Sudden loss stirs political family
Brazzaville woke up to solemn faces this Friday as officials, militants and ordinary commuters paused at the entrance of the PCT headquarters, where a condolences book lies open for deputy Joseph Mbossa, the soft-spoken economist whose death in Paris struck the political family.
Among the early visitors, Club 2002-PUR secretary-general Juste Désiré Mondelé carefully penned a message, praising what he called “a man of bridges” able to link ministries, parties and villages with equal courtesy, a comment that set the tone for a day of heartfelt tributes.
Joseph Mbossa, 70, died on 28 September after a short illness treated in France, according to family sources quoted by Les Dépêches de Brazzaville and Radio Congo; the National Assembly confirmed the news the same evening through a brief communiqué.
Path of an economist turned lawmaker
Born in Abala, Plateaux Department, Mbossa graduated in economics at Marien Ngouabi University before joining the Ministry of Planning in the 1980s, a period marked by ambitious structural programmes that shaped his taste for numbers and long-term infrastructure, recalled his former colleague Auguste Oba.
He entered parliament in 2007 on the PCT ticket, representing the single-member constituency of Abala, and was reelected three times, each time with majorities surpassing 70 percent, figures verified by the Independent National Election Commission’s archives consulted by our newsroom.
Within the Assembly, Mbossa chaired the powerful committee on planning, land management and local development, a position that allowed him to scrutinise budget allocations for roads, schools and health posts, areas where he believed equitable growth could cement national unity, Mondelé reminded journalists.
His interventions were often illustrated with crisp statistics and anecdotal sketches of flood-stricken tracks or schoolchildren walking ten kilometres, earning him the nickname “the calculator with a heart” among reporters covering plenary sittings, testified senior parliamentary correspondent Clarisse Kamba.
Club 2002-PUR leads tributes
Club 2002-PUR, an allied party within the Presidential Majority, decided to salute that legacy publicly because, in Mondelé’s words, “beyond banners, he embodied loyalty to the Republic,” a rare quality in an era where social networks sometimes amplify partisan noise.
At the signing table, he also conveyed condolences from Reverend Pastor Wilfrid Nguesso, founder of Club 2002-PUR, underscoring the spiritual dimension often present in Congolese political rituals of mourning, where prayers and patriotic anthems mingle in evening vigils.
Government and analysts react
Government spokesperson Thierry Moungalla, reached by phone, described Mbossa as “a consensual figure whose economic expertise will guide future debates on diversification,” while refusing to speculate on the committee’s next chair, a selection process governed by Assembly internal rules.
Sport and community footprints
Beyond politics, Mbossa was a fixture at Diables Noirs football matches and sponsored an annual U-15 tournament in Abala, a fact remembered by coach Yvon Mouyabi, who credited the deputy for providing jerseys, transport and cold water during the scorching 2022 edition.
In return, youngsters packed the local culture centre Wednesday night to rehearse choruses for the official funeral, determined to honour a man who, according to resident Chantal Ossélé, “never arrived empty-handed, even bringing maths books when he visited harvest festivals”.
National mourning and funeral logistics
The government has decreed three days of national mourning starting 16 October, flags flying at half-mast across ministries and schools; a military honour guard will receive the coffin at Maya-Maya airport before the body lies in state at the Palace of Parliament.
According to the provisional protocol, relayed by the Ministry of Territorial Administration, burial will follow in Abala on 18 October, after an ecumenical mass expected to draw thousands of faithful and several choirs from Pointe-Noire, a logistical challenge overseen by the Prefecture.
Projects and lessons ahead
For political analyst Albert Rafis, Mbossa’s passing reminds the majority coalition of the need to renew expertise in infrastructure economics, a field central to the National Development Plan 2022-2026; he predicts younger technocrats will step forward yet maintain the veteran’s inclusive style.
Meanwhile, roads in Abala remain partly flooded after recent rains, an irony not lost on residents who point to Mbossa’s last speech in July urging a special fund for rural drainage, a proposal now likely to resurface during the supplementary budget session.
Club 2002-PUR has asked its youth wing to compile a booklet of Mbossa’s quotes on civic duty, to be distributed in high schools next month, a move aligned with government efforts to strengthen patriotic education announced by Minister of Primary Teaching last week.
Final echoes of gratitude
As the condolence lines slowly thin out, one sentence in Mondelé’s handwriting stands out: “An open mind, a loyal heart, a mathematician’s clarity.” That triad, repeated by many mourners, may become the simplest résumé of Joseph Mbossa, the bridge-builder economist turned beloved deputy.
The National Assembly will observe a minute of silence at its next plenary, a symbolic pause reflecting the stillness many feel along Avenue de l’OUA.
