No one knows precisely.
But what is clear is that democracy survived that day. Having raided his home, the mutineers wanted to take Gen Simbeye to the Mass Media Complex to announce on radio the military take-over of state powers. Fortunately, Gen Simbeye was able to escape over a wall fence and the coup was eventually foiled.
For that simple act, he deserves to be called a hero. Little wonder that then President Frederick Chiluba promoted him to full General even though he never commanded the army in that capacity as he was retired upon promotion and sent into Foreign Service.
But to restrict Gen Simbeye’s contribution to the failed 1997 coup would be a great disservice – he did far more than that.
After enlisting in the Zambia Army as an officer cadet, he was sent to Mons Military Academy in Aldershot, United Kingdom for military training. This culminated in his commissioning as a second lieutenant on August 4, 1967.
It was the start of an adventurous military career. He underwent a number of trainings. After that, his greatest desire for Zambia Army was to have more Army officers get on-job training, depending on various training needs. And this he was able to achieve during his time as Zambia Army Commander from 1991 to 1997.
“With limited resources, he mooted the idea of Zambia having its own Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC),” the Zambia Army said in a statement following his death last Saturday.
“And in 1995, the Kamwala DSCSC was established with the help of expatriates from India and other cooperating partners.”
The rest, as they say, is history. Today, the Kamwala DSCSC, with 100 percent local directing staff, is a centre of excellence in the region.
Gen Simbeye also spearheaded the participation of Zambia Army officers in United Nations peace-keeping missions.
“He sent Lieutenant General Solomon Mumbi who was his Brigadier General Staff (BGGS) to New York to meet Kofi Annan who was Chief of Operations at United Nations Headquarters to negotiate the possibility of Zambia taking part in United Nations’ peacekeeping operations,” the Zambia Army said. “The request was accepted and a team of inspectors from New York came into Zambia to inspect equipment and capabilities.
“Today, world leaders and the United Nations in particular have hailed Zambia Army’s professionalism and bravery in executing the United Nations’ mandate of protecting the civilians in areas where the Army is deployed.”
Lt Gen Mumbi, who took over from Gen Simbeye as Army Commander, has fond memories of him.
“You know for soldiers, we always love each other – through and through and we work as a team – officers and men,” he said. “That’s how it’s supposed to be because we bear arms, we fight as a team. So losing him, we have lost a colleague and we will miss him.
“And he was brilliant. For him to have attained the rank of that high level and command the Army, it’s something different. It’s not everybody that gets there.”
During his 31 years of illustrious service to the country, Gen Simbeye held various command and staff appointments, including platoon commander, company commander, second-in-command and eventually commanding officer at 1 Infantry Battalion in Ndola.
He also served as instructor and company commander at the School of Military Training, now Zambia Military Academy.
According to the Zambia Army, it was at this time when Gen Simbeye – a Captain by then – together with other instructors, wrote the training manual for officer cadets at Zambia Military Academy.
He trained the first intake of indigenous officers who include General Isaac Chisuzi, Major General Raphael Chisheta and Major General Anthony Yeta, among others.
“He re-shaped the defence force very well from being a one party defence force to a multi-party defence force, which was not easy that time,” Colonel Bizwayo Nkunika, a former Zambian envoy to the United Kingdom, South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt who was arrested in 1988 in connection with a military coup, says.
“Under the one-party state, everybody in the Army followed UNIP. But when the multi-party system came about and Gen Simbeye was commander, he managed to blend the different political shades and developed the mind of the officers and men not to be partisan in politics – and that was a very big achievement, it was a psychological change for the defence force. I had just left the Army and became deputy high commissioner to Nigeria.”
Former Zambia Air Force (ZAF) Commander and minister in the MMD Government Ronnie Shikapwasha also shared a close relationship with Gen Simbeye.
“I can tell you hundreds of significant moments about him,” Lt Gen Shikapwasha says. “When we were at school, we played tennis together and we could chase that ball like nobody’s business. When we became soldiers together, I was flying aeroplanes, he was in the infantry and he worked very hard in North-Western Province to bring peace there, which has not been mentioned.
“He worked very hard to establish a staff training college, me and him, we worked hard on that one. He worked very hard to get the soldiers go into the United Nations programmes. He worked very hard to keep the peace in the country and above all, the region.”
His wife, Kinah Ngoie Kalisilira Simbeye, describes the late General as a true hero.
“My hero, you dedicated your life to service with honour, integrity and patriotism. The nation has lost a hero,” Kinah, who was married to Gen Simbeye for 44 years, said on Wednesday during the Church Service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka.
“Today I promise you in front of all our loved ones that I will make sure your legacy lives on and your story will forever be told for as long I am still here.”
General Simbeye’s children also paid tribute to him.
“My father is a definition of a country’s true patriot,” his son Eric said. “His principles were guided by honour at the very highest. His loyalty and commitment to this country was unquestionable. Whatever his country asked of him, he was there unconditionally.
“He was a special man, one of only four-star Generals in the history of our country.”
His daughter, Debra, said she admired his truthfulness and boldness.
“A hero to his children, a hero for his family and a hero to the nation but more especially a hero to me,” Izu said.
Nyza called Gen Simbeye a friendly giant.
“Among all the heroes this world has ever had, there is not one the world admired more than the guy I called dad,” Nyza said.
Musanchi said her dad had instilled in her the values of loyalty, integrity, honesty, kindness and love.
“I have chosen to emulate your power of saying a few words and say farewell to my beloved hero,” she said. “Great men do not leave us, they travel and we remain with practical examples of life and a legacy to carry on.”
Gen Simbeye was born on September 30, 1946 in Isoka, but had his formative years in Kitwe where he attended at Wusakile Primary School where he found the likes of Mbikusita Akashambatwa. He later transferred to Chalimbana Primary School where he did standard five and six respectively, then Kitwe Boys High School and finally Chiwala Boys Secondary in Ndola where he found the likes former Chief Justice Ernest Sakala and former Army Commander and Vice President Lieutenant General Christone Tembo.
It was after Chiwala that he started his long career in the Zambia Army.
“General Simbeye will be remembered as refined and hard-working career soldier who meticulously rendered selfless service to his country,” the Zambia Army said in their eulogy.
Please note that this article was also published in the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper of Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
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