ZOMBA— Malawi’s so-called citadel of learning has turned into a theatre of injustice—where court orders gather dust, student heroes are punished for demanding fairness, and administrators act like they’re above the Constitution. The University of Malawi (UNIMA), under Vice Chancellor Professor Samson Sajidu, is now being accused of deliberately defying the law while shamelessly persecuting one of the most revolutionary student leaders the campus has seen in decades.
Like a hyena pretending to be a judge in a goat’s trial, UNIMA suspended former Student Council President Humble CS Bondo for three years, in what critics call the dirtiest academic witch-hunt since the days of Kamuzu.
Why? Because this bold young man had the guts to dismantle the evil “one-semester-a-year” calendar—an outrageous system designed by overpaid professors to force students to finish four-year degrees in eight painful years. Instead of thanking him, they hunted him like a rat in a burning house.
But the plot gets even uglier.
To break Bondo’s spirit, they used a female student—who just happened to be the daughter of the Registrar’s close friend—to accuse him of inappropriate sexual conduct. But the girl was later expelled herself for cheating in an exam, caught red-handed with a phone in the examination hall. And this is the same girl the University relied on to paint Bondo as a predator?
Talk about using a broken compass to lead a ship.
Despite the weak case, the university didn’t expel him—they suspended him. Because deep down, they knew the truth would bite back. And bite it did.
On April 2, 2025, Justice Zione Ntaba of the High Court ordered UNIMA to finalise Bondo’s appeal within 30 days. That was more than 60 days ago. Yet Professor Sajidu, sitting like Pharaoh ignoring Moses, has done absolutely nothing. No communication. No action. No respect for the court. Not even a polite excuse.
What is UNIMA teaching now? That ignoring justice is okay as long as you wear a gown?
Now, Bondo is fighting back—with a protest campaign like no other. Dubbed JADGIL—Justice Awaiting Demonstrations and Vigil—he plans to carry a symbolic coffin marked “RIP UNIMA Administrative Justice” to Sajidu’s office every day. There will be open prayers. Fasting. Petitions. Spiritual warfare against a system rotting from the top.
“This is bigger than me,” Bondo said. “It’s about fighting a system that eats its own children and spits on court orders like they’re toilet paper. Justice delayed is justice denied—and Malawi must wake up.”
With the public watching closely, and pressure mounting from students, alumni, and human rights activists, UNIMA now stands at a dangerous crossroads. Will it honour the rule of law—or sink deeper into the swamp of academic tyranny?
One thing is clear: the lion may sleep, but it doesn’t forget who threw stones at it. And Humble CS Bondo, the student who dared to reform, is now the symbol of resistance against an arrogant and lawless university administration.
