They say a female witch is worse than her male counterpart. And we are witnessing this wise assessment through the leadership of the Democratic Republic of Congo. One of the strongest backers of President Felix Tshisekedi’s dictatorship is no other than his mother – the 85 year old Marthe Tshisekedi.
At about 85, Mama Marthe should be a broker of peace and ensuring that the DRC enjoys a modicum of stability with its people enjoying some form of prosperity that has eliuded them since independence in 1960. For a woman who stood by our county’s longest serving opposition in Etienne Tshisekedi, peace, prosperity and stability of our country should be non-negotiable.
But no. This is not the case with Mama Marthe. She enjoys the killing of Congolese in the east, she enjoys political torture of opposition leaders such as Salomon Kalonda Della, Mike Mukebayi, Franck Diongo and many others. Worse off, she enjoys seeing opponents of her son such as Cherubin Okende killed in cold blood.
As if that is not enough, this old woman enjoys the trauma imposed on a fellow old woman such as Salomon’s mother. Salomon’s mother was ransacked on instructions from Mama Marthe and her son Felix. They do all this because Salomon is a key opposition member of Ensemble pour la Republique.
Mama Marthe and First Lady Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi are the key advisors of the Head of state. And they seem happy that the president has a brutal and merciless hold on the country. Today, Cherubin’s children are orphans thanks to Mama Marthe and her children.
It’s not a secret that this almighty figure in Congolese politics is discreet, even less visible, but omnipresent in all manner of deals that the Tshisekedis are striking. “Mama Marthe” has made 10th Street Limete, in Kinshasa, one of the parallel places of power.
She is not one of the people to whom access is given; she is rarely seen in public, but everyone knows that she has considerable power and a foothold on her son. This is why all mining deals with these Lebanese thieves are done with her blessings.
Behind the black gate at 10th Street Limete, Mama Marthe calls the shots. All her five boys, Jean-Claude, Roger, Félix, Christian and Bobo bow to her because she spent enough time grooming them when her husband was busy fighting for political survival from the time he joined leadership through to his opposition days.
Mama Marthe believes Tshisekedi holds power on her behalf in the absence of the founder of UDPS, Etienne Tshisekedi. Her partnership with Felix is therefore known to have held a long bond that sits at the helm of power.
If Mama Marthe was sincere and with a good heart, she will not subject Salomon’s mother to trauma. She would not subject eastern Congo to the chaos, she would not plunder Katanga with her sons the way they have done.
Anyways, the people of Congo will have the final say come December 20, 2023. Good will always prevail over evil. And the evil regime of Mama Marthe and Tshisekedi will suffer the consequences of the people’s voice.
