MMD president Nevers Mumba says he was really scared when on the way to a dungeon his captors turned on a road to a place where first Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba was killed.
And Mumba has lamented that the Zambian government did not move in swiftly to secure his life immediately they were informed about his predicament.
Mumba was held for five days in Lubumbashi by security officials on accusations that he held meetings with a military general in the Katanga region.
The former Republican vice-president had travelled to Katanga, according to him, to deliver a letter of commitment to supply “certain business items”.
He was kept in a hotel room and was only released on Monday evening and he returned to Zambia.
In an interview yesterday, Mumba thanked his wife Florence, his friends, members of his party, the church for their prayers and support and all involved in securing his release.
“I can assure them that without their prayers, no effort of any individual could have yielded the fruit that we have today. And I give all the honour, the praise to God for this release because humanly speaking, they (Congolese) had created such an impossible scenario that only God could unravel and He did unravel it,” Mumba said.
He said under detention, he did not know the Zambian government’s efforts in securing his life.
“But I would also like to thank them (government) for any effort they made. I would also want to thank the President of the DRC Felix Tshisekedi for rising above these matters and doing what he did to let me be with my family,” he said.
Mumba explained that when he was surrounded by military officers in Kolwezi, he phoned five people among them his wife and President Edgar Lungu who did not answer even to a voice note.
He said he also informed Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Malanji about his predicament.
He said he also phoned President Tshisekedi, who did not answer.
“I am not able to quantify what government did but I was obviously looking forward to the members of the consulate in Lubumbashi to come and see me because that was a given for me. Having been high commissioner, I know that the first responsibility is to ensure the safety of any Zambian who is implicated in any situation. When I didn’t see them the first day, I was sure the second day they gonna come because it has nothing to do with someone’s political affiliation and we were taught that before we went into diplomatic mission; it has to be Zambian, it doesn’t need to be a vice-president, a president, just a Zambian,” he explained. “But unfortunately, the whole time I was under this situation, I didn’t see any one of them. They may have their own explanation for it.”
Mumba said a swift Zambian government response was critical because he did not even know who was apprehending him.
“It could have been a rebel group, it could have been the actual government forces…I didn’t know, so it was imperative for my government to act swiftly because five days without any contact with me as my government is enough for someone to be killed, to be tortured even for me to be forced to divulge security information about Zambia. What if that is what they wanted from me having held the position of vice-president? They could have tortured me to extract out of me security information about Zambia. So it was a lapse on the part of government that they didn’t move in quickly,” he lamented.
Mumba said the government could have own reasons for not moving in swiftly to secure him.
“But listen, I am glad to be back home, I am glad that I am alive, nobody tortured me to talk about any information about my country but these are issues that in future we must avoid,” he said.
Asked what the Congolese really wanted, Mumba said somebody had phoned Kinshasa “according to him he had been trailing me for two months, he has been in Zambia interacting with certain people, he is the one who called”.
“This information I have just received today from Kinshasa. They have not given me the name of that person who implicated me and the implication was meant to have me taken out. In fact, the allegation that I was speaking to a rebel general in Lubumbashi with a view to destabilising the Congo is a treasonable case that in our country or any other country is punishable by death,” Mumba explained. “Whosoever this person is, I would say he wants to kill me, he would rather see me dead whether it’s for the purpose of me not participating in the political process, elections coming, I don’t know what that intention is. I am determined to get to the root of this matter to find out who this person is and what his intentions were,” he said.
Mumba said if that person wanted him dead by the bullet, he still wants him dead by any other means.
“It is my interest to localise this as the source because the truth of the matter is that I never spoke to any general in that country. And I want to put it on record that as former vice-president or former president, even former cabinet minister, we are not allowed to engage generals. I can’t even engage a general in Zambia without the permission of the President,” Mumba said.
He said he could not even go to the Zambia Airforce base or a barracks unless he was given express permission by the Commander-In-Chief.
“I think that allegation was too ambitious by the person who made it. He didn’t consider my character, my person as a pastor. There are certain things I can never do. As it is now, I am determined, working together with Kinshasa, to find out who is behind this and I think we shall. The President of Congo (DRC) is determined to find out the source of this issue and why it was reported in that manner,” Mumba said.
He explained that the Congolese government could have taken stern action against him, throwing him in a dungeon when he was apprehended.
Mumba explained that he was being taken to the “real dungeon” until a phone call came, probably from Kinshasa directing that he be taken to a hotel.
“So I was headed for quite a time. It’s also true when I was entering Lubumbashi at night, they turned to the road to the left towards the place where Patrice Lumumba was killed and it is still there as a historical place. I think that’s where they turned and I was really scared…but by God’s grace I was taken to Lubumbashi,” Mumba said.
He said the whole thing looks small now that he was out but it could have been worse.
Mumba called for change of local politics that make people fight among themselves.
“I heard some of the statements that were made in my absence by certain individuals. Once it involves a foreign matter, I would advise that people are more civil. That is the same reason why when I am outside the country, I don’t speak against President Lungu or the PF, not because I agree with them when I am out of the country but when I am out I assume the position of ambassador of Zambia,” he explained.
Mumba advised that people should help build an image of the nation.
“I actually expected my government to be present within the first 24 hours of my incarceration. That would have sent two messages. Number one to the DRC government that they cannot do anything to the Zambian citizen because we are closely monitoring,” he said. “Secondly, they were supposed to come to ensure that my safety is guaranteed. What type of food I was going to eat, who was going to be responsible for it, in case something happens to me, who are we going to talk to? They needed that information which they didn’t have. And because they didn’t visit me, they gave wrong information to their foreign affairs ministers in Lusaka.”
Mumba said his ordeal was the reason in some countries, former leaders maintain their diplomatic passports.
“Keeping me for five days without my country raising a storm raises a lot of questions both here and there,” said Mumba. “You remember when president Michael Sata fell sick, I was vice-president to president Levy Mwanawasa. He had no relationship with President Levy who was injured on a weekly basis emotionally by president Sata but when president Sata fell ill, you notice how speedily President Levy moved in to do what he did and that eventually ended in a reconciliation that was historical. This is what I am trying to preach that we are one people. We can’t start saying Nevers should have gotten permission from foreign affairs before going! Okay we have our own explanation for that but you can’t tell a drowning person that twalimyeba ati mulefwala ama [we told you that you should be putting on] life jackets…you can’t discuss that when someone is drowning. You first lift them, take them to the shore, if you want you can slap them, you can’t be talking life jacket when someone is drowning. That is what was happening…in time of retrieval from death you forget all that and do what you are supposed to do.”