President Ian Khama will attend the funeral of the late Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa today.

Khama departed yesterday afternoon for the Zambian capital, Lusaka. Mwanawasa will be buried in Lusaka today with a number of southern African leaders in attendance.

According to a statement from the Botswana Government Information Services, the president is accompanied by the Minister of Foreign affairs and International Cooperation, Phandu Skelemani, and the Minister of Trade and Industry, Neo Moroka. The Botswana national flag will fly at half mast in honour of Mwanawasa.

Mwanawasa died in a Paris hospital on August 19 after suffering a stroke. Mwanawasa was until his death chairperson of the 15 nation Southern African Development Community, a position recently taken over by South African President, Thabo Mbeki.