28 August 2008
SOLWEZI yesterday came to a virtual standstill as thousands of its residents paid final tributes to President Mwanawasa in an emotional North-Western Province funeral at Solwezi airport.
The district's business centre was deserted in the morning with almost all shops closed as all roads led to the airport where the first four youths on a long queue arrived around 04:30hrs.
The funeral ceremony, bringing together the single largest gathering of people at the airport, saw hundreds going away without viewing the body of the president even after a 30 minute extension of the viewing, up to midday.
As security battled to control the crowd, which included people drawn from six other districts, first-aid workers treated 43 people mostly due to heat exhaustion, with one woman taken to hospital for high blood pressure.
Pall-bearers were seen receiving massages while bodyviewing was going on while a woman was taken to hospital for x-ray after a slow moving vehicle "stepped" on her foot.
While the story doing the rounds at the airport was that a child had died after it was trampled on in a stampede as its mother forced her way on the queue, provincial police chief, Fabian Katiba said police had not recorded such a report.
Huge crowds lined the route from the airport to Chawama township long before the advance ZAF plane carrying Presidential Affairs Minister, Cecil Holmes; Science and Technology Minister, Peter Daka; Mama Chibesa Kankasa and Sports Minister, Gabriel Namulambe landed at 07:50hrs.
The ZAF plane carrying Dr Mwanawasa's body touched down 15 minutes later from Ndola, with passengers including First Lady, Maureen Mwanawasa and Gender Minister, Patricia Mulasikwanda.
Provincial Minister, Kenneth Chipungu, all members of Parliament from the province including Energy Minister, Kenneth Konga, Labour and Social Security Minister, Ronald Mukuma, Foreign Affairs Minister, Kabinga Pande and Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister, Sarah Sayifwanda were on hand at the airport.
MMD provincial chairman, James Katoka, who is a former provincial minister, said the North-Western Province would greatly miss President Mwanawasa, who was a selfless leader.
And Mr Chipungu said President Mwanawasa's administration transformed the North-Western Province, previously a cinderella province, into a thriving region.
Mr Chipungu said under President Mwanawasa's reign, Kansanshi mine was re-opened and the construction of Lumwana, which is tipped to be Africa's largest copper mine, started.
Traditional leaders including Ndungu, Ishindi, Kalilele, Mujimanzovu, Sikufele, Ingwe, Mukumbi and Chizela also attended the funeral, also attended by a Democratic Republic of Congo delegation led by Kipushi district commissioner, Mulundu Shabinga Gabi.
Consulate of the Republic of Angola in Solwezi consul general, Balduino Da Silva also attended the funeral as did North-Western district commissioners and council secretaries, chairmen and Solwezi mayor, Emmanuel Chihili.
In Western Province clashes characterised yesterday's viewing of the president's body in Mongu with security personnel fighting running battles with thousands of mourners who had gathered to pay their last respects to the president.
Confusion started when security personnel locked the mourners outside the gate at the Presidential Guest House where the body lay in repose for the residents to catch a final glimpse of the Head of State, who died in a French hospital on August 19.
As the body viewing started after Provincial Minister, Adamson Mufalali, laid a wreath on the president's casket, mourners who had formed a long winding queue of up to three kilometres outside, started surging forward and pressing against the gate.
Soon, the gate gave in and as it fell in front of the security officers guarding against the unruly crowd, a stampede ensued with the people forcefully pushing their way into the wire-fenced guest house.
A combined team of police officers and army personnel had to use combat belts and sticks to calm the situation while some residents also hit back as they forced their way into the Presidential Guest House.
In the fracas, up to 20 casualties were recorded, according to officials from the Zambia Red-Cross who were ferrying the casualties on stretchers to the first aid tent within the premises.
"We have attended to more than 20 people so far, but none of their conditions can be described as critical," said Western Province Red-Cross secretary, Arnold Ndunda.
In an interview later, Mr Mufalali regretted the violent clashes, saying the incident was unfortunate, especially that people were paying their last respects to the President.
"This is really unfortunate, but there is nothing the officers could do. We didn't anticipate such a situation could occur because Mongu residents have generally been in a mourning mood the last one week. They have been deeply grieved by the death of the president," Mr Mufalali said
And in his speech, the minister described the late president as a dedicated leader who gave his entire life to serving the Zambian people.
He cited a number of developmental projects that had been undertaken in the province during Dr Mwanawasa's seven-year rule, among them, the tarring of roads as well as construction of schools and hospitals.
By 18:00 hours, body viewing was still on.
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