Zambia has lost a dynamic, brilliant young leader and prolific writer Charles Mwewa
Professor Munyonzwe Hamalengwa
THE news hit me like a bolt of lightening on May 6, 2025 when I received a call from Charles Mwewa’s father-in-law that Charles Mwewa had died in Ottawa, Canada, that day. I later received the same message from Charles’ wife, Clarice Mwewa, that her husband had died. Charles Mwewa was only 49 years old but had lived a stellar exemplary and a great role model life for the youth of Zambia and for Zambia as a whole.
Although Charles Mwewa was not a publicly known figure in Zambia, had he lived beyond 50 years the whole Zambia would have grown to know him. Charles Mwewa would have erupted unto the Zambian scene like a much needed rainstorm to nourish this great land. He was building steam to return eventually to Zambia to give back to the country that had launched him.
Charles Mwewa was, however, very well known by a multitude of the Zambian youth through his publications and teach-in podcast where he read portions of his works, propounded religious sermons, read poems, danced in public, appeared at numerous book fares in Ottawa, Los Angeles and other places. Most students of Law who attended the University of Zambia, the Zambian Open University, ZCAS and NIPA from 2016 onwards would have heard about Charles Mwewa and read Charles Mwewa because I introduced his 1,100 page megaton blockbuster of a book entitled, “Zambia: Struggles of My People and Western Contribution to Corruption and Underdevelopment in Africa” published right here in Lusaka by Maiden Publishers in 2011. I flew here from Toronto in August 2011 to launch that book and the keynote speaker at the launch at the Intercontinental Hotel was Professor Dickson Mwansa, the founder of Zambian Open University. Charles couldn’t come from Toronto because of other commitments. Many people attended the launch and scooped the few copies of the book that were then available. Charles was launched slowly into Zambia and the world through that book which is now in its second edition. It is an incredible history, politics, economics, anthropology, law, religion, media, international relations of Zambia, the most diverse and complete coverage of the story that we call Zambia. The foreword is written by Dr Nevers Mumba who was at the time, in 2011, Zambia’s High Commissioner to Canada and with whom Charles associated very closely in that country because Charles at the time was President of the Zambian-Canadian Association (ZAMCAN). As ZAMCAN leader Charles even brought the Amayenge Dance Group to Toronto along with Madam Chilufya Kapwepwe, a known Zambian cultural icon. Charles was thus working at both ends: to introduce himself in Canada and in Zambia by his works. He was also working to introduce Zambia to Canada beyond the diplomatic ties that ambassadors represent. Through his book ‘Zambia Struggles of my People’ he was also introducing Zambia to Zambians in a most comprehensive way that Zambians I believe had not seen before in one book. He was to write many more books on Zambia, including a moving 50th independence Anniversary poetry collection on Zambia titled ‘Michael Sata; Allergic to Corruption’; ‘Bemba Dynasty: A Trilogy’ (3 volumes); ‘Lusaka Confidential’ and others. With his books on Zambia, it is clear that Charles was going to explode on the Zambian political or cultural scene sooner or later.
Charles ended up writing over 150 books of various genres. In his book, ‘Zambia: Struggles of My People’ he had a chapter on Zambian ‘Emerging Leaders’. It was about the role of the youth in politics. Every leader since Barack Obama knows that whoever captures the youth vote generally wins the prize. Charles also has a chapter on the role of the Diaspora in Zambia’s development. It is not surprising that it was during the Rupiah Banda presidency that for the first time a Diaspora Desk was established at State House. When Dr Nevers Mumba visited Toronto with Zambian foreign affairs minister and we met at the Chelsea Hotel at the arrangement of Charles Mwewa, we discussed extensively the need to inform RB of the need to incorporate the Diaspora in Zambia’s economic development. Dr Mumba promised to broach the subject with RB. Soon, it was done. Charles Mwewa was the most incredible person I had ever associated with: a very intelligent and indefatigable worker who accomplished any assignment he set himself to do or was given to him by anyone.
Here is how I first met Charles Mwewa, which gives me a unique and almost unequalled qualification to write about him. Sometime in the mid -2000s a young man who I didn’t know called me in Toronto for me to set an appointment for me to see him. I set up the appointment. Here comes into my law office a smiling young man called Charles Mwewa. He was doing a BA in Law at Humber College-University of Guelph consortium and the programme required him to do an internship with a law firm. Since I was the only Zambian lawyer in town and he had heard a lot about me and had read my book ‘Thoughts Are Free: Prison Experience and Reflections on Law and Politics in General’ he thought it would be a perfect fit for him and me as he also was interested in writing like I was. At that time I was writing several weekly columns for community newspapers in Toronto, which he was reading. He went on to tell me that he had started writing a book on Zambia and he was interested in using mainly materials written by Zambians. And he had heard that I had ferried many books to Canada from Zambia. I took him to my library and he ascertained that indeed I had what he needed.
Thus started a life-long association with Charles Mwewa until his death on May 6, 2025. Charles was associated with my office for about eight years. And during that time we travelled many times together to attend court cases in which I represented clients charged with different kinds of offences. He sat at counsel table with me in some cases. He sat in the front row seat in many cases. He observed a murder trial that I did while he was still at my office. I engaged him in legal research and writing. He was a good researcher and writer in law. We travelled together many times to visit clients who were in detention or jail. In these long travels we recited ideas to each other about the forthcoming articles or books we were writing. I became aware that he was writing a great novel entitled, ‘A Spy in Hell’. He recited, without reading, this novel to me during our several trips going to court or visiting prisons. It was during this time that one day I found that he had inserted the whole over 1,000 pages of ‘Zambia: Struggles of My People’ and ‘ordered’ me to read it and give him feedback. I read that book and was dumbfounded about the brilliance of that young man. I promised him that I would do everything to ensure that the book was published and was widely read. That is what brought me to Lusaka in August 2011, to launch that book and that is why all the students that I have taught in Zambia have heard about Charles Mwewa and that book. I gave him feedback here and there. I gave him liberty to cite some of my books. At this time whatever Charles wrote I proofread and whatever I wrote Charles proofread. We wrote many articles separately for the ‘African Executive’ and ‘Zambian Eye’ and other papers.
It is so painful to see such a young man of 49 years with great promise go so early. One incredible quality Charles had was the love for and of his family. He was devoted to his beautiful wife, Clarice Mwewa, and his three lovely daughters. For vacations he loved to take his family to a place I had first introduced him: Niagara-on-the-Lake. This is a parch of beautifully incredible land on the Canadian side along the Niagara River starting from Niagara Falls going up the strip. On the southern side is the United States of America. Canada is a beautiful country, but this is one of the best of Canadian beauty. Then Charles discovered Disney World and began to take his family to book fares in the US, including trips to Hollywood.
Charles left my office to work at CDI College where he taught Paralegal Studies and used to invite me to conduct Mooting Competitions. I developed so much confidence in him that I began to give him human rights cases to advocate before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. In no time Charles wrote a book on passing Ontario Licensing Examinations for Paralegal Students. Charles became an Immigration Counsel and immediately wrote a book on Immigration targeting Iranian immigrants, his core clientele. When I relocated to Zambia I got Charles to do his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Zambian Open University where he graduated with a credit in May 2022. His supervisor for the research paper was former Inspector General of Police, Dr Francis Xavier Musonda. During the Mooting Competition Charles dazzled his fellow mooters with his incredible grasp of the law, especially the debate at hand, the law of contract. At the end of the Mooting session the students asked Charles to stay on to talk a little bit more on the law of contract. And he delivered. That man I will always miss and never, ever, forget.
Charles then did his Master of Laws at Robert Kennedy School of Law in Switzerland and obtained his LLM. He was planning to do ZIALE in future. Charles would have been a great Zambian lawyer and would have risen rapidly in the ranks of the legal profession. He would also have risen rapidly in any political organisation that he would have joined. His work ethic and interpersonal skills would have seen to that.
It should not be forgotten that when Charles came to Canada, he was already a made man under the tutelage of Bishop Imakando of the Bread of Life Ministries. Charles was a pastor in that church. Bishop Imakando trusted him a lot and sponsored him to trips in South America. Charles would not have come to Canada if his wife’s family hadn’t migrated to Canada under sponsorship. Charles had a comfortable religious perk in Zambia. He had great grasp of religion and religious politics and he discusses this a lot in his ‘Zambia: Struggles of My Country’. He also wrote a powerful 1,000 page book on prayer. Charles was a very agile and versatile individual. His leadership qualities and religious fervour was evident from early on at the University of Zambia from which he graduated with a BA in Education. Thus he would have stormed into Zambian consciousness through many channels: through cultural influence as an author; politics as an emerging politician through his political engagements; religion as a powerful pastor; as a lawyer through legal and political advocacy.
Charles Mwewa personally met President Michael Sata to present him with a tablet called ‘Ubislare’ which Charles and I wanted to introduce into Zambian primary education. Charles and I became aware of an Indian Canadian by the name of Suneet Tuli who invented the tablet towards the end of the 2000s. Tuli sold the tablet to the Indian government that bought millions of these tablets and distributed them to vulnerable students in India. The Indian government provided WiFi on these tablets. We wanted the Zambian government to buy these tablets and distribute them in rural schools to equalise the learning curve of rural students with those of urban areas. I introduced Charles Mwewa to the then Chief Justice Ernest Sakala so that he could introduce him to the president. In no time Charles was called to State House in 2012 and presented Sata with the tablet which at time was costing only US$50. The exchange rate was not bad at the time. Sata did not bite. We ended up selling the Ubslate to Mr Phone owned by Mr Friday Tembo who bought a million pieces. Sunseet Tuli had promised us that if Zambia bought another one million pieces, he would set up a manufacturing plant in Zambia making cellphones. In 2012 going a little bit forward, WiFi in Zambia was unreliable and Mr Phone never bought any further pieces. Charles Mwewa would also have burst onto the Zambian scene through the venture of the introduction and provision of education technology in rural schools. Charles has a chapter in his book ‘Zambia: Struggles of My People’ on ‘Technology Nation’. This is the man that Zambia lost at the tender age of 49 years. This is the husband Clarice Mwewa has lost. This is the father the young Mwewa girls lost on May 6, 2025 because of their father’s paralysing stroke that had stricken him several months previously. This is the man whose body viewing on May 22 and burial on May 23 in Ottawa, Canada, I will miss because I am in Lusaka, Zambia, and this is the man that I had a profound interaction with and who I will miss into eternity. In life it is difficult to find such a friend. These friends are rare, if you ever find one at all.
Professor Munyonzwe Hamalengwa is the Dean of the School of Law at Zambian Open University
Prof Munyonzwe Hamalengwa, PhD
Dean, School of Law
Zambian Open University
New Foundland Campus
Unity Road, Off Mumbwa Road
Box 31925
Lusaka, Zambia
10101
Contact No:+260963007267
Website: www.zaou.ac.zm
