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.