October 22, 1949: The Arrest of the First Tocoistas
On January 9, 1950, the Government of the Province of Léopoldville, now the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), expelled Simão Gonçalves Toco and some of his Tocoista followers, a group totaling eighty-two (82) people. Simão Gonçalves Toco was first arrested on October 22, 1949, along with the elders he was speaking with, and they were taken to the Ndolo and Filtra prisons. He was tried on December 8 and, on January 9, 1950, was finally expelled from the former Belgian Congo to Angola. On the afternoon of October 22, 1949, I was at home, catching a breath of fresh air in nothing but my undershirt, when police arrived under orders from the government of the former Belgian Congo to arrest me. They didn’t even give me time to go inside and put on a shirt. What a shame! … The Missionaries were aware of what had been discussed at the International Missionary Conference held in 1946. But when they realized the descent of the 1946 International Missionary Conference. But when they witnessed the descent of the Holy Spirit, they disavowed any knowledge of it—as though they knew nothing about the phenomenon or what it meant—for two reasons: The Holy Spirit, they washed their hands of it as if they knew nothing about it, much less what that phenomenon meant, for two reasons: They feared the wonders of the Holy Spirit, its growing fame, and the end of their own power in Africa. They played two fundamental roles: on one hand, they protected the colonialists from being arrested, thus facilitating their mission. On the other hand, they evangelized fearfully because they constantly had problems with the authorities, especially in São Salvador, where the Missions continually received orders to close, open, close, open. After the night from Friday to Saturday, the day of the Holy Spirit’s descent, the Missionaries began to notice a considerable influx of members into the temple on Sunday. There was no longer enough room to accommodate so many people. So, they called me and asked: “Simão, what are you teaching these people? We have been here in Léopoldville for almost 70 years, but we have never seen so many people in the temple.” I replied: “I am teaching them the Word of God, based on some Books that came from the United States and Canada.” They then asked me to show them the Books. After I showed them, they said: “Simão, you must not teach these Books anymore, because if the Belgian authorities hear about it, we will have problems.” I asked again: “Why will we have problems? The books discuss the Bible and contain chapters from the Books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and other Prophets.” In response, they told me the following: “If that’s how you understand it, read them yourself. Don’t teach them to the people anymore, because these books speak of politics and the liberation of the people of Israel, and you could be accused by the authorities.” But I did not keep silent; I continued to teach. The Spirit even reached those who were not present on July 25, the day the Holy Spirit descended. It was for this reason that on September 9, 1949, the Missionaries publicly expelled us from the Protestant Church. We wanted to continue praying within the Church, in Spirit and in truth, as Christ narrates in St. John 4:22-24. After being expelled from the Protestant Church, we did not stop praying. Tocoism emerged from that date forward. As if our expulsion from the Protestant Church were not enough, the envious—jealous of the fame of the Holy Spirit’s descent and its great wonders—complained to the Belgian authorities about us because their own temples were now empty. Following the complaint, we were arrested and imprisoned in Ndolo on October 22, 1949. However, God had already revealed everything to me three days before the arrest. Jehovah God told me the following: “Simão, you will be arrested and subsequently sent to your homeland (Angola), because it is not here in Kinshasa where the true Spirit will work. Whatever suffering you have, even if everyone abandons the Word, you must not abandon it.” I kept these Words and always remembered what Jehovah had told me on April 17, 1935, in Catete: “I WILL PUT SOMETHING IN YOU, AND NEITHER YOU NOR THE WORLD WILL KNOW IT.” Everything came true; as a result, here I am today with the people he gave me, to show them the path of salvation (Hebrews 2:13). In summary, we were deported, killed, tortured, burned alive, and exiled to the Azores and São Tomé and Príncipe. Thanks to the One who sent me, the Word of God was neither imprisoned nor burned. On the contrary, they facilitated its expansion because I did not have the money to send Tocoist Missionaries to every corner of the country. They were the facilitators, ALLELUIA TO MY GOD. Nominal List of the First Group of Tocoists Expelled The following is the transcribed nominal list of the Tocoists in the first group expelled by the Belgian authorities: Simão Gonçalves Toco Kinavuidi Ambrósio Mvanga Mvuama Garcia Dilunguangu Matias Figueredo Ntony Pululu Joseph Luyeye Ferdinand Cade Carlos Makoka João (The first Tocoista dissident who joined the Jehovah’s Witnesses; he was part of the first group that arrived in Luanda) Kalemba António Makangu Norberto Armando Jorge Nkosi Bunga Malinga (son of João Bunga) Vondo Leon ilesivel— Mpungi Filemon Lumingo Alphonse Kidimbu Jorge Mbala António Dilu Simon Makaya joão Mfinda Josefo João Lumpini Sungi Miguel Makundi Sebastião Nteka Simão Veto Dominique Panda Afonso Mfinda David Kama Gabriel Pulu Thomas Kiala João Kiyalama Miguel Mfuka Thomas Kinzisi Luavualu Feta Manuel Masaki Nicolas Lubaki Miguel Vemba Samuel Silumeso Bonifácio Mbengi Ambrósio Kalemba Kuma Binga Sebastião Mosilongwa António Dombele André Sezala Garcia Mbasi Pedro Dituvuila Miguel Masumu Pedro Dandanda Pedro Jackson Lufwakende Nicolas Lumpini Samuel Mambauka Miguel Telemeno Luvualu Panzo Simão Zandi André Domingos Pedro Zingi Sebastiao Masanga Simão (Mother of Mama Rosa Toco) Panda Vasco Pedro Destino Dondão Paul