TURBULENT EXODUS OF NEVERS MUMBA
..Zambia’s premier televangelist-turned-politician exits political stage
By DAVID KANDUZA
IN the late 1990s, Nevers Mumba was arguably the most charismatic and powerful voice in Zambia’s evangelical movement.
As the founder of Victory Ministries International, he wielded an influence that transcended the traditional church.
Every Sunday, the entire nation seemed to come to a standstill.
Zambians were glued to their television screens, mesmerised by his eloquence, flawless suits and explosive delivery.
He did not just preach the gospel; he packaged it with a global, modern sophistication that Zambia had never seen before.
Dr Mumba grew up as a barefoot boy who didn’t own his first pair of shoes until the seventh grade.
Yet, as a man of God, he exuded an almost cinematic elegance, gracing the stage in fabulous custom suits, expensive designer watches and immaculate Italian leather shoes.
Beside him, mirroring this picture-perfect aesthetic of divine prosperity, stood his wife, Florence a rich kid and their five children.
Together, they looked like royalty, defining the template for the modern African first family of faith.
At home and abroad, his massive crusades packed stadiums to maximum capacity, drawing desperate souls from Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and beyond seeking miracles under his popular ‘Zambia Shall Be Saved’ banner.
At the heart of this spiritual phenomenon was the Victory Praise Band, a powerhouse musical outfit that traveled everywhere with Dr Mumba.
They were the undisputed pioneers of modern praise groups in Zambia, setting a new standard for live Christian music.
Led by their powerhouse choir leader, Priscilla Chibamba, the band infused the ministry with an electric atmosphere.
Before Dr Mumba ever stepped up to the microphone, Priscilla and the choir would have the crowds in the palm of their hands, ushering in a wave of praise that defined an entire era of Zambian gospel music.
They were more than a warm-up act; they were a cultural movement that made the ministry an unstoppable force.
Then came the turn of the millennium and with it, a revelation that shocked his flock to its core.
In a move that many of his devout followers viewed as a betrayal of biblical proportions, Dr Mumba announced he was leaving the pulpit to join active politics.
He launched the National Citizens Coalition (NCC), arguing that the church could no longer sit on the sidelines of governance.
The fallout was immediate and devastating for his ministry.
Overnight, congregants walked out, feeling abandoned by their spiritual shepherd.
The instruments of the Victory Praise Band grew quiet and the pioneering music ministry fractured without its central pillar.
The vibrant, global ministry was left in tatters, reduced to a shadow of its former glory as its leader chased the temporal halls of political power.
Dr Mumba’s political journey became a rollercoaster of high-profile appointments and bitter disappointments.
He served as Vice President of Zambia under Levy Mwanawasa from 2003 to 2004, a peak that was quickly followed by a public falling out and his dismissal.
He later took the reins of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD), a once-mighty ruling party that, under his tenure, became fractured by endless infighting, court battles, and electoral defeats.
For over twenty years, the man who once moved millions with a whisper found himself fighting for political survival in an arena known for its ruthlessness.
Two decades after his initial exodus, Dr Mumba has officially announced his departure from active partisan politics, stepping down to take a sabbatical leave.
The announcement marks the end of one of the most polarising careers in modern Zambian history.
He leaves behind a legacy defined by a profound question: Was the political sacrifice worth the spiritual cost?
While some praise him for his courage to inject Christian values into a dirty game, critics and former congregants view his trajectory as a cautionary tale of what happens when divine calling is traded for political Ambition