Fernand Kazadi Lupelekese
Ferdinand (Ferdinand) Kazadi Lupeleka (April 24, 1925—June 26, 1984) was a congolese politician from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly called Republic of Zaire). Lupelekese was a founding member of the College of Commissioners where he had been appointed General Commissioner of National Defense by President Joseph Mobutu, during the Congo Crisis in 1960. In 1969, he was appointed Commissioner of State for Public Matters and Territorial Management by the President Citizen Founder of the MPR. He was elected Deputy Commissioner of the People on three different occasions (1966, 1972, and 1977).
Biography
Early Life and Education
Fernand Kazadi Lupelekese was born in Katende wa Bakwa Mwanza, which was near the Catholic Mission of Kabwe, in the Kasai-Occidental region of the Belgian Congo on April 24, 1925. His parents, Helene Ngalula Mulanga and Jean Dibomba Kabongo, had four children, where Kazadi was the only son. In Belgian Congo, higher education was mainly provided by the Catholic and Protestant missionaries, and Kazadi had successfully completed high school at the Scheutiste Mission of Kabwe from 1934 to 1939. Kazadi distinguished himself through his capabilities and the conspicuous influence of a Catechist father, so he was sent to the Small Seminary of Kabwe Ste Therese in December 1939, as there were few other choices offered to the elite during this time period. After he completed six years of higher education 1946, he was admitted to the Large Seminary of Kabwe, in order to pursue studies in philosophy and theology for the next eight years.
Kazadi was on the path to enter priesthood after 14 years of seminary studies, but he felt obliged to abandon this due to parental pressure, for he believed if he became a priest, the clannish continuity would be interrupted. Therefore, in 1952, he directed himself towards a career in public service. Kazadi first became the Official to the Provincial Secretariat, and later he became Specialist at the Governor Cabinet of the Kasai Province.
In parallel with his administrative career, Kazadi wa Dibomba participated in the national struggle for Congolese independence. With the pen name of "Kazadi wa Kabwe", he distinguished himself through his writings in the press. In 1954, the first Congolese university, the University of Lovanium, opened its doors in Leopoldville (Kinshasa). Having the ambition to acquire a better education and despite his familial duties, Kazadi enrolled at Lovanium in 1955 in the Political and Social Sciences Department. He received a degree in sociology in 1960. He wrote a memoir upon completing his studies, entitled "The Life of An Unemployed in Kinshasa in 1960". During his years at the University of Lovanium, he was nicknamed "Bismarck" due to his loyal following and firmness, based on the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.
Kazadi was fluent in German, Dutch, French, English, Latin, Swahili, Kikongo, Lingala, and Ciluba. He read extensively and loved classical music, which he was also able to read. He was also a proficient harmonica player. He married Madeleine Mianda Ngadu in 1953.
Political career
General Commissioner of Defense
On September 14, 1960, colonel Mobutu took over for the first time, neutralizing President Kasa-Vubu, arresting Prime Minister Lumumba, and seizing power. Mobutu called upon the people's elite, the few university graduates still residing in the country, to form a government: the College of General Commissioners. These individuals were in charge until February 1961.
Fernand Kazadi was one of these individuals and was placed as General Commissioner of National Defense.
In January 1961, he met and participated in the work of Patrice Lumumba of Leopoldville in Elizabethville.
In South Kasai
The Lulua vs. Baluba conflicts were fueled since 1959 by the colonizers and Lumumba's refusal of a resolution on behalf of the MNC for the political struggle. What ensued was an exodus of the Balubas, causing them to relocate in southern Kasai. Kasai seceded and so did Katanga. The Independent State of Southern Kasai existed from August 1960 to July 1961. Fernand Kazadi was its Police Force Minister.
Kazadi, at the end of the Independent State of Southern Kasai, escaped to Brazzaville to save his own life. There was much insecurity and precariousness for him and his family.
Under [1]Mobutu
Two years after the resumption of power by the now General Mobutu in 1964, elections took place and Fernand Kazadi was elected National Deputy in 1966. Following this, he became Head of Research at the Office of National Research and Development.
The creation of the Popular Movement of the Revolution in 1967, a party led by President Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, effectively provoked the closing of Parliament, and the dismissal of members of Parliament, in order to represent themselves with the support of this new party.
In 1969, he was named Commissioner of State for Public Matters and Territorial Management by the President Citizen Founder of the MPR, Zaire's Marshall. In the course of his passage in this department, he founded the School of Truck-Driving Engineers in Kingabwa, Kinshasa. In 1970, he was promoted to Commander of National Order of the Leopard and was later appointed as Minister of State at Zaireal.
Kazadi retired from political affairs in 1980.