First Lady of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| First Lady of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Inaugural holder | Hortense Kasa-Vubu |
| Formation | July 1, 1960 |
First Lady of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (French: Première Dame de la République démocratique du Congo) is the title attributed to the wife of the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The country's current first lady is Denise Tshisekedi, wife of President Félix Tshisekedi, who had held the title since January 24, 2019.
List of first ladies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
[edit]| No. | Name | Portrait | Term Began | Term Ended | President | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortense Kasa-Vubu | 
|
July 1, 1960 | November 24, 1965 | Joseph Kasa-Vubu | Kasa-Vubu, who was born Hortense Ngoma Masunda, married Joseph Kasa-Vubu in a Catholic ceremony on October 10, 1941.[1] |
| 2 | Marie-Antoinette Mobutu | 
|
November 24, 1965 | October 22, 1977 | Mobutu Sese Seko | As First Lady of Zaire beginning in 1971. Marie-Antoinette Mobutu, the first wife of President Mobutu Sese Seko, died from heart failure on October 22, 1977. |
| Position technically vacant | October 22, 1977 | May 1, 1980 | Marie-Antoinette Mobutu died on October 22, 1977. | |||
| 3 | Bobi Ladawa Mobutu | May 1, 1980 | May 16, 1997 | As First Lady of Zaire. Bobi Ladawa had been Sese Seko's longtime mistress during the 1970s. The couple had children together even before the death of Sese Seko's first wife, Marie-Antoinette Mobutu, in 1977.[2] Ladawa and Sese Seko married in a church and civil wedding on May 1, 1980, on the eve of Pope John Paul II's visit to Zaire. However, the Pope refused to officiate the ceremony.[3] | ||
| 4 | Sifa Mahanya | May 17, 1997 | January 16, 2001 | Laurent-Désiré Kabila | Sifa Mahanya was the main wife of Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who reportedly had at least 13 wives, and matriarch of the Kabilas.[4][5] According to official biographies, Mahanya and Laurent Kabila are the parents of former President Joseph Kabila.[4] However, this parentage is disputed by some observers and opposition figures.[4] | |
| Position vacant | January 16, 2001 | June 1, 2006 | Joseph Kabila | President Joseph Kabila was not married at the time. | ||
| 5 | Olive Lembe di Sita | 
|
June 1, 2006 | January 24, 2019 | Olive Lembe di Sita married President Joseph Kabila on June 1, 2006, and they celebrated their wedding on June 17, 2006 at the presidential residence in Gombe, Kinshasa.[6] | |
| 6 | Denise Tshisekedi |
|
January 24, 2019 | Félix Tshisekedi | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Biographie belge d'outre-mer 2015, p. 219.
- ^ Akyeampong, Emmanuel Kwaku; Gates, Henry Louis (2012). Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. pp. 238–9. ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5.
- ^ Schatzberg, Michael G. (1988). The Dialectics of Oppression in Zaire. Indiana University Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-253-31703-7.
- ^ a b c Manthorpe, Jonathan (2013-02-23). "Jonathan Manthorpe: Parentage of Congo's president questioned as coup plot foiled". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "All the President's Wealth: The Kabila Family Business" (PDF). Pulitzer Center. July 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Solennel mariage religieux du président Joseph Kabila". Digital Congo. 2006-06-07. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-09.
- "Kasa-Vubu (Joseph)" (PDF), Biographie belge d'outre-mer (in French), vol. IX, Brussels: Académie Royale des Sciences d'Outre-Me, 2015, OCLC 561667718