Café was part of the Angolan independence movement, first working from the present-day Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before returning to Angola in 1974.
[2] Café's career began in 1977 when she was appointed Deputy Minister of Internal Trade, which lasted until 1978.
[3] In 1986, she left that Ministry to become Vice Premier and Minister of State for the Economic and Social Sphere, ending in 1988.
[6][7][8] She was one of several members of the Central Committee of the MPLA that received 10 million dollars from the Banco Espírito Santo Angola to develop the projects they wanted, without having to provide any guarantees to the bank.
"[4] The Maria Mambo Café Airport in northern Cabinda province was named in her honor.