By JONATHAN MUKUKA –
“REALISING that we were under attack and seeing my boss, Major Moses Masumba, the pilot who flew the plane into Luano Valley killed by the Mailoni brothers, I gained the courage and told myself that I have to fly the plane to a safe location, carrying with me on board, the remains of Major Masumba and the rest of the medical team.”
These are the words of Captain Yichidi Ndhlovu in recounting one of the most difficult moments in her career as a pilot.
Captain Ndhlovu is a former Zambia Flying Doctor Service (ZFDS) pilot who served as Maj Masumba’s co-pilot on the fateful day he was killed.
The infamous and feared Mailoni Brothers, a trio of serial killers and gang members comprising Mika, Stephano and Fabian, had gone down in history as a group that terrorised residents of Luano Valley in Zambia’s Central Province.
These ruthless serial killers launched their first attack on April 27, 2007, with their victim only identified as Mwelwa.
Later, the bloodthirsty killers are believed to have murdered a total of 12 people in separate incidents before the Zambian government dispatched a team of brave soldiers known as the Zambia Army commandos, who closed in and eventually gunned down the elusive Mailoni brothers in 2013.
Among all the atrocities committed by the Mailoni brothers, the May 5, 2010 incident in which Maj Masumba was brutally killed in Luano Valley while on an outreach service, sparked more panic among locals and the government, raising further concerns about the tense security situation in the Mkushi and Serenje districts.
“I do not want to go into detail about the Mailoni brothers’ lives and atrocities, as well as previous attempts to apprehend or kill the trio, but suffice it to say that the government used various methods to help locate the Mailoni brothers, including offering a reward for information leading to the serial killers’ capture in Luano Valley,” recalled Capt Ndhlovu.
However, as the old saying goes, “Days are numbered” and “every dog has its day” the Mailoni brothers were finally gunned down, sending the entire Luano Valley into a frenzy as news of the unexpected gunning down of the serial killers filtered through communities.
To recognise his death while on duty as a pilot of flying doctors on a mission to serve the country’s most remote communities, on October 24, 2023, during an investiture ceremony at State House graced by visiting Tanzanian President SamiaSuhulu Hassan, President Hakainde Hichilema posthumously honoured him with the President’s Insignia of Honour.
The President’s Insignia of Honour is given to people who have contributed to the well-being of their communities through their actions.
The honourcame exactly 13 years after Maj Masumba was murdered in cold blood.
At the time of his death, Maj. Masumba had served as a pilot for 21 years under the ZFDS’s mandate of going to Zambia’s rural and hard-to-reach areas.
The Mailoni brothers ambushed Maj Masumba at Cheembe airstrip while ferrying a medical team to a medical outreach in Luano Valley.
Nancy Masumba, the late Maj Masumba’s widow, accepted the medal on her late husband’s behalf.
In an exclusive interview, MrsMasumba expressed joy and was extremely humbled to receive a medal dedicated to her late husband, 13 years after losing his life in a gruesome murder that shook the entire country.
“I want to thank President Hichilema for conferring on my husband this honour, 13 years after his death,” MrsMasumba said.
Ms Masumba shared that the honour bestowed on her husband was a great motivation for the public workers, who serve the underprivileged in society.
With a jittery voice, she clearly indicated that her husband died serving humanity and that honouring her husband was greatly appreciated by her family.
She added, “My late husband, Major Masumba, was a dedicated public worker who lost his life while on duty serving lives in one of the hard-to-reach areas of the Luano Valley.”
Ms Masumba appealed to the public workers to be dedicated to duty and further thanked the ZFDS for employing her full-time as one of the support staff.
President Hichilema also honoured Captain Ndhlovu, a former ZFDS pilot, for her bravery.
Captain Ndhlovu, after the incident, managed to fly the aircraft with the dead body of Major Masumba placed at the back of the aircraft together with other medical staff to a safe location.
“After the attack, the first thing that came into my mind was to fly the other members of the medical team to a safe location,” said Capt Ndhlovu.
Cpt Ndhlovu said after the attack, she called the Ndola office using a radio message on the plane, informing them of what had happened and requesting permission to fly the plane to a safe location with the remains of the late Major Masumba.
“When I called the office informing them about what had happened and that I was seeking clearance to fly the plane to a safe location, they refused and asked me to wait for a back-up plane to fly in with another crew to take us back home,” she said.
Seeing Maj. Masumba lying lifeless, capt.Ndhlovu refused to take the orders and decided to fly the plane out of the danger zone and landed it safely in a different location.
“I said to myself, this thing has happened and Maj Masumba is dead. I have to protect the lives of other members of the medical team by flying out of this place without any further delay and I Immediately took off,” said Capt. Ndhlovu.
She recounted that she was happy that she made the decision to save the lives of other members of the medical team.
The ZFDS paid glowing tribute to the government for honouring two of its pilots who were attacked by the Mailoni brothers on May 5, 2010 while on duty by serial killers in Luano valley killing one of the pilots, Major Masumba in cold blood.
“We recognise the goodwill from the government that Maj Masumba and Capt Ndhlovu after 13 years, they have been honoured and given medals by the President Hakainde Hichilema for their commitment and contribution to serving mankind,” ZFDS Chief Executive Officer, Dr George Ng’uni said.
Dr Ng’uni also paid glowing tributes to Capt. Ndhlovu for her bravery and managing to fly the plane to safety after the attack by the Mailoni brothers.
He stated that his organisation has increased its outreach services in remote areas of the country from 6 outreach programmes per year to nine per month.
“With support from the government, we have gone flat out rehabilitating airstrips in selected rural parts of the country with the latest airstrip being Mushibwe airstrip located in a rural part of Ndola on the Copperbelt Province while the next airstrip on the list will be in North Western Province which is scheduled to be commissioned in November 2023,” Dr. Ng’uni said.
Dr Ng’uni explained that the desire of his institution is to ensure that all the rural parts of Zambia are serviced adequately because a life in the rural area is as good as a life in the urban.
“We are inviting all the stakeholders and well-wishers to come on board and compliment the Government’s efforts it is putting in to ensure the ZFDS carries out its mandate effectively,” Dr. Ng’unisaid.– ZANIS