Felix, Mwaka tie the knot

By Sututu Katundu

Text size Print

  “I HAVEN'T had it easy,” former Muvi TV presenter Mwaka Nakweti has said.
Nakweti, who tied the knot with Zambian soccer star Felix Katongo on Christmas Day, said the road to her marriage was bumpy.

She attributes the stress to the fact that they both are celebrities.
Nakweti said being a TV personality and her husband a national soccer team player gave people a lot to talk about.

“People would come to me and say ‘footballers are naughty while others would tell him ‘journalists are naughty, but at the end of the day it is between two people and they are the ones who make the decisions at the end of the day,” she says.

Nakweti says she received advice from some people who told her that her relationship would be short-lived because football careers don’t last and that money disappears.

She dispels rumours about confrontations with other women, adding that despite the fact that the Chipolopolo midfielder has a three-year old child with another woman, he has never been married before.

“I didn’t go into the relationship for the money. Felix and I had been friends for sometime and it culminated into a relationship over time.

It's about the company; end of money doesn’t mean love ends, love is beyond money. I’m glad we came this far."

Nakweti says she was not against criticism but that criticism should be constructive, and not out of jealousy or malice.

She advised people against heeding all advice even from those close to them as Gospel truth but analyse issues, because they are the same people who go behind their backs to spread rumours.

Having been friends for sometime, Nakweti didn’t hesitate when Katongo proposed, adding that she realised she was not growing any younger.
“Our level of understanding is great and I knew he was the one. I looked at what we had been through. We gave people something to talk about and something positive came out of it.”

“We had been friends for a while but officially started dating in January 2008 and if you’re interested in someone, why play hard to get?” Nakweti says.
"He is not romantic but has a way to charm me and when we differ, he has a way of saying sorry and we laugh about it."

She says the families had a few reservations but added that when two people are in love nothing can stop them.

“There are always issues but when you’re in love, you love. It’s not about the money. He found me working, has never stopped me from achieving my goals and is very supportive. It’s about the way two people love and compliment one another that matters,” she adds.

Nakweti says everyone has weaknesses but love conquers all.

“He proposed this year in October, travelled from Libya to meet my parents, made a payment, and went back the following day. We were excited and couldn’t wait for the day to come,” she says.

Nakweti says her husband has since left for Libya where he plays for Al Ittihad and she is expected to join him next week.

Nakweti intends to enrol for studies during her stay there and plans to study for a Master in Business Communication because it is not easy to work as a journalist in that country especially since she is female.

“Since my husband's job entails him to travel often, I’ll need a job that can allow me to work anywhere. I need to strike a balance between work and home,” Nakweti says.

She however says she shouldn’t find it difficult to live in the country because Libyans were nice people to get along with.

“I visited Libya earlier and though it feels strange at first because there are very few black people, you find some staring at you. But we don’t have a problem because those who support the team Felix plays for are very responsive.
"In fact, it’s the other way round that side, unlike here where if we meet people, they want ‘nichekeleko’. There they are the ones giving discounts in shops and all,” says Nakweti.

She says she would miss being on TV because it’s what she loved to do but that it was beyond her.

She adds that being an adventurous person she will travel anywhere her husband goes, but says Zambia will always be her home.

In an earlier interview after the wedding Felix said he wed because he was sure that he loved his wife very much.