•NSANDA (Right) with PF chairperson for elections Mpakata Musonda pictured outside State House last year.

By VICTOR CHIMUKA –

WILLIE Chisanga Nsanda, the patriotic front stalwart who died in the early hours  of Tuesday March  24, at South Africa’s Milpark Hospital belonged to a rare breed of people Zambia has ever produced.
He was a bull of a man who always made a difference.
Just the mention of the name Willie Nsanda, one would easily connect it to many things. One would write a book to articulate his extraordinary life, which was mostly associated with the Copperbelt.
For those of us that had personal interaction with Big Willie, as he was  fondly called by friends, he’s death has left a gaping hole in our hearts which will inevitably be hard to fill.
Like him or hate him, Big Willie was a guy one could not ignore.
He was daring, bold and never minced his words. His dominant presence and conspicuous manoeuvres were much like ‘Yeast to Flour’. Sometimes, he would submerge like a submarine, and before you know it,  things were  already happening. There was no stopping once, he got in the game; be it business or politics.
A talented and shrewd strategist and community mobiliser, he would be greatly missed.
With his imposing body frame coupled with his trademark black shades that dissolved to his peach black complexion, he cared less about what the public thought of him and his actions.
One thing was true, Big Willie never played white collar even though he often interacted with folks from that class.
Most people including his workers perceived him to be a type of a Shaka; very rough and hard but Big Willie always came back to his real self.
To the contrary, he was a teddy bear, who sometimes spoke his mind, a little too much. You would know if he liked or did not like you.
He identified with folks from the street because he was one of them. He was definitely, the real essence of what is now called kolopa.com. From the dusty streets of Chimwemwe, where he was raised, to what he became in life, he always wanted to prove a point, and he proved his points in life, whichever way, you looked at it.
He always undertook huge and risky undertakings in life, which is why lots of people were always baffled by the results he achieved.
Many people never knew that he was a hardcore mechanic, who could work on his cars, sometime all by himself.
He leant his mechanics from a certain white man who fell in love with his aggression and love for risks.
He was type of a guy, who would ride himself on motorbike from Kitwe to of Johannesburg and back.  I used to get surprised with his nature and often feared for his life when he would ride his BMW motor bike to and from South Africa.
Biggie Willie would be like, “Mwana, I have just come from Jo’burg.”
This was the time he served as Member of Parliament for Chimwemwe and I must say I was rather intrigued by his bravery and simple- mindedness.
Big Willie would call me at some of the most awkward hours simply to chat. My Family became accustomed to these late night calls and he would talk until his talktime ended.
Each time he drove into Ndola he would stop at a Car wash in town and the call boys would surround him chanting all sorts of slogans.
He would shower them with cash and they loved him to the hilt.  His love for big and luxury cars was unmistakable.
I met Big Willie in 1995 in Lusaka at the time he was Chairperson of the United Taxis and Transport Association (UTTA).
We happened to have been using the same elevator on Freedom House, where UTTA had its Offices. He appeared uncomfortable with the way the elevator doors were opening and shutting. He more or less depended on me to operate the elevator and keep the doors open for him to make a quick exist.
I couldn’t believe that a man so tall and huge could rely on a small teen like me then to assist him with the elevator!
We seem to have had a liking for each other from that moment on.
Several years later, we met in Ndola and he was riding this gigantic motor bike that I had never seen before in my life except in movies. My curiosity drove me to ask this man what model of motorbike it was and when he alighted from the seat I instantly recognised his face as the large man who was frightened of the elevator at Freedom House.
I gently reminded him of our meeting in Lusaka and that I must say that was the beginning of a long friendship that lasted till his death.
One thing remains true, he was no push over, and most times his belief in confrontation worked well for him. This attitude always achieved positive results for him.
Without lavish praise, Big Willie belonged to the liberation fighters like Mama Julia Chikamoneka and the rest.
He had no difficulties extending his influence to the next level without fear of danger in the face of adversity.
He took bold steps and was one of a few with such characteristics, besides the late republican president Michael Sata.
Now, some of us value our lives more than we value our beliefs which are proof of our convictions. In the face of adversity, we would choose to be live dogs than dead lions. This was not so with Big Willie. His powers of persuasion permeated the corridors of influence without regard to any inadequacies.
Big Willie played hardcore hustling to get the job done.
It is no wonder that he excelled in Business which saw him run a successful fleet of buses and a stake in the Real Estate industry.
Each time he acquired a new bus he would drive it himself from as far as South Africa to Kitwe with passengers on board. Those on board would not have a clue that the famous Willie Nsanda was in the driving seat!
Big Willie taught me how to relate with people of a varied nature; be it call-boys, the elite, name them. That’s what fascinated me the most.
When he was constructing his house opposite Mass Media complex my wife and I were invited to witness the process of plastering walls with a substance that I came to know as Rhino-lite. When you touched the walls they felt extremely super smooth.
He would later take us on a tour of his other properties and interests just because of the love he had for us.
Most times that I drove into Lusaka Big Willie would ask me to park my car at his home and he would take me to all my errands. He had time for friends and I was lucky to have been one of them.
It is therefore not surprising that he also found favour with politicians that needed courage and boldness in pursuit of their agendas.  Big Willie was often chosen to handle some of the most complicated Political tasks, and he relished such tasks.
He will equally be remembered for the roles he played in successfully putting two Presidents into State House in succession.
I last spoke to him on  February 12, 2015 at the time he was in Hospital in South Africa. He remained optimistic that he would return but sadly the cold hand of death struck and I personally lost a good friend.
Big Willie leaves several Children behind and an inheritance of significant proportion.
On the Political side, it is evident that his absence will be felt by both the opposition and those in Office.
Sadly, the hour of death is often unknown to all and sundry but is certain to ring on all of us soon or later.
His political career saw him become Member of Parliament for Chimwemwe Constituency under the Movement for Multi Party Democracy and was re-elected for another term under the Patriotic Front Party (PF).
In 2011, late Michael Sata then presidential candidate for Patriotic Front, requested him to take on the mantle of chief campaign manager for him, a position which he gladly took and agreed to perform.
Big Willie fought a relentless battle to dislodge MMD from power and ushered in Michael Sata as the 5th Republican President of Zambia.
Big Willie had an illustrious Business and Political career spanning several years. He ran a successful luxury Bus Company before he became very active in Politics.
Ultimately, like every human being, he was not perfect. Along the way, he could have offended some people but every person has the good and the bad.  It depends on the part one leans the most.
He would be greatly missed.