Dr Savior Chishimba, find ‘rest’ in Yehuda Bendavid

PRESIDENT of the United Progressive Party, Dr Savior Chishimba, now Yehuda Bendavid, is man in search of himself. He is now Yehuda Bendavid because of his recent conversion to Judaism.

Our Zambian constitution has proclaimed our country as multifaith and therefore guarantees him the right to express his faith in the way that suits his spirituality. He is however, a nation leader and his conversion and re-conversion demands a fair comment.

Let me remind you, Yehuda Bendavid, Dr Savior Chishimba then, served our country as PF Member of Parliament for Kasama central. He was at the time a hardcore Bemba traditionalist. For some personality clashes with the party leadership, he was kicked out and moved on to found his own party called United Progressive Party.

In mobilising for his new party, he was seen dressed in the political regalia popular among our independence nationalist leaders including late Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe and late Kenneth David Kaunda. It was the invocation of the Pan African political and culture spirit of the 60’s.

It did not take long before he dumped the regalia and started wearing the three piece suits and mimicking the Pentecostal televangelist pastors. His language was very full of hell fire against the demons governing us through the elected leaders.

My initial impression was that Dr Savior Chishimba had converted to the hell-fire Pentecostal theology and it was a matter time before he could start proclaiming like the John the Baptist in the bible an advent of the millennial kingdom.

So, when this week I received the news of his conversion to Judaism, I felt the need to share this reflection on our popular leader on whether he suffers from an identity crisis or he is searching for a fulfilling spiritual anchorage. I hope his conversion to Judaism will give him rest.