Pierre Mambele

Pierre Mambele (1945 – 8 June 2019) was a Congolese taxi driver working in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He became well known amongst Western journalists as a companion and guide who could take them towards the action and provide contacts for stories. As a result, he subsequently featured in a BBC World Service program.

Career Mambele was born in the city of Kisangani, during Belgian colonial rule, in 1945. His parents died when he was nine, and Mambele moved to Kinshasa where he experienced the sudden independence of the Congo from Belgium in 1960. In 1974, he became a taxi driver. That year, Kinshasa was host to the boxing event The Rumble in the Jungle, and during the festivities Mambele "refereed" an impromptu spar between Muhammad Ali and another taxi driver.

During the 1990s, Kinshasa experienced significant political violence and Mambele chauffeured foreign journalists covering the riots. On one occasion, Mambele and his passengers were stopped at gunpoint and beaten, but Mambele returned to work on the same day. In another incident, Mambele and his taxi carrying several journalists were stopped by an angry mob, causing Mambele to leave the vehicle and "[lecture] the young men on the need to respect him".

Death He died on 8 June 2019, at the age of 74. In his obituary, Reuters described him as having "played a unique part in shaping coverage from the Democratic Republic of Congo".