29 August 2008
The provincial body viewing programme of President Mwanawasa came to an end yesterday with thousands of people in Livingstone and Kabwe turning up to pay their final respects and tribute to the President who died in France on Tuesday last week.
In Livingstone, Southern Province Minister, Daniel Munkombwe urged those wishing to succeed late Dr Mwanawasa to gauge themselves before doing so because he had set standards too high and difficult to match.
Mr Munkombwe, who described Dr Mwanawasa as Zambia's hero who had achieved a lot and set high standards with his performance, said this should be upheld by his successor.
He said although people were entitled to their own democratic rights to contest the presidency, it was important for them to be realistic and assess themselves before vying for the position because it was challenging.
"Everyone in politics is popular. People have fantasies. You have your own rights, but as you aspire, weigh yourselves," he said.
He said the roads in the province such as Batoka-Maamba, Monze-Niko, Choma-Namwala, the Bottom road and others were being rehabilitated because of the hard work of Dr Mwanawasa.
And a multitude of people from all the 11 districts of Southern Province yesterday trooped to the Livingstone International Airport to pay their last respects to Dr Mwanawasa.
The eager mourners, some of whom had arrived the previous night from other towns, started trooping to the airport as early as 04:00 hours.
Upon touch-down of the plane carrying the casket at 08:30 hours, scores of people from the gathering wept and sobbed as long meandering queues formed from the airport apron, all the way to Libala Basic School, some two kilometres away.
People from all walks of life viewed the late president's body, with a number of mourners, mostly women breaking down.
The body viewing ceremony, which was preceded by full military honours and singing of hymns and traditional dirges by different Church choirs and traditional groups, respectively, went on well, apart from one pregnant woman who fell in a stampede and was rushed to hospital for treatment.
Many traditional leaders from the province, notably Mukuni of the Toka-Leya people, Bright Nalubamba, Nyawa, Mwanachingwala, Hanjalika, Chieftainess Mweenda and others from the 11 districts of the province also joined several others in paying their last respects.
And Southern Province MMD chairman, Solomon Muzyamba said Dr Mwanawasa, who started as a minority president in 2001 to a majority leader, had done the best-ever for the country and uplifted the country's economy.
He said Dr Mwanawasa had also turned the country from a food deficit to a food surplus nation and fought corruption, thereby leaving a legacy of prosperity and respect and empowerment for chiefs by buying them vehicles.
In Kabwe, business came to a standstill as thousands of people paid their last respects to President Mwanawasa at the civic centre.
Business outlets were all closed as residents lined up from the Kabwe airstrip as early as 9:00 hours to await the arrival of the President's body whose aircraft only touched down at 14:00 hours instead of the scheduled time of 13:00 hours and still people braved the scorching sun.
As the body was being driven to the civic centre, people lined on both sides of the Great North road leading up to the town centre and civic centre where others waited patiently to view the body.
In his homily, Lieutenant-Colonel Moses Chirwa said it was true that President Mwanawasa was the most criticised of all the presidents of Zambia, a feat that made him work tirelessly.
"A ruthless man could not have stood the criticism and pressure that President Mwanawasa underwent through his rule.
"He fought corruption with vigour and men of less quality could have given up. Dr Mwanawasa turned the economic landscape of Zambia and provided able leadership," Col Chirwa said.
It was vital that outstanding men like President Mwanawasa were honoured when still alive.
"It is excellent, praise-worthy to tell a man of his standing (President Mwanawasa) when he is still alive and I challenge mourners that we tell people good things when they are still alive, not dead," Col Chirwa said.
Central Province Minister, Ackimson Banda said the passing of President Mwanawasa was a trying moment for the people in the province, the nation as well as the first family.
He said President Mwanawasa fought relentlessly to transform the economic landscape of Zambia and Kabwe in particular, which at one time was called a ghost town.
"His resilience in the fight against corruption, the upholding of the rule of law and his strictness to public fund spending are attributes unquestionable about President Mwanawasa," Mr Banda said.
MMD acting provincial chairman, Jonathan Kapungwe said the party and the nation had been robbed of a statesman, an icon and champion of democracy in Dr Mwanawasa.
Dr Mwanawasa suffered a stroke on June 29 this year while on duty in Egypt and died on August 19 at Percy Military Hospital in France.
His body was brought in the country on Saturday, August 23. The Government started taking the body of Dr Mwanawasa to provincial headquarters on Monday this week.
After taking the body to all the provincial centres, it would be taken back to Lusaka today where it would lie in repose at Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC).
On Tuesday next week, the body will be taken to State House where it will lie in state awaiting burial on Wednesday, September 3.
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