THEY called him a ‘Mulyokela’ at some point in his life before he became mayor, judging by how young he was in 2016.
At the age of 22 in that same year, George Mwanza wanted to stand as mayor, but that dream was shattered after he was turned down by elders of the then ruling party on the pretext that he was too young to be a leader and was probably another mulyokela without money or a vision.
In 2020, Mwanza decided that he would run as an independent candidate, come what may.
Prior to the general election, he was attacked by fellow candidates, who said he was not married and had no place to call his home other than his mother’s veranda.
But that did not stop the young George from contesting.
In August 2021, at the age of 27, Mwanza made it into Zambia’s history books, not only as the youngest mayor in the country but also the youngest in Southern Africa, after beating eight other candidates in a landslide victory.
Today, the city council led by the young mayor has emerged as the best performing council countrywide in transparency.
This was revealed by Local Government and Rural Development minister Gift Sialubalo in Chipata when he called on Chiefs Sairi and Kapatamoyo of the Ngoni people.
Sialubalo disclosed that the council’s revenue has also increased from K7 million to K35 million per year after it digitised its payment and receipt system.
He said the council’s receipts are no longer being duplicated as it has set a good example for others by modernising its revenue collection system.
Mwanza thanked the entire team of the city council for the job well done.
The council also emerged as the Best Performing Local Authority in Innovation Management in Africa at the recently held Africa Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM/AAPAA) Conference in Eswatini.
Mwanza is a philanthropist and grassroots activist who has always been driven by the desire to serve vulnerable and marginalised communities, particularly the youth and women.
One of the city’s achievements during his tenure was the signing of a twinning partnership with the City of Dormagen in Germany to address development needs, promote knowledge sharing and encourage cultural exchange between the two cities.
Through this partnership, the city has started digitising some of its services following the donation of laptops, leading to enhanced transparency and improved revenue management.
In 2022, Mwanza was elected vice president of the Young Elected Officials of Africa (YELO Network) for UCLG Southern Africa.
He was also shortlisted for the One Young World Politician of the Year Award in 2023.
Chipata is the capital of Eastern Province, with a population of more than 150,000 who chose to elect a 27 year old as mayor in August 2021.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, December 23, 2025
