term as running from 27 August 2024 to 26 August 2026.

His latest re-election therefore represents a continuation of his involvement in the governance of the institution.

What does the Council do?

Stellenbosch University describes its Council as the body that governs the institution.

The Council provides oversight on governance and administration and plays a role in matters including the University’s strategic direction, financial affairs and senior institutional appointments.

For an academic, therefore, serving on Council goes beyond teaching and research.

It places the individual directly within the structures responsible for helping shape the direction of a major university.

Another milestone in an expanding academic career

The Council re-election comes during a period in which Dr Sishuwa has continued to expand his academic profile internationally.

In January 2026, Stellenbosch University announced that he had been appointed a visiting scholar at Harvard University, where he would spend a semester as part of a collaboration between Harvard and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study.

The university also noted that Dr Sishuwa had authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications.

His academic journey therefore extends across institutions and countries, while much of his scholarly work continues to engage questions relating to Zambia, Africa, politics and society.

A story about Zambians building Africa abroad

For Zambia & Diaspora, however, the significance of the latest achievement goes beyond one academic appointment.

Across Africa and around the world, Zambians are building careers and institutions in medicine, education, technology, business, research, media, engineering, sport and the arts.

Some are becoming leaders in the organisations where they work.

Others are creating businesses, conducting research, teaching students, developing technologies or contributing to professional communities outside Zambia.

Dr Sishuwa’s journey is one example of that wider phenomenon.

A Zambian-born scholar is contributing to the governance and intellectual life of a major South African university while continuing to work in areas closely connected to Zambia and the wider African experience.

That raises an important question for Zambia.

How can the country maintain meaningful connections with Zambians who are building successful careers abroad?

The answer is not necessarily that every Zambian must return home.

The Diaspora can contribute through knowledge, research, professional networks, investment, teaching, mentorship, partnerships and collaboration while remaining based outside Zambia.

In that sense, success abroad does not necessarily mean disconnection from home.

It can also create another bridge between Zambia and the wider world.

The bigger Diaspora story

The story of Zambians abroad is therefore much bigger than remittances.

It is also about skills, knowledge, leadership, professional networks and international representation.

Dr Sishuwa’s continued presence within the leadership structures of a major African university offers one example of what that professional footprint can look like.

And as more Zambians establish themselves across the continent and beyond, the question increasingly becomes not simply why are Zambians leaving?

It is also:

What can Zambia and its Diaspora build together?

For Zambia & Diaspora, those are the stories worth following.

Zambia & Diaspora — connecting Zambia with its people wherever they are in the world.