A woman claiming to be the wife of a former Democratic Republic of the Congo president has come forward, seeking to be reunited with him.
Dr Mydo Kinshasa Kabila says she is desperately looking for her husband, Joseph Kabila.
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Mydo claims to be the legitimate wife of Kabila, whom she claims she met while still studying in Tanzania many years ago. Mydo is of South African descent, but was based in exile in Tanzania.
However, she says her desperate attempts to get hold of the former DRC statesman have been unsuccessful and foiled by people with a personal interest in his life who have blocked all the channels to have access to him.
She says she has even been declared dead by those who do not want him to have access to her.
She said:
Mydo says her two daughters want to be reunited with their father, whom they last saw many years ago.
She says Kabila bought them a house in Johannesburg, but they cannot stay in it for safety reasons.
She told City Press that she has been going through hell from both the SA government and DRC authorities as her phones have been pinned and hacked and her bank accounts frozen. She claims that the police have also not been helpful after opening endless cases ranging from intimidation and harassment.
Mydo lives in hiding in a place of safety after several attempts on her life, she claims. She visited City Press offices accompanied by an escort from her hiding place.
“All I want is to get my life back. I am tired of living in hiding. I am doing this for my children because they miss their father. Even the police have advised me to go to the media because they can’t help me and this is my last resort to be reunited with him.”
She showed City Press how her phone has been pinned and cloned so she cannot make or receive calls. She says this has been happening with all the phones she acquired.
“There are some high-profile people involved in this scam because of the money involved. No one is prepared to help me because they are fearing for their lives, so I am on my own together with my daughters.”
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The 52-year-old Kabila served as the president of the DRC from 26 January 2001 to 24 January 2019 after the assassination of his father, Laurent Kabila.
According to reports, Kabila married 47-year-old Marie Olive Lembe di Sita in 2006.
Police had not commented on Mydo's allegations regarding her cases.