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Tembo, Mawelera

1870-1937
Presbyterian
Malawi

Mawelera Tembo was the first Christian convert and an outstanding evangelist among the Ngoni tribe of Mzimba in Malawi. He was born around 1870 and was originally called Kathabezi, a Ngoni name meaning “don’t worry.” His father was Kalenga Tembo and his mother was Nyaphiri from the chiefly clan of Kabundili in Nkhata Bay. His father was a Ngoni from Zululand in South Africa who had fled the Tchaka wars under Zwangendaba and travelled north until he settled at Njuyu in Mzimba. [1] Mawelera had four brothers: Chitezi, Zakoyo, Makhala, and James, and a sister, Maferandaone. [2] His father was a traditional healer and as a child Mawelera learned to be his assistant. Mawelera married Elizabeth Moyo with whom he had one child, Zebron. After Elizabeth’s untimely death, he married Nyathula, a nurse, and together they had four children.

As a young man he was captured by slave traders when he was on a journey to visit his uncle in Nkhata Bay. Fortunately, the gang of slave traders encountered a Ngoni impi (army, or military expedition). They noticed that Mawelera had small holes in his ears (makutu ocheka). This was a tribal mark, demonstrating his Ngoni identity. The commander of the Ngoni impi ordered the slave traders to release Mawelera (mbuyela muva) and he was liberated. Another expedition that he undertook as a young man was to visit his sister who had married and settled at Embangweni in the south-west of Mzimba. This involved a long and demanding journey through thick forests, so he planned to stay with his sister for some time. [3]

During his stay at Embangweni, Mawelera met with William Koyi, one of the Xhosa missionaries who came from the Eastern Cape in South Africa to Malawi to join the staff of the Livingstonia Mission. It was easy for Mawelera to relate to Koyi since they shared the same cultural background and Koyi was a fluent Ngoni speaker. After many long discussions with Koyi, Mawelera decided to become a Christian and he was baptized by Robert Laws, the leader of the Livingstonia Mission, in 1890. It was at this time that he was given the name Mawelera, which means “let him cross,” indicating that he had crossed from his previous way of life to become a follower of Christ. His brother Makhala was baptized in 1891. [4]

After his baptism, Mawelera became a very famous evangelist. He was a great asset to the Livingstonia Mission because of his linguistic competence. He could speak Tumbuka, Ngoni, English and some Chichewa. He therefore often accompanied the Scottish missionaries on their evangelistic tours to assist in communication with people in the different villages. This involved him in extensive travel, carrying out evangelistic work to the south and west of Mzimba, at Chilanga and Chasefu. He had a gift for communicating the gospel and many came to Christ through his preaching. [5] He also discovered a talent for hymn composition, using African melodies to express his Christian faith. His hymns were also a powerful tool for communication and many of them continue to be sung to this day, particularly in the worship of the Synod of Livingstonia. His many journeys made him vulnerable to malaria and he was often sick. There were also times when he met resistance to his message from communities that were hostile towards the Mission. Nevertheless, he continued undaunted as a pioneer of the gospel in northern Malawi. [6]

When Mawelera died at Embangweni in 1937, his body was not taken to his home at Njuyu as is the Ngoni custom. Instead, he was buried at Embangweni at a lonely place and an open area. As time passed, the church at Njuyu became convinced that this was not a fitting resting place for Mawelera and decided to relocate his remains. In order for him to be buried with the honour due to him, 65 years after his death, in 2002, they arranged to exhume his remains so that they could be buried properly at Njuyu. After a prayer service in church, the Embangweni Kirk Session opened the grave and exhumed Mawelera’s remains, noting that the canvas shoes he had been wearing were in remarkably good condition. [8] His remains were placed in a new coffin and a full funeral service and burial ceremony were conducted at Njuyu by the parish minister Kajembe Mumba in the presence of all the senior leaders of the Synod of Livingstonia. [9] Later the congregation held a memorial service which was attended by the State President, Dr. Bakili Muluzi, who visited Mawelera’s new grave. [10]

The reason that such honour was bestowed upon Mawelera is that he holds a very significant place in the history of the Ngoni people as the first person to become a Christian. Moreover, his long career as an evangelist brought many others to Christ as he tirelessly travelled around Mzimba and beyond proclaiming the Word of God. His ability to draw on the Ngoni musical tradition to communicate the good news of Christ struck a chord that continues to resonate today. His fluency in different languages enabled him to share the Word of God with a variety of communities in northern Malawi. He is remembered as a deeply spiritual man who walked with God and laid the foundations of the flourishing Ngoni church found in Mzimba today.

Gloria Mlowoka

Notes:

  1. Eric Hlulo Abel Tembo, grandson of Mawelera Tembo, interview by author, July 4, 2024, Njuyu.
  2. Eric Hlulo Abel Tembo, interview by author, July 4, 2024, Njuyu.
  3. Rev. Wanangwa Chilongo, parish minister at Njuyu, interview by author, July 3, 2024, Njuyu.
  4. Eric Hlulo Abel Tembo, interview by author, July 4, 2024, Njuyu.
  5. Eric Hlulo Abel Tembo, interview by author, July 4, 2024, Njuyu.
  6. Eric Hlulo Abel Tembo, interview by author, July 4, 2024, Njuyu.
  7. Eric Hlulo Abel Tembo, interview by author, July 4, 2024, Njuyu.
  8. Rev. Kajembe Mumba, former parish minister of Njuyu, interview by author, October 1, 2024, Njuyu.
  9. Rev. Kajembe Mumba, former parish minister of Njuyu, interview by author, October 1, 2024, Njuyu.
  10. Rev. Kajembe Mumba, former parish minister of Njuyu, interview by author, October 1, 2024, Mzuzu.

Bibliography

Chilongo, Rev. Wanangwa. Interview by author. July 3, 2024, Njuyu. Mumba, Kajembe. Interview by author. October 1, 2024, Mzuzu. Tembo, Eric Hlulo Abel. Interview by author. July 4, 2024, Njuyu.

This article, submitted in December 2024, was researched and written by Gloria Mlowoka, Executive Director of the Women’s Guild in the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Synod of Livingstonia, under the supervision of Professor Kenneth R. Ross as one of the requirements of the Church History course on the MTh in Contextual Theology at Zomba Theological University.