Mwape became Zambia's first-choice goalkeeper in 1971 although for the most part of 1973, coach Ante Buselic preferred Joseph Chomba of Zambia Army FC He was in goal as Zambia made an appearance at their first ever CAN tournament at Egypt 1974 and he played every minute of every game as they went all the way to the final only to lose 2-0 to Zaire after a replay. He was voted the best goalkeeper at the tournament by a panel of journalists after which Mwape said he deserved the award despite it being the first time he had taken part in a big tournament. Later that year, Mwape won the Challenge Cup with Roan and at the end of the year he was voted Zambia's Sportsman of the Year.