Senegal
*Ibrahima Fall, a disciple of Aamadu Bamba and the founder of the influential Baye Fall movement, died in Touba (June 9).
Ibrahima Fall (1855–1930) was a disciple of Sheikh Aamadu Bamba Mbakke (Amadou Bamba), founder of the Mouride Brotherhood movement in West Africa. Well known in the Mouride Brotherhood, Ibrahima Fall established the influential Baye Fall movement.
Ibrahima Fall catalyzed the Mouride movement. Fall led all the labor work in the Mouride brotherhood. Fall reshaped the relation between Mouride Talibes (Mouride disciples) and their guide, Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke. Fall instituted the culture of work among Mourides with his concept of Dieuf Dieul “you reap what you sow”.
Ibrahima Fall was born around 1855 in a northern village, Ndiaby Fall, Cayor. His original tyeddo name was Yapsa Khanth Fall. Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke later gave him the name Ibrahima Fall. Ibrahima Fall was a son of Amadou Rokhaya Fall and Seynabou Ndiaye. At an early age, Ibrahima Fall learned the Qur'an in a neighboring village, Ndiaré. Fall studied major Arabic sciences such as theology, fiqh, tafsir, grammar and rhetoric.
In 1882, Ibrahima Fall went looking for the best Muslim teachers. Ibrahima Fall studied under Serigne Massamba Syll and afterwards under Serigne Adama Gueye. It was Adama Gueye who directed Ibrahima Fall to Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke in 1883.
The encounter between Ibrahima Fall and Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke defined the beginning of Mouridism.
An accord developed between Fall and Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke. Ibrahima Fall became Aamadu Bamba's 40th disciple. From this moment, Fall followed the Ndiguel "orders" of Aamadu Bamba until Fall’s death.
Within this accord called “Diebelou”, Ibrahima Fall displayed an absolute, slave-like devotion to his master. His “pastef” (courage and devotion) served example for all Mourides. Fall started growing food, cutting firewood, fetching water and building shelters and mosques. Likewise, Serigne Moussa Kâ tells us that Fall reshaped quickly the relation between a disciple and his guide. Ibrahima Fall instituted five rules of deference to the Sheikh:
- Never stand at the same level than Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke
- Never greet the Shaikh with your hat on your head
- Never walk in front of him
- Always do the “sudiot” (kiss his hands) with the Shaikh
- Always lower your voice in front of him
Ibrahima Fall himself supervised these rules.
In 1890, Shaikh Aamadu Bàmba nominated Fall the third responsible in the Mouride Brotherhood. Fall had to supervise all manual works. With the exile of Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke, Fall’s life changed. He moved to Saint-Louis, Senegal, to defend the innocence of his Shaikh.
On September 21, 1895, the French exiled Aamadu Bàmba to Gabon. Aamadu Bàmba then ordered Ibrahima Fall to work for Sherif Hassan. He did so until 1901, when Sherif Hassan died. In this interval (1895–1901), Fall kept sending money (in Wolof “Adiya”) to the Shaikh until his return in 1902. On November 11, 1902, Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke returned to Senegal and awarded Ibrahima Fall the degree of Sheikh.
In June 1912, the French kept Aamadu Bàmba under house arrest in Ndjarèem, Diourbel. Consequently, Sheikh Ibrahima Fall followed him to Diourbel. In Diourbel, Fall created a famous district, Keur Sheikh. In Keur Sheikh, the Baye Fall movement consolidated and expanded very quickly. Many tyeddos became his disciples. In 1925, the French banned construction of the Touba Mosque. Sheikh Ibrahima Fall enclosed the area of the mosque with timbers Fall carried from Ndjarèem to Touba.
In 1927, at the death of Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke, Sheikh Ibrahima Fall performed the first obeisance to the Shaikh's son, Serigne Moustapha Mbacké.
Sheikh Ibrahima Fall died June 9, 1930 after helping the succession of Aamadu Bàmba. He lies in Touba.
Sheikh Ibrahima Fall obviously helped Shaikh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke to expand Mouridism, particularly with Fall’s establishment of the Baye Fall movement. For this contribution, Serigne Fallou (the second Caliph after Aamadu Bàmba) named him “Lamp Fall" (the light of Mouridism). In addition, Ibrahima Fall earned the title of “Babul Mouridina”, meaning "Gate of Mouridism".
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*Babacar Ba (b. June 14, 1930 – d. December 13, 2006), a Senegalese politician from Kaolack, who served as Foreign Minister of Senegal in 1978, was born.
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Somalia
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*Ahmed Gulaid, the first chairman of the Somali National Movement, was born in Aden, Yemen (June 16).
The Somali National Movement (Somali: Dhaq dhaqaaqa wadaniga soomaliyeed, Arabic: الحركة الوطنية الصوماليه) was a 1980s–1990s Somali rebel group. The Somali National Movement was organized in London, England, on April 6, 1981 by Hasan Adan Wadadi, a former Somali diplomat, who stated that the group's purpose was to overthrow the Siaad Barre regime. The SNM gathered its main base of support from members of the Isaaq clan, who formed and supported the movement in response to years of systematic discrimination by the Siaad Barre government
After a political conflict in SNM, Ahmed Mohamed Gulaid resign from the position as chairman in January 1982.
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*Umar Ghalib, a prominennt Somali politician who was the Prime Minister of Somalia from January 24, 1991 to May 1993, was born in Somalia.
Umar Arteh Ghalib or Omer Carte Qalib (Somali: Cumar Carte Qaalib, Arabic: عمر عرتي غالب) (b. 1930) was a member of the Habr Awal Isaaq clan, and belonged to the United Somali Congress.
Omer Arteh Ghalib had one of the most distinguished diplomatic service careers in Somali history. His diplomatic career spanned 30 years in international politics. He is remembered by Somalis as an educator, administrator, politician, and parliamentarian. Arteh educated a substantial number of the Somali elite. He was a beloved and respected politician who was notable for his honesty, righteousness, and his love of his country. Arteh was acknowledged as one of the most outstanding advocates for the liberation of Africa. Africans from Djibouti, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Eritrea, just to mention a few, remember him as a liberator. Acclaimed as the bridge between Africa and the Arab world, he is accredited for making the former Somalia part of the Arab world. He is also remembered by Muslims all over the world for his remarkable contribution as a spokesman and secretary-general for the organization of Islamic Countries (OIC).
Ghalib was born in Northern Somalia. He is a member of the Habr Awal Isaaq clan, and belonged to the United Somali Congress.
From 1969 to 1977, Ghalib served as Foreign Minister. As Foreign Minister, in January, he was President of the United Nations Security Council. On January 24, 1991, he was appointed by then President of Somalia Siad Barre as the last Prime Minister of Somalia under the latter's regime.
After Barre's ouster, the next president, Ali Mahdi Muhammad, reappointed Ghalib as prime minister, a position Ghalib would hold until May 1993.
Ghalib was the eldest son of a devout Muslim family of five. He started elementary and intermediate education in Hargeisa and completed Secondary education in Sheikh, and higher education in England. His father, Arteh Ghalib, was a sailor in merchant ships and later an interpreter for the British. His father’s long absence helped Ghalib mature early. He started his career as a school master and then headmaster of elementary schools of Las-Anod, Berbera and Hargeisa respectively. Just before he went to the United Kingdom in 1956, he was appointed as vice principal of Sheikh Intermediate School, a great honor, since Sheikh was the birthplace of education in Somaliland. After his success in Sheikh, he went to England for higher Education. On his return in 1958, he was promoted as the first principal of Gabileh Intermediate Boarding School.
Ghalib became best known as head of Somalia’s Foreign Ministry. During his term of office, Somalia saw itself transformed from a small country to a leader in Third World politics. All credit is due to this one man who, as Foreign Minister, brought the world to Somalia, and successfully mediated Tanzania and Uganda when the two countries were at war. Apart from holding different international posts representing his country, he organized numerous conferences that were held in Mogadishu.
Somalia’s international prominence was apparent from the Security Council members’ visit to Somalia. Included in the members was former US President George Bush who then was US Ambassador to the United Nations in New York.
The OAU Summit, in Mogadishu 1974, the crowning achievement of Mr. Arteh’s relentless efforts to turn Somalia to a Third World power came in 1974, when he arranged to hold the OAU Summit in Mogadishu. In that year, he was the Chairman of the African Liberation Committee, Chairman of the OAU Conference.
Somalia's membership in the Arab League in 1974 was an historic feat that epitomized his term as head of the Somali Foreign Service. Ghalib was known to be the bridge of Afro-Arab relations. He is credited to have taken Somalia singly into the Arab league, a lifetime achievement. It was his personal friendship with the Arab leaders, in addition to the fact that Somalia had always been part of the Arab world that influenced them to accept Somalia as its newest member.
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South Africa
*South Africa's white women received the vote (May 19). However, blacks of both sexes remained disenfranchised.
The Women's Enfranchisement Act, 1930, was an act of the Parliament of South Africa which granted white women aged 21 and older the right to vote and to run for office. It also had the effect of diluting the limited voting power of non-white people (in the Cape Province) by effectively doubling the number of white voters. It was enacted by the National Party government of Prime Minister J. B. M. Hertzog.
The first general election at which women could vote was the election of May 17, 1933. At that election Leila Reitz (wife of Deneys Reitz) was elected as the first female Member of Parliament, representing Parktown for the South African Party.
The act enfranchised all white women, while certain property qualifications still applied to men. In June 1931 the Franchise Laws Amendment Act, 1931 enfranchised all white men while retaining the property qualifications for non-white voters, thus further diluting the non-white vote. The delimitation of electoral divisions was still based on the white male population until April 1937, when the Electoral Quota Act, 1937 altered it to be based on the whole white population.
The Women's Enfranchisement Act was repealed in 1946 when the franchise laws were consolidated into the Electoral Consolidation Act, 1946.
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*An African National Congress executive resigned in protest against President Josiah Gumede's close ties with communists (January).
In 1928, the Communist Party departed from its fruitless efforts to promote solidarity between black and white workers. Instead, it chose to concentrate on the concept of black liberation and the formation of a 'black republic.' This followed a successful campaign to expand its African membership. But although the party was predominantly black by 1929, few of their recruits -- many of whom were young and ill-educated -- were well versed in doctrine. Indeed, Eddie Roux, a prominent member of the party at that time, wrote: "It began to seem that the Party might be swamped by members who had little knowledge of Marxist principles and theory."
However, in a move aimed at preserving the "purity" of their doctrine. Moscow suggested that the party should remain a small and select body of trained revolutionaries who could give a clear lead to the masses on all questions.
The idea of a popular front for black liberation led to the establishment of the African League of Rights (ALR) in 1929. Drawing on the memberships of existing black political and labor organizations, the league succeeded in persuading ANC president Josiah Gumede to become its first president. It was a major coup for the communists -- especially when the new movement seemed set to grab the imagination of Africans -- in particular those who had been left without a political home after the virtual collapse of the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union (ICU).
League activities began on a high note -- with the launch of a major anti-discrimination petition aimed at taking a million signatures to parliament. But just as the campaign began to get off the ground, Moscow did an about-turn: convinced that the capitalist system was about to collapse -- as a result of the Great Depression -- Communist Parties everywhere were ordered to terminate alliances with non-Marxist organizations. A telegram ordered the immediate dissolution of the ALR.
As petitions rolled in, they were thrown into the wastepaper basket.
The existence of the ALR, however, was viewed with consternation by a section of the ANC's membership. Amid fears that it would undermine the ANC's claims to the leadership of the African nationalist movement, and also dissatisfaction by the ANC's conservative faction over Gumede's continued romance with the communists, the ANC executive resigned in January 1930 in protest at Gumede's role as president of the ALR.
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*Pixley Seme replaced Josiah Gumede as President of the African National Congress (April).
Josiah Gumede was challenged for the leadership of the African National Congress by Pixley Seme and, at a conference in April, the inevitable showdown came. Gumede - backed by the Transvaal communists, George Champion of the ICU yase Natal, and Bransby Ndobe and Elliot Tonjeni of the western Cape branch of the ANC -- reaffirmed his support for the communists, adding that the ANC's demands were too mild and that its appeals for justice to Britain were in vain.
Pixley Seme, on the other hand, cautioned against "the humbug of communism." He and his supporters felt that only the ANC should be permitted to articulate African political demands, and that equality of opportunity and participation in the system was what they sought. Their weapons were persuasion, moral force and consultation. They were not prepared to go over to mass confrontation. Seme won by 39 votes to 14.
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*Kenneth Mopeli, the Chief Minister of the South African bantustan of QwaQwa from 1975 to 1994, was born in Namahadi (September 20).
Tsiame Kenneth Mopeli (b. September 20, 1930, Namahadi, Union of South Africa - d. October 1, 2014, Phuthaditjhaba, Republic of South Africa) was the former Chief Minister of the South African bantustan of QwaQwa. Mopeli built 350 schools in Qwa Qwa along with three teachers' colleges. The soccer stadium Charles Mopeli Stadium and the Setsing Shopping Complex were also developed by him.
Born in Namahadi, Mopeli earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of South Africa in 1954 and worked as a teacher and radio announcer for the South African Broadcasting Corporation before being nominated for membership in the QwaQwa Territorial Authority.
Mopeli founded and led the Dikwankwetla Party to victory at the May 19, 1975 QwaQwa elections and subsequently became Chief Minister of QwaQwa. He spent much of his time as Chief Minister confronting the South African government over various issues, most significantly over demands for more territory to be annexed to QwaQwa, and could boast of South Africa acquiescing to his demands, with some adjoining land (albeit small) added to the bantustan.
During his period as Chief Minister, Mopeli oversaw the foundation of the University of Qwa Qwa which in 2003 was incorporated as a campus of the University of the Free State, the soccer stadium Charles Mopeli Stadium and the Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Hospital was built and opened during his time in office.
Described as "rotund, avuncular and unbending" by one observer, Mopeli ruled QwaQwa until April 26, 1994 when the bantustan was reintegrated into South Africa.
Tsiame Kenneth Mopeli died at the age of 84 on October 1, 2014, at Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Hospital after a long struggle with cancer.
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*African National Congress "radicals" in the Western Cape formed an independent African National Congress (December).
The victory of the ANC "moderates" with the election of Pixley Seme as president led within eight months to the expulsion of Bransby Ndobe and Elliot Tonjeni and the formation in the Western Cape of the Independent African National Congress to continue the spirited, although losing battle against Boland farmers and police who regularly harassed their organizers and members.
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*Communist leader Johannes Nkosi was killed during a protest in Durban (December 16-17).
During 1930, together with what remained of the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union (ICU), the Communist Party began to canvass support for a new Pass-burning campaign scheduled to begin in the main centers on December 16, 1930 -- a day on which Afrikaners commemorated their victory over Dingane, but which had also become a regular occasion for black political activities.
In Bloemfontein, hundreds of Africans joined the party and pledged their support. At a conference in Johannesburg. the ANC, the local ICU and other unions all endorsed the Pass-burning campaign and called for strikes. In Durban, the young African communist Johannes Nkosi, helped by the ICU yase Natal, was drumming up widespread support.
On December 7, 1930, in Bloemfontein, Kadalie, in a controversial return to the public spotlight, warned ICU followers not to take part in the Pass-burning.
The campaign in Natal was poorly supported, with only Durban giving any real backing. However, despite this, police and white vigilantes moved in on a protest meeting at Cartwright's Flats, and in the ensuing fracas Johannes Nkosi and three others were killed.
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Swaziland
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Togo
*Paul Ahyi, a Togolese artist, sculptor, architect, painter, interior designer and author who is credited with designing the national flag of Togo, was born in Abomey, French Dahomey (now known as Benin) (January 15).
Paul Ahyi (b. January 15, 1930, Abomey, French Dahomey [now known as Benin] – d. January 4, 2010, Lome, Togo) was known for his massive outdoor artworks, reliefs and sculptures, including his contributions to the Independence Monument in Lome, which commemorates the country's independence from France. Other outdoor sculptures and statues by Ahyi can be found on buildings and in parks throughout Togo, as well as the Vatican, Senegal, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria and South Korea.
Ahyi also created his pieces using a wide array of mediums including jewelry, pottery, ceramics and tapestries. He was also an interior designer who created household objects and art pieces.
Paul Ahyi was born to Togolese parents on January 15, 1930, in Abomey, French Dahomey. Ahyi attended school in Dakar, Senegal, from 1949 until 1952. He moved to France, where he enrolled in the Fine Art School of Lyon beginning in 1952. He graduated from the Ecole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1959 and returned to Togo, which was called French Togoland prior to independence.
Ahyi was commissioned to design the flag of the new nation of Togo, which achieved independence from France on April 27, 1960. His finished design, which was unveiled in 1960, is still used by the country. Ayhi used the Pan-African colors of red, yellow and green in his flag. Modeled on the flag of Liberia, the flag has five horizontal stripes with two yellow stripes separating the three green stripes. In the right hand corner of the flag there is a red square which symbolizes the blood shed in the struggle for independence. The flag's yellow stripes represent the soil, while green symbolizes Togo's forests and agriculture. Ahyi added a white star centered in the red square, similar to the Liberian flag, representing light, intelligence and peace.
Ahyi also contributed to another important Togolese national symbol, the Independence Monument which was constructed in the center of Lomé.
Ahyi's reliefs and sculptures have been installed and displayed at the United Nations in New York City, as well as Canada, South Korea, West Africa, Italy, Japan, and Paris, France.
Ahyi taught art and architecture throughout Africa during his career and he authored several books, many focusing on the arts and his native Togo, including "Togo, mon cœur saigne" and "La réflexion sur l’art et la culture".
Ahyi received numerous awards, honors and recognitions through his career. In 1961, he was bestowed the Médaille d’Or des Métiers d’Arts in Paris. Ahyi was made an Officer of the Ordre du Mono in Togo in 1970. He was inducted as a Commander of the Ordre des Palmes Academiques in 1985 and an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, also in 1985.
Ahyi was designated a UNESCO Artist for Peace in a ceremony held in Paris on September 10, 2009.
Paul Ahyi died on Monday, January 4, 2010, in Lomé, at the age of 79.
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*Emmanuel Bob--Akitani, a Togolese politician who was the main opposition candidate in the 2003 and 2005 Togolese presidential elections, was born in Aneho, Lacs Prefecture, Togo (July 18).
Emmanuel Bob-Akitani (b. July 18, 1930, in Aneho, Lacs Prefecture, Togo - d. May 16, 2011, in Lome, Togo) was a founding member of the Union of Forces for Change (UFC), an opposition political party in Togo. At the time of the 2003 election, the UFC's First Vice-President. Akitani stood as the UFC's candidate in 2003 because UFC President Gilchrist Olympio had been barred from running due to his failure to meet the residency requirement. According to official results, he placed second behind long-time President Gnassingbe Eyadema in the 2003 election, with 33.68% of the vote against 57.78% for Eyadéma. The UFC alleged fraud and Bob-Akitani claimed to have won the election. Following Eyadéma's death, he ran again in the April 2005 election as the candidate of an opposition coalition that included the UFC. He was again declared runner-up in the election, behind Eyadéma's son, Faure Gnassingbe, amidst widespread allegations of seized ballot boxes and other electoral fraud.
At a UFC party congress in July 2008, Bob-Akitani was named Honorary President of the UFC.
Emmanuel Bob-Akitani died on May 16, 2011 in Lome.
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Zambia
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*Sylvester Chisembele, an ex-seminarian who became a cabinet minister in Zambia's first and second governments, was born in Fort Rosebery, Zambia (March 1).
Sylvester Mwamba Chisembele (b. March 1, 1930, Fort Rosebery, Zambia – d. February 5, 2006) began his primary education in Fort Rosebery and, in 1942, he entered Lubushi Seminary in the Northern Province where he completed Standard VI. His father Michael Filalo Chisembele and uncle Romano Filalo Lupambo had come from Mporokoso via Kawambwa to Fort Rosebery in 1915 and started lay-preaching under the direction of visiting priests attached to the Lubwe Mission. Michael Filalo Chisembele was later sent to Rosa Catechist School where he was formally trained as a lay-preacher and teacher. On his return to Fort Rosebery, they encountered great difficulties with the District Commissioner which were only overcome after the intervention of the Lubwe Mission priests and later the Bishop at Chilubula in order for them to start to build the first Roman Catholic churches and schools. Michael Filalo Chisembele and his brother Romano established the first Roman Catholic church in Fort Rosebery in 1920. They also encountered initial problems with the Chiefs which were overcome. Schools were built with mud, sand and wood for the roofs by the people converted to Catholicism in the surrounding areas. This was the strong religious background to Sylvester's early life. In 1948, he was asked to leave the Seminary due to disagreements on racial equality, his views were considered too radical for that period in time.
As a trader of finger millet he made enough money to invest in a restaurant and a bakery. He had also introduced Mikwau Fishing Nets on Lake Bangweulu.
Chisembele joined the African National Congress (ANC). By 1955, Chisembele had organized a firm ANC base in Fort Rosebery (Mansa) using his own resources. At Lubwe Mission with the full participation of Sylvester Muchengwa and Protasio Kamayanda, both leading personalities and leaders in the Catholic Church, the ANC spread rapidly.
In 1956, Chisembele along with three of his colleagues, were all sent to prison in Fort Rosebery and Ndola's Bwana Mkubwa prison for 9 months with hard labor.
Upon their return, Chisembele continued organizing the ANC and was elected Provincial General Secretary of Luapula Province in 1957.
In May 1958, there was an assassination attempt on his life. His life was saved by villagers who ran to his rescue, but the incident left him with a shattered eardrum and impaired hearing for the rest of his life
In 1958, Chisembele was called to Lusaka to accompany Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula, leader of African National Congress, on a tour of Luapula Province. The tour was not a success. When there was a split in October 1958, Chisembele formed the Zambia African National Congress (ZANC) party. UNIP (United National Independence Party) was built on the ashes of the ZANC, which the British colonial governor banned.
On March 12, 1959, Chisembele was arrested and detained at Kalabo, in the Barotse Province, now Western Province, for 9 months under the restriction order of Governor Arthur Benson.
In July 1961, Chisembele successfully organized the burning of the colonial identity cards commonly known as "Chitupas" throughout Luapula Province. Chisembele was imprisoned for three months with hard labor in Milima prison in Kasama District.
Between 1956 and 1962, Chisembele was many times imprisoned ranging from one month to three months for addressing meetings without a permit and on some occasions for addressing indoor meetings without a permit, although these meetings were of Party members and did not, by law, require any permit.
After independence, Chisembele served in many portfolios in government in different ministries and at Cabinet Minister level in various provinces.
In the 1968 general elections, the ruling party UNIP lost all seats in Barotse Province to the opposition ANC. In 1969, Chisembele was transferred from Copperbelt to the Barotse Province as Cabinet Minister. He established an excellent working relationship with the Litunga, Mbikushita Lewanika, and enjoyed the support of his KUTA and the Ngambela SUU. By 1970, he not only won back the province to UNIP but also had all the Members of Parliament cross the floor to UNIP, a feat that drew him congratulations from all his colleagues including telegrams of congratulations from Sikota Wina amongst others. Apart from the Copperbelt and Western Province, he served as Cabinet Minister in Eastern Province.
The Constitution for Zambia implemented at the start of Independence was drawn up by the outgoing colonial power, Britain. This Constitution agreed to by the President in waiting, Kenneth David Kaunda, gave him sole power over the affairs of the Nation. No opportunity was given to the Provincial leaders or the UNIP National Council to discuss or debate the merits or failures in this imposed Constitution. As a result, the Constitution was a bone of dissension from the beginning.
Luapula Province in particular was opposed to a system of one-man rule as earlier events at the Magoye Conference in 1962 had shown. Although a Referendum was held in 1969 to amend the Zambia Constitution, this did not touch on the powers held by President Kaunda, the purpose was to amend the Referendum clause to allow proposed amendments to be considered by elected representatives rather than the country at large. The hope that consideration of the Constitution clause touching on Presidential powers would be given was not part of the process. It took years before the effects of the one-man rule system became apparent to a sufficiently large enough faction to bring about attempts to amend the Constitution clause that gave all power to one individual. Chisembele made submissions on the necessity of reducing presidential powers to all the subsequent Constitution Review Commissions but these were either ignored or unheeded.
Chisembele retired from active politics in 1983 and concentrated on running his private businesses.
History repeated itself, from 1993 to 1997 both his restaurants were expropriated and his farm destroyed and repossessed by government. In October 2004 it was published in the press and stated in Gazette Notice No. 640 dated October 22, 2004, that he had been awarded the Order of the Eagle of Zambia 4th Division, but this was not true. Chisembele had refused to accept the award.
Chisembele started suffering ill health in October 2005 and his condition had not been fully diagnosed, despite undergoing several tests up to the time of his death, on February 5, 2006.
Chisembele was survived by his wife, Sophena, together for 38 years, and three daughters, Bwalya Matilda, Mary Chewe and Christina Chishimba.
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*Mainza Chona, a Zambian politician and diplomat who twice served as Prime Minister of Zambia, was born in Nampeyo near Monze in the Southern Province of the British colony of Northern Rhodesia (January 21).
Mainza Mathias Chona (b. January 21, 1930, Nampeyo near Monze in the Southern Province of the British colony of Northern Rhodesia – d. December 11, 2001) was a Zambian politician and diplomat who served as Vice President of Zambia from 1970 to 1973 and Prime Minister on two occasions: from August 25, 1973 to May 27, 1975 and from July 20, 1977 to June 15, 1978. He was Secretary General of the United National Independent Party (UNIP), the ruling party, from 1978 to 1981. This position was the de facto second in command in the hierarchy of Zambian politics during the period of the One Party Participatory State (1973–1991).
He also held various government positions, including Justice Minister (1964–1968), Home Affairs Minister (1968–1969) and Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General (1975–1978). He was Secretary-General of UNIP from 1978 to 1981 and Ambassador to the People's Republic of China from 1984 to 1989. He later served as Ambassador to France until 1992.
Mainza Mathias Chona was born Sikaye Chingula Namukamba on January 21, 1930 at Nampeyo, near Monze in the Southern Province of the British colony of Northern Rhodesia (which later became Zambia). His father was Hameja Chilala (also known as Chief Chona). His mother, Nhandu (Chinyama), was one of his father's five wives.
Chona received his primary education at Chona out-school in Nampeyo (established by the Jesuit mission at his father's request), and at Chikuni (the Jesuit headquarters). It was at Chikuni that Chona converted to Catholicism. He completed his secondary education at Munali Secondary School in Lusaka in 1951 and then worked as an interpreter at the High Court in Livingstone. However, his ambition was to become a lawyer.
In pursuit of his goal, Chona secured a scholarship that took him to London in 1955, where he studied at Gray's Inn. He was called to the bar in 1958. While in England, he met other African nationalists, including Harry Nkumbula and Kenneth Kaunda. He also made contact with London-based white supporters of the nationalist cause, such as Simon Zukas and Doris Lessing. This was also when he adopted the name Mathias Mainza Chona by deed poll.
Chona returned to Northern Rhodesia in December 1958. During his absence from Northern Rhodesia, politics had moved forward on several fronts. The White-dominated Central African Federation (CAF) had been established on August 1, 1953, in spite of feeble opposition from the Black population through the African National Congress (ANC), led by Nkumbula and Kaunda. The two leaders drifted apart as Nkumbula became increasingly influenced by White liberals and was seen as being willing to compromise on the issue of Black majority rule. Eventually Kaunda broke from the ANC in October 1958 and formed the Zambia African National Congress (ZANC), with Nkumbula remaining as leader of the ANC. Chona had been a member of ANC while in London and he had not made a choice between the two factions. Due to ZANC's militancy and its unwillingness to compromise on the issue of "independence now", Kaunda and other leaders of the new party were detained by the CAF authorities, and ZANC was banned in March 1959. Chona decided to take an active part in the operations of the still-legal ANC, but his challenge to Nkumbula's cautious leadership of the party resulted in a further split.
Chona and other nationalists broke away from the ANC and, in October 1959, Chona became the first president of the United National Independence Party (UNIP), the successor to ZANC. However, he did not see himself as the party's main founder and he stepped down when Kaunda was released from prison in January 1960. As Kaunda's loyal lieutenant, Chona was elected deputy president of UNIP, but he had to leave Northern Rhodesia to avoid a charge of sedition brought by the increasingly rattled CAF authorities. He remained in London as UNIP's overseas representative for more than a year. He also served as a UNIP delegate to the Federal Review Conference in London in December 1960 and returned home in February 1961.
In June 1961, Chona was elected National Secretary of UNIP and he remained in that post for eight years. He was instrumental in securing the short-lived coalition between UNIP and the ANC in January 1963. In January 1964, Kaunda formed Northern Rhodesia's first Black cabinet, and gave Chona the post of Minister of Justice in UNIP's pre-independence government.
At independence in October 1964, Kaunda gave Chona the post of Minister of Home Affairs. Between 1966 and 1969, Chona held no less than five different ministerial appointments, including minister without portfolio. He was sent to the United States as ambassador in 1969. In November 1970, he was returned to Zambia and appointed as the country's Vice-President.
Chona's lasting contribution to Zambia's constitutional development was the famous Chona Commission, which was set up under his chairmanship in February 1972 to make recommendations for the constitution of a 'one-party participatory democracy' (i.e. a one-party state). The Commission's terms of reference did not permit it to discuss the pros and cons of Kaunda's decision. The sole surviving opposition party, the ANC, boycotted the Commission and unsuccessfully challenged the constitutional change in the courts. The Chona report was based on four months of public hearings and was submitted in October 1972. It was widely regarded as a 'liberal' document.
Although the Second Republic was inaugurated in December 1972, the National Assembly did not approve the new constitution until August 1973. The document was modelled on the Soviet Union's one-party system. The constitution asserted the supremacy of the single party (UNIP), but did not include the Commission's more liberal recommendations, such as placing limits on detention without trial, restricting the President to serve only two five-year terms, and sharing the President's executive powers with a Prime Minister. The liberal recommendations would also have required electoral competition for the post of President, and prevented him from vetoing parliamentary candidates. Although many of the report's recommendations were ignored, it had a lasting influence: it was cited during the debate on the return to multi-party democracy in 1990–91, and again during the campaign to stop President Frederick Chiluba running for a third term in 2001.
From 1973 to 1975, Chona was given the position of Prime Minister, a new post that was clearly subordinate to that of President. He served for a second time from 1977 to 1978, after a spell as Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney-General. Kaunda appointed Chona as Secretary-General of UNIP in 1978 and he remained in that position, which ranked second to that of President, until February 1981. Up to the end of the UNIP era, Chona and Kaunda remained close associates
After he was removed from UNIP's Central Committee, Chona refused an appointment as ambassador to China and returned to private legal practice. In 1984, finally, he agreed to go to Beijing and spent five years there in a period of exile. He wanted to return to Zambia at the end of his term in China, but Kaunda transferred him to Paris, where he served as ambassador for a further three years, from 1989 to 1992. When he was eventually allowed to return to Zambia, he again entered private legal practice. He was associated, as a lawyer, with the Oasis Forum which successfully opposed Chiluba's attempt to run for a third term as president.
Chona was widely respected in Zambia as a good administrator and as Kaunda's loyal lieutenant. He contributed immensely to the organization of UNIP and to Zambia's struggle for independence. Although his role in the establishment of a one-party state in Zambia was controversial, he shrewdly produced a report on the subject that, in some respects, stood the test of time. He seemed to lack personal ambition and did not enrich himself through political office. His deep interest in Tonga culture, language and history led him to make a small contribution to Tonga literature: his Chitonga novel, Kabuca Uleta Tunji, was awarded the Margaret Wrong medal in 1956. His daughter Elizabeth Mayoywe was a judge of the High Court of Zambia and his brother Mark Chona also played a prominent part in Zambia's political and public life.
While undergoing dialysis at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mainza Chona died on December 11, 2001. He was buried on December 16, 2001, in Monze, Zambia.
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*Daniel Muchiwa Lisulo, the Prime Minister of Zambia from June 1978 until February 1981, was born in Mongu, Zambia (December 6).
Born in Mongu, Zambia, Daniel Muchiwa Lisulo (b. December 6, 1930, Mongu, Zambia - d. August 21, 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa) married Mary Mambo in 1967. She died in 1976, leaving Lisulo with two daughters. Lisulo served as the director of the Bank of Zambia from 1964 to 1977 before becoming Prime Minister. He was a member of Parliament from 1977 to 1983. After this, he went into private law practice. He died in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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