CHONA’S DAUGHTER EUGOLISES SISTER
JUDGE MUYOVWE
BY
MOSES WALUBITA
LUSAKA
FOR
Kaoli Chona’s father Mathias Mainza Chona, it was love at first sight as eyes
came to face with Yolanta Mainza Chona’s beauty when the two were pupils at
Chona Primary School, east of Monze District in former Northern Rhodesia (now
Zambia).
The
two classmates shared the middle name ‘Mainza’. Mainza Chona was classes ahead
of Yolanta. He made it his business to convince Yolanta, a daughter of headman Haanamoonga
Jeke Malambo of nearby Chiile village in Chief Chona’s area.
Mainza
Chona died on December 11, 2001. The tombstone on his grave at Chona village
reads: ‘’Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be known as sons of God.’’
He died a day after his wife’s birthday.
Today,
one of the couple’s daughter Kaoli Chona eulogises her Late sister Elizabeth
Nkombo Chona Muyovwe who was Supreme Court Judge.
Justice
Muyovwe was born in 1956 at Haanamoonga village. She went to primary at Chona
School and later moved to Chikuni Primary School in Southern Province as a
boarder. She did her upper primary at St Mary’s Primary School and secondary
school at St Joseph’s in Monze, Southern Province.
Highlighting
Justice Muyovwe’s achievements, Kaoli said: ‘’ I am telling the story of a
woman who has definitely without debt contributed to the cause of women and
vulnerable people in Zambia.’’
Kaoli
walked with Justice Muyovwe, saw her tire, struggle, get up, use her own
resources and she listened to her dreams.
‘’Mine
is the story of my elder sister Justice Elizabeth Nkombo Chona Muyovwe’’, she
said.
Justice
Muyovwe’s passion for law wasa probably developed by her father Mathias Mainza
Chona, first black lawyer in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).
Yolanta
Chona recalls how Mainza Chona brought Munali Secondary School in Lusaka to a
standstill in 1958 soon after returning from law studies in United Kingdom.
Yolanta
Chona had accompanied him to his old school and they were taken around the
school grounds. Students jostled to view the country’s black lawyer, who had
broken the colour bar during British colonialism.
In
his book, THEY BUILT ZAMBIA, ZAMBIA’S HUNDRED GRADUATES AT INDEPENDENCE, Yuyi
Kwalombota Libakeni recalls that Mainza Chona returned home from his studies in
London shortly after he was called to the English Bar in June 1958.
Proudly
invited to visit his old school, Munali, Mainza Chona and his wife Yolanta were
taken around the school by the principal H.J. Roberts and his wife.
There
was commotion as students jostled to view the back native who had broken the
colour bar to become the first African lawyer in the country.
In
the days that followed students began to consider law as a serious career and
profession. Mainza Chona had shown that it was feasible proposition for an
African to aim to become a lawyer.
This
is what inspired Justice Elizabeth Nkombo Chona Muyovwe to have a passion for
law.
Among
her rich credentials, Justice Elizabeth Muyovwe was a member of the Law
Association of Zambia (LAZ) and she became involved in the women’s issues
together with prominent lawyers like Charity Mwansa.
Justice
Muyovwe sat on the Women’s Rights Committee. The committee realized that there
was need for Legal Aid that would look at the rights of women and children.
The
committee organized a workshop and what followed a publication of document on
Women’s Rights. Together with this committee they began to do some ground work
which led to the formation of a Legal Clinic for Women.
Kaoli
Chona said: ‘’At first this was just a dream that was on paper and women’s
issues at this time were not taken seriously by LAZ. The committee drew up a
project proposal which was funded by NORAD. The committee chose Elizabeth as
the project leader.’’
Justice
Muyovwe resigned from Lima Bank to head the ‘Legal Clinic for Women’. To begin
with she had a skeleton staff which consisted of herself and the secretary.
Justice
Muyovwe also used volunteer lawyers and student lawyers from Legal Practicing
Institute (LPI)to help in handling many cases.
One
of the lawyers whom Justice Elizabeth Muyovwe managed to convince to join as Volunteer
Lawyer is the prominent woman lawyer Nellie Mutti, currently Speaker of the
National Assembly.
Justice
Elizabeth Muyovwe dealt with so many cases and met many women who she helped a
times it was difficult for her remember.
‘’The
money was not much but the satisfaction she found was so great. She saw many
women who were without a smile, smile again, some who were depressed revived
and some who had almost lost everything regain it’’, Kaoli Chona said.
The
year 1996 was notable one for Justice Elizabeth Muyovwe when her husband
Charles Muyovwe died. The funeral was taken to his home village in Pemba,
Southern Province.
Her
experience as a widow opened her eyes to the importance of the work she had
done for women. She no longer only sympathised with them but she became part of
their struggles, as she understood what they went through.
She
was left to look after four children who were still school going. The tasks she
had done with her husband she now had to do alone.
‘’It
was a long struggle’’. Kaoli Chona said.
In
1998, the Government of the Republic of Zambia through the Office of the Vice
President honoured Elizabeth Muyovwe a High Court Judge. Among the Judge’s
other tasks was being appointed as Vice-Chairperson of the Lands Tribunal - and
again she enjoyed this as the cases were mostly for disadvantaged people and it
prepared Elizabeth Muyovwe for the bench.
Eulogising
the sister, Kaoli Chona said Justice Elizabeth Muyovwe never left either a
woman or man wounded. She helped pick up them up. The Judge was the ‘Good
Samaritan’.
She
said: ‘’The Legal Clinic contributed to the recognition in Zambia that women
were human beings who had rights. The formation of the Victim Support Unit of
the Police is as a result of institutions like the Legal Clinic.’’
On
January 16, 2002, the Secretary General of the United Nations and the
Government of Sierra Leone, announced that eight Judges had been appointed to
serve on the Trial Chamber and the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court which
would have its seat in Freetown.
Justice
Elizabeth Muyovwe was one of the two women appointed. One of the criteria used
to select the Judges was integrity.
‘’I
believe my sister Justice Elizabeth Nkombo Muyovwe should be honoured’, Kaoli
Chona said at Lusaka West home.