Joseph Kalimbwe
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Joseph Kalimbwe (born 25 March 1993) is a Zambian politician, author and activist. Previously, he was president of the
African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...
youth simulation in 2014 and president of the student representative council of the
University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the following fac ...
in 2017. He has written for the ''
Namibian Sun The ''Namibian Sun'' is a daily newspaper in Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswa ...
'', and has published three books including ''Persecuted in Search of Change'' in 2017, ''The Pain of An Empty Stomach'' in 2015 and ''Teenage-Hood & the Impact of the Western World'' in 2014.


Early life

Kalimbwe was born on 25 March 1993 at Yeta Hospital in
Sesheke Sesheke is a border town in the Western Province, Zambia, Western Province of Zambia, in a Sesheke District, district of the same name. It lies on the northern bank of the Zambezi River which forms the border with Namibia, Namibia's Caprivi Stri ...
, Zambia. His mother was Florence Lubinda, a primary school teacher. She was born and raised in northern Namibia at
Katima Mulilo Katima Mulilo or simply Katima is the capital of the Zambezi Region in Namibia. It had 46,401 inhabitants in 2023, and comprises two electoral constituencies, Katima Mulilo Rural and Katima Mulilo Urban. It is located on the B8 national roa ...
where her father worked as a social worker before moving to Zambia. Kalimbwe's father was Donald Kalimbwe who worked between
Rundu Rundu is the capital and the largest city of the Kavango-East Region in northern Namibia. It lies on the border with Angola on the banks of the Kavango River, about above sea level. Rundu's population is growing rapidly. The 2001 census counted ...
and Livingstone. His father died when he was 2 years old, and his mother died of cancer when he turned 11. He attended Primary School 6 kilometers outside the Sesheke District CBD at Mangamu Saw Mills from 1999 to 2005, from grade 1 to 7. He then attended Loanja Primary School where his mother had been transferred for 5 months before her passing. After his mother's death in 2005, Kalimbwe moved to live in with his uncle in
Ndola Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia in terms of size and population, with a population of 627,503 (''2022 census''), after the capital, Lusaka, and Kitwe, and the second largest in terms of infrastructure development after Lusaka. It is the I ...
and attended Northrise Basic School and later Chifubu High. After high school, he attended the
University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the following fac ...
in Windhoek where he read
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
. He obtained an honors degree in political science at the university. Writing in ''Persecuted in Search of Change'' he explains how he "wanted to change my surname". He writes to his late mother on the book's first page of how he is, "constantly thinking of changing my surname to yours as i see no reason of carrying a name of the man i never known and whose family I never met", in reference to his father who died when he was 2. He has also expressed his admiration to
Solomon Mahlangu Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu (10 July 1956 – 6 April 1979) was a South African freedom fighter, struggle activist and operative of the African National Congress (ANC) militant wing, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK). He was convicted for his part in the murder ...
,
John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
,
Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from Northern Rhodesia, British ...
,
Sam Nujoma Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma ( ; 12May 19298February 2025) was a Namibian revolutionary, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served three terms as the first president of Namibia, from 1990 to 2005. Nujoma was a founding member and t ...
and
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
need to change the world from its evils telling her "while I am very proud of the teachings you gave me, I am also very mindful of my own failings & hopes to find meaning in the world". In his publication with the ''
Namibian Sun The ''Namibian Sun'' is a daily newspaper in Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswa ...
'', he pointed Africa's inability to resolve poverty as a continent still ''"struggling to find its place in the world"'' saying:


Writing career

While he served as editor of a weekly political column in the ''
Namibian Sun The ''Namibian Sun'' is a daily newspaper in Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswa ...
'', Kalimbwe began writing his first book and publish political reviews in the paper. In 2018, he began writing his fourth book, ''A Fractured World: How irresponsibility led to 3rd World Economic Downturns'' aided by former
Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
and
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
executive
Dambisa Moyo Dambisa Felicia Moyo, Baroness Moyo (born 2 February 1969)Moyo showed a copy of an official document with her date and place of birth as part of a lecture she gave at TEDGlobal 2013, Edinburgh, Scotland. is a Zambian-born economist and author ...
on the World's Economy following the 2008 financial crisis. His publications include:


Books

* ''Teenage-Hood & the impact of the West'' – 2015 * ''The Pain of An Empty Stomach'' – 2016 * ''Persecuted in Search of Change'' – 2017


Youth participation

Kalimbwe has participated in African youth activism and was elected student representative council president of the
University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the following fac ...
. He was expelled from his Master's programme at the university in 2017 after breaking into a cafeteria with other students to use it as a study area, claiming that there were not enough designated study spaces. He also took part in the
FeesMustFall #FeesMustFall was a student-led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in South Africa. The goals of the movement were to stop increases in student fees as well as to increase government funding of universities. Protests started at the ...
protests in which university students demanded a decrease in university fees. He was later arrested as a result of this campaigning. According to ''
The Namibian ''The Namibian'' is the largest daily newspaper in Namibia. It is published in English and Oshiwambo. History The newspaper was established in 1985 by journalist Gwen Lister as a weekly newspaper reliant on support of donors, which aimed to ...
'', the student protests in Namibia are happening "against the backdrop of the
Affirmative Repositioning Affirmative Repositioning (AR) is a leftist political movement in Namibia mainly focused on land reform, youth empowerment and social reform. Founded in 2014 by Job Amupanda, Dimbulukeni Nauyoma and George Kambala, the AR uses social media pla ...
youth movement occupying urban land, and the Landless People's Movement reclaiming ancestral land in Namibia; 'Rhodes Must Fall' and 'Fees Must Fall' protests by South African students in their quest to decolonise their universities. During the #FeesMustFall movements in South Africa, Kalimbwe was advocating for Namibian government to scrape fees for poor students. He later was arrested in 2017 after a protest in Windhoek. His trial was postponed several times. At his 10th appearance on 30 November 2018, the state found that the trial could not continue as there was no evidence and lack of state witnesses with the state advocating for the case's removal from court roll. Later that evening,
New Era (Namibia) The ''New Era'' is a daily national newspaper owned by the government of Namibia. The newspaper is one of four daily national newspapers in the country, the others being ''The Namibian'' (English and Oshiwambo), '' Die Republikein'' (Afrikaans) ...
reported that the state had lost the case against Kalimbwe whose lawyers had promised legal action against the "unfair treatment" of their client.


Controversies

In May 2017, Kalimbwe and three other members of the
UNAM SRC University of Namibia Student Representative Council (also known as the UNAM SRC) was founded on 20 February 1992, and is recognised as the legal representative body for the students of the University of Namibia by the University of Namibia Act 1 ...
organised a protest for increased study areas, a decrease in tuition fees, and against alleged senior staff corruption at the
University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the following fac ...
. A month before, Kalimbwe and members of the student's union had claimed they had been provided with inside information of how senior staff members in the university's IT department, had allegedly taken N$1.3 million meant for a student system upgrade. The staff member, in emails leaked to ''
The Namibian ''The Namibian'' is the largest daily newspaper in Namibia. It is published in English and Oshiwambo. History The newspaper was established in 1985 by journalist Gwen Lister as a weekly newspaper reliant on support of donors, which aimed to ...
'' newspaper, later threatened to prevent the alleged claims by hunting down the student leaders and university employees who provided Kalimbwe with such information. Two days after the protests, the Namibia police were called, and the four student leaders were suspended and expelled for leading the protests. Kalimbwe was later charged with fraud after the university alleged that he had failed to register for his master's degree programme. This increased Kalimbwe's prominence among Namibian students as student protests began in Windhoek after his followers demanded for his immediate reinstatement. Kalimbwe stated he was being removed because he refused to be used for political reasons. His third book, ''Persecuted in Search of Change'', narrates his version of the events.


Politics

Kalimbwe joined the
United Party for National Development The United Party for National Development (UPND) is a political party in Zambia, founded in December 1998 by Anderson Mazoka, a former executive of the Anglo American Corporation. The party emerged as a significant opposition force following a ...
in 2012 after high school in his hometown of
Ndola Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia in terms of size and population, with a population of 627,503 (''2022 census''), after the capital, Lusaka, and Kitwe, and the second largest in terms of infrastructure development after Lusaka. It is the I ...
. He then went to university in Namibia to study political science. He rose to attention in 2019 calling for the removal of President
Edgar Lungu Edgar Chagwa Lungu (11 November 1956 – 5 June 2025) was a Zambian politician who served as the sixth president of Zambia from 26 January 2015 to 24 August 2021. Under President Michael Sata, Lungu served as Minister of Justice and Minister ...
and asking for his replacement with his party president
Hakainde Hichilema Hakainde Hichilema (born 4 June 1962), often known by his initials HH, is a Zambian businessman, farmer, and politician who is the seventh and current president of Zambia since 24 August 2021. After having contested five previous elections in ...
whom he helped mobilize youth support to win the 2021 election as one of the Information and Publicity Secretary in the party in rural Zambia. At the time, he claimed on local told station, Diamond Live that President Lungu and his colleagues had destroyed the "moral fibre of our politics and reduced our people into complete electoral beggers who are given money in anticipation of votes". In August 2021, Kalimbwe told
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
and Germany TV station DW that the youth vote was central to his party's victory as "18 – 34 year olds lined up to go correct the mistakes of their parents". During the interview with DW, he stated that it was unfortunate to see "our country being ransacked by one man and his colleagues these past 7 years", in direct reference to former President Edgar Lungu. Between 2023 and 2024, Kalimbwe was nominated to be Zambian Pan African Parliament Campaign spokesperson at the
Pan African Parliament The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union. It held its inaugural session in March 2004. The Parliament exercises oversight, and has advisory and consultative powers, ha ...
where Zambia had fielded Miles Sampa as candidate against Fortune Charumbira of Zimbabwe. In the lead up to the vote, the Zimbabwean delegation accused the Zambians of trying to cause division by fielding a candidate when Southern Africa already had a candidate. Zambia denied this and the election went on 25 March 2024, with Zimbabwean candidate winning by one vote more against Sampa of Zambia. Zambia is represented by 2 UPND MPs, One Independent MP and 2 Patriotic Front MPs.


African youth influence

Following his role in the election of the
United Party for National Development The United Party for National Development (UPND) is a political party in Zambia, founded in December 1998 by Anderson Mazoka, a former executive of the Anglo American Corporation. The party emerged as a significant opposition force following a ...
against the ruling Patriotic front, Kalimbwe gained popularity across Africa outside his native Zambia, especially in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Namibia and Uganda as young Africans called for the removal or oppressive ruling parties from power. In a series of tweets after the election of Hakainde Hichilema, he called on African youths to be brave if they wanted to vote out dictators saying, "Go and vote out in your masses and then protect the vote from being rigged". A day later he posted on twitter a photo of himself with Zimbabwean opposition leader
Nelson Chamisa Nelson Chamisa (born 2 February 1978) is a Zimbabwean politician and the former President of the Citizens Coalition For Change. He served as Member of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe for Kuwadzana East, Harare. Chamisa was the MDC Alliance's ...
saying "Zambia is a democracy, we welcome and debate with anyone here". After the incident, Kalimbwe was criticized on social media for taking photos with opposition political leaders from Africa after he again published photos with former Zimbabwean Finance Minister
Tendai Biti Tendai Laxton Biti (born 6 August 1966) is a Zimbabwean politician who served as List of Finance Ministers of Zimbabwe, Finance Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He is the second Vice President of Movement for Democratic Change (prior to ...
, Zitto Kabwe of Tanzania and Chamisa with others claiming he was now in the ruling party and was not supposed to take photos with those in the opposition. He however rubbished the criticism claiming he will "always stand with those who supported our struggle in the opposition.


Issues with liberation movements

Kalimbwe has been very critical of Liberation Movements in Southern Africa. It earned him a popular statue for his stance on Zimbabwe's Zanu PF and the ANC of South Africa. In February 2022, the ruling Zanu PF sent a delegation of 4 government ministers to Lusaka to engage Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema to ask him to engage Kalimbwe over his stance on liberation movement. This followed Kalimbwe having had a dispute with Zimbabwe's former finance minister
Patrick Chinamasa Patrick Antony Chinamasa (born 25 January 1947) is a Zimbabwean politician who served in the government of Zimbabwe as the minister of various cabinet ministries. Previously he served as the Minister of Finance and Investment Promotion and the ...
and the spokesperson of Zimbabwean President
George Charamba George Charamba is the Deputy Chief Secretary-Presidential Communications in the Office of the President of Zimbabwe and former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information of Zimbabwe. His position makes him the official spokesperson for ...
who claimed Kalimbwe was still a baby in politics after Kalimbwe asked the later to explain his position on the death of 3rd President of Zambia, Patrick Mwanawasa. In 2023, the Secretary General of the ANC,
Fikile Mbalula Fikile April Mbalula (born 8 April 1971) is a South African politician and current Secretary-General of the African National Congress (ANC) since December 2022. He was a cabinet minister between 2010 and 2023, most proximately as Minister of Tr ...
stated that Kalimbwe needed to learn a lot of things in politics after Mbalula posted a twitter photo accusing Zambian President Hichilema of being a puppet of the West.


Journal commentaries

Kalimbwe became subject to public condemnations after a publication on China–Africa Relations in which he called Chinese investors "parasites feeding on African blood". Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Qiu Xuejun stated that the publication was meant to tarnish China's relationships with Africa while the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...
's Namibia coordinator and
SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO ; , SWAVO; , SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia (formerly South West Africa). Founded in 1960, it has been ...
party Namibia National Liberation Association Chairperson Nkrumah Mushelenga expressed support for Kalimbwe saying the Chinese take advantage of Africa's poverty.


References


External links


Official Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalimbwe, Joseph Living people Zambian activists People from Ndola People from Windhoek University of Namibia alumni 1993 births