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Lilemba clarifies Mafwe name
An academic critic who hails from the Caprivi Region has made some clarifications on the name ‘MAFWE’ which seems to be troubling the two traditional authorities at Chinchimane and Mashi as to which authority does it belong.

Dr. John Makala Lilemba, Philosophy of Education Lecturer at the University of Namibia responded to an article which appeared in this paper that quoted Chief Mayuni vowing to take Mafwe name.

Dr. Lilemba told this paper that the appointment of Chief Joseph Tembwe Mayuni of the Mashi Traditional Authority was political. “To me that was an issue of dividing and rule, dividing the MAFWE community because of the allegations that the majority of the MAFWE were DTA supporters or Mr. Muyongo's followers  so for the  appointment was done politically,” said Dr. Lilemba.

In an earlier interview with the Caprivi Vision, Chief Mayuni now Chief of the Mashi Community divulged that the time has come for his chieftainship to use its first name, on the first certificate at the time of recognition as a Traditional Authority in 2004

Caprivi Vision has learnt that the concerned Chief Mayuni was issued two certificates of recognitions signed by the former Namibian president Dr. Sam Nujoma in 2004. The first certificate of recognition dated July 17, 2004 is titled that his Traditional Authority is recognized as the Mafwe Traditional Authority followed by the second certificate, which was issued on August 2004, stating that it is recognized as the Mashi Traditional Authority.

Dr. Lilemba narrated that the term MAFWE refers to all people resorting under Chief Mamili. Although there are people within the community who regard themselves as proper MAFWE especially who originate from areas that stretch from Sibbinda, Makanga, Masida and Singalamwe, the bottom line is that they are all Mafwe and equal before the Mafwe Traditional Authority at Linyanti Khuta. “I think that is where the problem is but to say Mayuni is a pure MUFWE is an error on itself because if you trace him, he is a Shanjo from around Sioma,” he said.

According to Dr. Lilemba, in 1994 he attended an inauguration ceremony of a certain induna Imunonoko at Sioma Mission in the Western Province of Zambia and the title given to indunas who take over this position is Namulimbwa. Mayuni’s ancestors are Namulimbwas and Shanjos by clan and to justify that in Mayuni's family one of his elder brother’s child is known as Namulimbwa. It is against this background that Chief Mayuni cannot claim to be a pure Mufwe. But for Chief Mamili it’s clear that he originates from Ngombala the sixth Paramount Chief of the Luyana.

“If you refer to recorded history especially if you read Maria Fisch's book, The Caprivi Strip During the German Colonial Period 1890 to 1915, you will find a table of the origin of Mamili Chieftainship that originates from Paramount Chief Ngombala the sixth Luyana king. Ngombala had a son by the name of Mbanga and then Mbanga had a son by the name of Yubya. From Yubya came Sikufele where Kabainda (Kabende) the father of Imataa originates. So you can trace the royal blood of the Mamilis,” explained Dr. Lilemba.

He added by saying, when a German imperialist by the name of Streitwolf came as the German Resident Commissioner in the Caprivi Strip in 1909 after having visited Chief Imataa at Linyanti he proceeded to the western part of the Caprivi and he met Induna Mahachana and Sikosinyana at Bwacha and proceeded further to Sikosi.

“He did not go to Mayuni but he went to Sikosi who was an Induna, so Mayuni traveled from his residence to Sikosi's village as an Induna to listen to what the Resident Commissioner has brought to the people of the Caprivi. By protocol if Mayuni was a Chief then it could be Induna Sikosi who could travel to Mayuni’s palace” he quashed. It is on this ground that the Chieftainship of Mayuni can be seriously questioned.

Coming to the real concept of the term ‘MAFWE’, Dr. Lilemba has this to say: “According to oral tradition, the term is derived from two sources : the Luyana ‘twakafwila Mulonga’ concept meaning the Mafwe recognized themselves as having fought and died for their kingdom of course the Luyana kingdom. Some elders maintain that wherever a male Mufwe went, he carried a stone to sharpen his axes and assegais. This stone is known as Mufwe or mwina rwizyi (one who lives in the river). The latter meaning carries with it respect, meaning if this stone is thrown into the river, it does not float but sinks on the bottom of the river bed. This sinking signifies the weighty behavior of any Mufwe further meaning a Mufwe is respectable person. It should be understood that names communities carry have different meanings and dubious origins. Some communities carry names which carry some form of philosophies, others were either named by one person and the whole group acquired that name. A good example is that of the Lozi and what constitutes the Lozi and who is a Lozi. According to Mainga, the exact origin of this collective name is unknown although there are people among the Lozi who claim to belong to the real Lozi tribe, while other Lozi tribes were simply incorporated into the Lozi kingdom. It is the same with the Mafwe under Chief Mamili.

Dr. Lilemba explained that, other groups came to be known as MAFWE because they came and lived in areas that were ruled or occupied by these types of people; therefore these groups eventually were incorporated with these people (MAFWE). The Luyana kingdom also cemented this bond among the Mafwe people during their rule. The German Resident Commissioner, Streitwolf also assisted all the groups which were ruled by Mamili, and brought them under one umbrella.

BACKGROUND

How many tribes under this unified name the ‘MAFWE’?

Under that unified name MAFWE we have seven (7) groups which include people of Linyanti, Mbukushu, Totela, Yeyi, Mahe (Subia speaking Mafwe those found in areas of Sikanjabuka, Lusu, Masokotwani, Machita and Kwena) we also have the siLozi speaking Mafwe those found at Musanga though they are mixed with Totela and people from Zambia and then we have the Bafwe around areas of Sibbinda to Singalamwe, we also have the San people.

In fact the ‘FWE’ groups, the majority of them comes from the Kwandi and these Kwandi are part of the Lozi and Luyana and among the Luyana they are about thirty six (36) tribes comprising of the Luyana though Luyana is an old term and they use Lozi and some of them doesn’t even speak siLozi or have to learn siLozi and among them they are Kwandi, Kwanga, Mafwe, Imilangu, Makoma, Nyengo, Subia, Mashi, Mukwamulonga, Mbunda and Nkoya.

In the 1980s there was an issue where the late Chief Moraliswani took Chief Mamili to court that he was suppose to be paramount Chief of the Caprivi Region meaning to be the custodian of land. Once they are so many traditional authorities within the Mafwe area then they will come up with the proposal that they should be a paramount Chief. People will be divided and Mamili's people if they don’t know they will be landless.

Currently now the majority of Mamili's people know about this program and that’s why they are being together despite their differences. For example Sibbinda Constituency Councillor Hon. Felix Mukupi, does not only cover Sibbinda village but he covers other areas like Lusu, Masokotwani, Kanono, Kaliyangile, Sikubi, Kasheshe and many other areas within his constituency so if the government was to bring projects they can channel that through Councillors. It is not an excuse that can be given to a person by the government in this country to try to be forming Chiefs in every district.