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Born on 3rd October 1934 to Evangelist parents. Jonas Savimbi attended school during the challenging time when it was very difficult for black Africans to enjoy the privilege of being in a classroom. After high school, he was awarded a scholarship due to his excellent performance, and he went to study Medicine in Lisbon, Portugal.
While attending university, he was arrested for political violations and later continued his studies in Switzerland, where he dropped medicine and pursued political science. He graduated with awards and was known as the most charismatic rebel on the African continent. He was later recognized by President Reagan of the USA 🇺🇲 as the most talented charismatic leader of modern African history.
Savimbi joined politics and aided Angola's fight for Independence. However, he had misunderstandings with the government under José Eduardo dos Santos, the President of Angola. The international community encouraged them to compete in a well-supervised election. Unfortunately, Savimbi lost the 1992 elections and returned to the forest to seize power by waging a brutal war.
The war resulted in over half a million deaths and around 100,000 disabled or amputated. After years of resistance, the President of Zambia 🇿🇲, FTJ Chiluba, facilitated a meeting where dos Santos signed the Lusaka Accord with Savimbi. Savimbi was appointed as one of Angola's two Vice Presidents, but he never stopped fighting the government and eventually returned to the forest.
On February 22, 2002, Israel surveillance experts tracked Savimbi, and he was shot 15 times in the head. What's intriguing is that he had been reported dead 15 times before; was the 15 symbolic?
He was buried in Luena town and in 2019, 17 years later, he was given a dignified funeral to heal Angola from its past atrocities.
Today, Angola has remained civil war-free and is the 8th largest economy in Africa.
Written By: Luckson F Mvula
