12/12/2025
I'M A COMMANDER, BUT I FAILED TO COMMAND TAMARA TO LIVE
…..ZNS Commander Recounts Last Moments With Late Civilian Employee
The Zambia National Service Commander, Lieutenant General Engineer Maliti Solochi II yesterday afternoon delivered a deeply emotional reflection as he recounted his personal bond with the late Tamara Zimba Malambo, a civilian employee who passed away after collapsing at work.
Tamara, who held a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource and a Diploma in Business Administration worked as an Information Technology Clerk under Administration Branch.
Speaking at a send off Church Service at Chainama Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Lusaka, the ZNS Commander, put his ranks aside and remembered Malambo as a spiritual co-worker at Chainama were he serves as a Church Elder and Tamara served as a Head Deaconess and Dorcas leader.
He shared how she had touched his home in a special way as he often watched her break through the quietness of his wife, something very few people ever managed to do.
“My wife is a very strong woman, but she has been crying. In her quiet nature, Tamara found a way to reach her heart. Even on the day she died, they were chatting about the (Eagles) marathon.”
The Commander recalled his painful final encounter with the late with emotional clarity. He recounted how that Monday morning he had joked with a delivery rider at the ZNS Headquarters’ gate, unaware that the rider had just delivered a parcel to Tamara, learning shortly afterwards that she had fainted.
“After finding out, I checked her sugar levels and they were normal. Her BP was normal too. But she wasn’t responding. I called Tamara many times and she didn’t respond. This made me ask the health personnel to rush her to Maina Soko Medical hospital immediately and they did so” Lt Gen Solochi movingly recounted.
“I am a Commander, but I could not command Tamara to continue living, I called her name, but she did not respond. I am a strong man… but for her, I shed a tear.”
The Commander added that he was not sharing the moments just because Tamara was no more, but to honour a loyal, hardworking young woman the Service had grown to trust deeply, that she was being considered for military training in the next intake.
“As a Service, we have lost. For me personally, her passing struck my heart,” the Commander said.
And Pastor Muyunda, who also blessed Tamara's marriage 16 years ago delivered a powerful sermon titled “Tamara Malambo has died before her time.”
In his message, the Pastor, quoting the book of Isaiah 57:1-2, shared how those who live righteously die before their time to preserve them from the corrupting influence of the world, secured for the blessed resurrection day.
“Good people pass away, the Godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from all the evil to come. For those who follow Godly paths will rest in peace when they die,” Pastor Muyunda preached.
And the Widower, Christopher Andrew Malambo, represented by a family member, delivered an emotional tribute, as he recounted the good moments the couple shared through out their marriage, focusing on the great companion and mother she was to their family.
He disclosed that his wife died barely a week after celebrating the couple’s 16th anniversary.
“To speak of Tamara is to speak of light, hope and unwavering grace. She had an infectious laughter to me as her husband and everyone that was around her. She touched so many lives through her dedication and passion to those she loved.
"Tamara gave her all, expecting nothing in return, so while we grieve the future we will not share in, we must also celebrate the memories we hold. She was indeed a devoted wife,” the widower mourned.
And the children, represented by the eldest, Luyando Malambo also delivered a moving tribute, remembering their mother as a heroine who played her life-building role without knowing.
“If you ever met my mother, you probably left differently because she always had a unique way of touching someone. She celebrated little wins like finding matching socks, she taught us that happiness didn't have to be big.
“Helping others feel lighter by being around was her gift. She remembered the small things and showed up when it mattered. She gave her time without making it feel like a bother. She made life better just by being herself. She showed us how to love, care and celebrate little things,” the Chiildren remembered.
Despite being a working day, Tamara managed to fill the Chainama SDA church to full capacity as mourners thronged the Church to pay their last respects to a dear one who leaves behind two daughters, a son, a husband, and a stage that is still clapping.
Tamara died on Monday morning after falling unconscious at work, a day after she actively participated in the ZNS Eagles Marathon and was put to rest yesterday in Mazabuka District, her birth town.
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