MATIYA NGALANDE—TEACHER, NATIONALIST, STATESMAN, POLITICIAN AND DIPLOMAT.
Ngalande belonged to the generation of nationalists whose political careers were forged in the final years of colonial rule and carried into the early decades of the Republic of Zambia.
Born on June 2, 1932, in Kasempa, Ngalande worked as a teacher at Mutanda Mission School and the African General Mission before joining government service as a clerk.
His political journey began as early as 1957, when he became Provincial President of the African National Congress (ANC), placing him firmly among the early generation of nationalists who helped push Northern Rhodesia toward independence.
In 1964, as Zambia emerged from British colonial rule, Ngalande became the first Area Member of Parliament for Kasempa under UNIP. Independence had barely arrived, but Ngalande was already being handed the diplomatic passport.
Ngalande however, only served as Kasempa MP for a short period following his appointment into the diplomatic service. He was succeeded by Bernard Mwelumka in a by election.
He served as High Commissioner to Ghana and Nigeria from 1964 to 1966, later becoming Minister of State for Luapula Province in 1968, the same year that he bounced back as Kasempa constituency MP.
Ngalande also served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in 1969.
His diplomatic travels continued Ambassador to Egypt in 1970, Kenya in 1974 and Saudi Arabia in 1979. In those days, being sent abroad apparently meant packing your suitcase rather than packing your political ambitions.
Ngalande later became one of the founding figures of the MMD and returned to Parliament in 1991 as MP for the newly created Mufumbwe Constituency. He defeated UNIP’s Mulondwe Muzungu by 2,537 votes to 1,943.
Under the MMD government, he served as Deputy Minister in the Office of the Vice President, Community Development and Social Welfare, and Communications and Transport between 1991 and 1996.
He subsequently served as Special Adviser to President Frederick Chiluba from 1996 to 2001 before retiring from active politics.
On October 24, 2023, President Hakainde Hichilema honoured the veteran nationalist at an investiture ceremony, conferring upon him the Order of Distinguished Service, First Division, in recognition of his contribution to Zambia and his dedication to public service.
Ngalande died in Lusaka on February 11, 2026, aged 93, following an illness. He was accorded an Official Funeral in recognition of his long and selfless service to the nation.
In his later years, Ngalande turned to writing and was working on a book documenting his life and Zambia’s political history. Sadly, he did not live to see its publication. The manuscript is expected to be published posthumously.
From the classroom to the nationalist struggle, from Parliament to the diplomatic corridors of Cairo, Nairobi and Riyadh, Ngalande was not merely a participant in Zambia’s political history.
He lived through several of its defining chapters and, in different capacities, helped write some of them.
Before social media politicians discovered politics, men like Ngalande were already doing the hard copy version.