Beyond netballer Mwawi Kumwenda
From a small village of Chitezi in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mtwalo in Mzimba, a baby girl was born in not a poor Kumwenda family. She was named Mwawi, bringer of luck.
She was born to make a difference not only to her family, but also her country and the whole world with her talent. Today, Mwawi is the world’s netball celebrity and probably the best African player in the world. She was named Player of the Tournament at the recent World Netball Cup in Australia last month.
Although on off-season and back home, Mwawi, who celebrates her birthday today, does not want to stay away from netball courts. She is already concerned that she has been idle for about two months and is making arrangements to rejoin her local team, Kukoma Diamonds (formerly Escom Sisters) while waiting to return to New Zealand where she plays for EasiYO Tactix.
Netball is in her blood and you won’t be wrong to conclude that the sport rules her brain.
But wait a minute, there is more to Mwawi. Born, today in 1989, she is a designer—not an ordinary designer—but a proficient one having attended a fashion design course in Melbourne, Australia.
She says the journey continues as she awaits to make it big in fashion in the near future by establishing a big venture. She says her design works have shone already in New Zealand.
“I am on a journey and I have big plans, but I don’t want to reveal them now. I am working hard for my life and I have done a lot already. Just watch my space,” says Mwawi, a Church of Central Africa Presbytarian (CCAP) faithful.
Behind Mwawi is a kind heart for the needy. She is into charity and for several times abroad she has raised funds for donations to the needy in Blantyre, Karonga and Mzimba, among other places.
Like other celebrities, Mwawi wants to leave a legacy of striving for a change and development in sports. Soon, she says, she will donate netball courts for training of young netballers in Malawi.
Mwawi, who also played for Peninsula Waves in Australia, went to Saint Paul’s Primary School in Mzimba, and Phwezi Girls and Eagles Foundation secondary schools.
She likes therere, chambo and nyemba served with nsima. In music, she is a fan of Dan Lu, Piksy, Lucius Banda, Skeffa Chimoto and Gwamba.
Hlupi Chalamba, Mwawi’s cousin, describes her as a God-fearing girl who strives for success and wants to make a difference.
“She is not an ordinary girl. She does charity a lot and loves children.
“She dreams big and is a person of class. She has been in class studying designing and that is what she says she will concentrate on when she retires from netball,” says Chalamba.
She adds that Mwawi’s strength is that she does not nurse grudges. But like any other person, the last born in a family of eight also gets angry sometimes.
Mwawi herself says she gets offended when scratched on what she is most proud of, such as being mistaken to be of another nationality, other than Malawian.
