Édouard Lendje Héritier Mwe di Malila Apenela (13 October 1937 – 5 June 2014) was a Congolese businessman, founder and president of the

Woyo Ngoyo was a kingdom of the Woyo ethnic group, located in the south of Cabinda (province), Cabinda and on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, just north of the Congo River. In the 13th century it formed part of a confederation led by Vungu. N ...

Alliance, former president and donator of the football club AS Dragons. Mwe-Malila-Apenela

Personal

Édouard Mwe di Malila Apenela was born in

Moanda Moanda may refer to * Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, a town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Moanda, Gabon, a town in Gabon ** Moanda railway station, a train station in Moanda, Gabon ** Moanda Airport, an airport in Moand ...

, territory of

Bas-Congo Kongo Central (), formerly Bas-Congo, is one of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital is Matadi. History At the time of independence, the area now encompassing Kongo Central was part of the greater province of ...

. He was son to a congolese woman and man from

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. His second name Héritier is dedicated to his biological father. Due to his mother he belonged to the Woyo tribe, which members are present in Cabinda and Congo. This was also the territory of the Ngoyo-Kingdom in which the ruler and nobles held the title, "Mwe", " Mwene" or "Ma". His name "Mwe di" literally means "

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

of", an honorable particule. He worked in the estate industry and owned several buildings in the city center of

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

. Mwe di Malila Apenela had numerous children, among them the current deputy minister of international relations and national integration

Franck Mwe di Malila Franck Mwe di Malila, (born 22 January 1968) was a Congolese politician and adviser to the former Senate president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Léon Kengo Wa Dondo. As of Mai 2019 he was serving as intérim vice-Prime Minister and ...

. The in Germany living Artist Jonathan Mwe di Malila also belongs to his descendants (grandson).

AS Dragons

Édouard Mwe di Malila Apenela started managing the AS Dragons in 1969. By his arrival he acquainted players like Pembele Ngunza, Magie Mafwala and Romain Bamuleke. 1985 he gave instructions to AS Dragons, now called Bilima. Also, through his engagement the team could win the congolese championship. Thanks to his moral and financial contribution, Bilima could play the second time in its history: the 22nd African Cup against the Forces Armées Royales du Maroc, 1986, in the state of Kenya in

Lubumbashi Lubumbashi ( , ; former ; former ) is the second-largest Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital ...

( Katanga). Later he left the head of the sport commission to pass on the control to others. He remained active as donator of the club and as their president of supreme committee.

Additional information

Mwe di Malila died on 5 June 2014. He left his many children a huge estate empire which caused a big argument among them. Only four of his children have themselves declared as his only legitimate successor and heirs. This case is treated by the High Court in Kinshasa Gombe. Because of his good reputation and popularity the Congolese singer Kwamy, wrote a song which is dedicated to Mwe di Malila after his dead and named "Véa Mokonzi" Mokonzi is

Lingala Lingala (or Ngala, Lingala: ) is a Bantu languages, Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser de ...

and means as such as

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

or leader.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apenela, Edouard Mwe di Malila 1937 births 2014 deaths Democratic Republic of the Congo businesspeople Democratic Republic of the Congo people of Swiss descent People from Kinshasa People from Kongo Central