4 September 2008
A SOLEMN atmosphere hung over the nation yesterday as Zambians and the international community paid their last respects to President Levy Mwanawasa who was put to rest at Embassy Park in Lusaka.
A 21-gun salute, a fly-past by the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) and moving eulogies delivered by, among others, former first lady Maureen Mwanawasa, acting President Rupiah Banda, African Union chairperson, Jakaya Kikwete and Southern African Development Community (SADC) chairperson, Thabo Mbeki marked the final tributes to Dr Mwanawasa.
Many people including Mrs Mwanawasa broke down as the casket of the late head of state was lowered down the grave.
Twelve foreign heads of State, government representatives, Zambia's founding president, Kenneth Kaunda, and second president, Frederick Chiluba, attended the ceremony.
Dr Mwanawasa, who would have turned 60 yesterday had he lived on, died in a French military hospital last month after suffering a stroke in June and led the country since 2002.
Dr Mwanawasa's copper-plated casket, draped in the Zambian flag, arrived at the park around 13:30 hours to a solemn atmosphere as the Zambia Army brass band played gospel tunes.
Dr Mwanawasa was then given his final presidential salute - a total of 21 shots fired consecutively against the background of the national anthem - by Zambia Army as his casket was being lowered.
Five ZAF jets flew past in honour of the late commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
It was at this point that Mrs Mwanawasa and other mourners broke down.
A crane was used to lift a concrete block and a tombstone to place them on Dr Mwanawasa's grave.
The former first lady led selected mourners and foreign dignitaries in laying wreaths on the grave.
Earlier, thousands of mourners from all walks of life converged on Parliament grounds for the funeral service of Dr Mwanawasa.
They started arriving as early as 07:00 hours, before the two former presidents, Dr Kaunda and Dr Chiluba, joined the funeral procession.
Many broke down as Dr Mwanawasa's casket was brought to a segment before the dias, draped in the Zambian flag.
Several other green, red, orange and black Zambian colours flew at half-mast and Dr Mwanawasa's casket was placed about five metres from the dais, where leaders and officials sat.
The acting President, Mr Banda led the eulogies and said: "I am deeply grieved and immensely sorrowful as I stand before you today to bid farewell to one of the most outstanding sons of Zambia."
Mr Kikwete added: "Dr Mwanawasa was a visionary leader who led Zambia and Africa with great determination and was admired by other African leaders for his respect for the rule of law."
President Mbeki described Dr Mwanawasa as a courageous leader who never feared to speak his mind.
"We will remember his contributions to deepen democracy in the region," Mr Mbeki said of Dr Mwanawasa, who as SADC chairperson, broke ranks with other regional leaders by speaking out about the political and economic meltdown in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader, Morgan Tswangari said the death of Dr Mwanawasa was a great loss.
The last time there was a crowd like that at Parliament grounds was during the official opening of Parliament in January.
But unlike the official opening of Parliament, which was characterised by pomp and splendour, a dark cloud of gloom was over the grounds as local and foreign dignitaries followed the funeral proceedings.
Three large marquees were erected at the entrance to the Parliament building and accommodated hundreds of mourners, most of them in black attire.
Silence gripped the gathering as the late president's son, Patrick and niece, Maya Ntanda, read from Acts 13:24-39 of the Holy Bible on corruption.
Some choir groups with their solemn hymns added to the sombre mood.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana's Ian Khama, Malawi's Mbingu Wa Mutharika, Armando Guebuza of Mozambique, and Kenya's Mwai Kibaki were present at the funeral service.
Others were Ghana's John Kufour, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalita Mosisili, Ugandan Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya and Liberian foreign affairs minister, Olubanke King-Akerele.
Some residents in Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe and other towns monitored the burial on screens mounted by Zambia News and Information Services.
Stories by JAMES MUYANWA, JOSEPH BANDA, SYLVIA MWEETWA, OBERT SIMWANZA, BRENDA KATONGOLA, AND NEBERT MULENGA
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Times of Zambia. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
