Mavinga | Jamba, Cuando Cubango | Cuando River | The cast of ''Cuando toca la campana'' (from left to right). Julio Graham as Rodrigo, Leonel Deluglio as Miguel, Diana Santos as Ana, Gerardo Velazquez | Cuando los Ángeles Lloran | Cuando Cubango |
Mavinga is one of the four Mbunda municipalities in Angola, predominantly occupied by the Mbunda under the traditional authority of a Mbunda Paramount Chief Mwene Chondela, who ascribes to the Mbunda Monarch, His Majesty King Mbandu III Mbandu Lifuti restored on 16 August 2008, in Moxico, Angola.
In the southern route, to the south of the confluence of Kwilu and Kasai rivers, the fifth Mbunda Monarch, King Mwene Chinguli traveled all the way south to the now Cuando Cubango chasing the Bushmen and replacing them in the new found lands with the Mbunda descendants who were later known as the Chimbandi, the Ngonjelo, the Humbi, the Luimbi and the Nyemba.
In the weeks before the first assault, the 8 G5s were flown in darkness from Rundu to Mavinga (15°47'36 S 20°21'49 E) over 2 nights by South African Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft, whilst the remainder of the battery including the gun-tractors drove the distance.
Cuito Cuanavale was a military base used previously to launch Cuban and Angolan attacks on the UNITA held town of Mavinga with the objective to capture it and eventually launch an attack on the UNITA headquarters at Jamba.
The potential loss of Mavinga by UNITA could give FAPLA the opportunity to stage a further attack on UNITA's capital at Jamba.