Zimu was a member of the Force Publique, the Congolese army serving under Belgian colonial rule and a member of the trans-African expedition to retrieve the Belgian arms at Port-Gentil. He served under the command of Henri Defense (Indiana Jones) and Sergeant Barthélèmy with the rank of private. It is likely that Private Zimu participated in the battle against German forces in German East Africa, in which Defense earned a promotion to captain.