The Embassy part is now open for the public to lay wreaths. Government, yesterday, on the burial day restricted access to the burial site in a bid to avoid over-crowding and accord the late President Mwanawasa a dignified burial.
Only a selected group of dignitaries and some family members were accorded the opportunity to lay wreaths during the funeral service.
However, access to the burial site has been opened to members of the general public and members of the public will now also have access to Embassy Park, where Mwanawasa was buried.
People are free to lay their wreaths for the duration of the national mourning period from 04 to 08 September 2008.
State House Staff today joined other mourners in laying wreaths at Embassy Park in Lusaka where President Levy Mwanawasa was yesterday put to rest.
State House Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations John Musukuma, State House Project, Planning and Implementation Officer Jack Kalala and State House Legal Advisor to the President Darlington Mwape lead State House Staff in laying wreaths on the tombstone of the late Dr. Mwanawasa.
Some State House officers could not hold back their tears as they openly wept during the proceedings.
President Mwanawasa died two weeks ago after a stroke and was buried at Embassy Park in Lusaka yesterday.
The funeral was attended by African Heads of State and envoys from Britain and the United States of America (USA).
During Mwanawasa’s funeral, thousands of mourners sat in tents at the parliament complex in the capital city Lusaka.
Flags flew at half-mast, as thousands of Zambians watched the burial broadcasted live on State television. Â Businesses, banks and shops closed in a show of solemn respect.
Five Air Force jets flew overhead, and a 21-gun salute honoured Dr. Mwanawasa as he was lowered into his grave in a copper-plated coffin.
President Levy Mwanwasa died at Percy Military Hospital in Paris, France on August 19 following a stroke he suffered in June this year on the eve of the African Union heads of State and government Summit in Egypt.
He is survived by a wife Maureen and six children.
Meanwhile, renown Zambian Musician Daputsa Nkhata alias Sister’D’ appealed to the Zambian people not to relent after the mourning period but to soldier on in unity.
ZANIS/KC/AM/ENDS
Iyoo mwandini nachishupa. I wish I was hope to bid fairwell to my President.
Iyoo mwandini nachishupa. I wish I was home to bid fairwell to my President.
Farewell ba Levy history has placed you on the pedestal.
its sad zambia has lost a man.LPM rest in peace.
As the widow to the deceased stated,we need to come together in looking after the orphans that are left behind each time a bread winner departs this earth.
Flowers and wreaths are a waste of money and are not enviromentally friedly.
LT, where did you get that picture of flowers? doesnt look like Its not from embassy park.
it was downloaded from the internet
The laying of wreaths is something that is traditionally done at funerals the world over as a mark of respect and as a means of closure. Good bye YE LPM. MHSRIP.
sept 4th,2008 at 2:38 pm
I also wish i was home so i could bid farewell to our brilliant and focused president. It is really a loss for the country. we still need pictures for the burial please.
Kwati bufi ba Levy sure. RIP and sadly missed
Fyapita elyo baisula. 1 month tuloshafye sure. I’ll pass thru to see how the Chinese contractor did a bad job. If anything this should be the end of Chino influence, shikulu wabo naluba.
# 9 I second you. We are waiting for the pictures.
Others were watching in tents but we who are abroad have nothing but imagination. Why can’t you upload something on the youtube? Do we honestly have to start begging? Come on.
let’s remain united and continue looking to God for strength and comfort. The loss of our President has affected all us. May the soul of beloved president rest in peace.
Farewell to a great lawyer,a father,a husband,a friend,a brother,an uncle,brother in law and a dear president.
Who is Sister D and what is her relevance to the story
its sad indeed ba levy rest in eternal peace
M.H.S.R.I.P, I will surely miss your good gorvenance
To my beloved late president LPM SC ,i say may our heavenly father and the anointing of the holy ghost be with you .MYSRIP we will always miss you.
Rest in etarnal peace lpm. abash rupia banda
#15, are you Zambian or south african?Sister D is a renowned Zambia musician.And of couse her opinion influences a few individuls.She is simply seconding what her fellow musicains have already said. that is, appealing for unity in this trying time.Thats her relevance to the story.Understood?
# 11 ubepelefye. The Chinese are here in Zambia for keeps. No crane will move them, ba RB pliz carry on with levy’s vision. No Taiwanese pa Zed.
As usual Darlington Mwape in the fore front in laying wreaths.Does he want to make sure LPM is buried before he continues his exploits
I hear Mirriam has some news she wanted to inform the people of Zambia about the death of her beloved Father after she returned from France……..Figures why she didn’t pitch up to lay wreaths at her own fathers grave…..Madam Mirriam let the bomb shell out now!!!!Your step mom won’t eat you!!!
#3 come back home and cast your vote dont just talk from afar.That is if you are very far as you claim. I believe you are just in some village with no legal documents.Home is home bane.
Its really sad I actually agree with #5 Flowers are such a waste and they wither come 8 September, 2008 it will be noty a very good site on the burial site with brown withered flowers symbolically when i go to that site i will place a stone because i know it will last forever just like i will forever rembere LPM… I wish all the money they used to buy those floweres was donated to the family that HE was taking care off it woiuld have made a whole big difference and am sure it would make his soul really happy.
MHSRIP, we shall miss you greatly. Are the restrictions on timings ?
We saw a long, sombre and dignified funeral program yesterday. It is my sincere hope that the transition is as peaceful and dignified.
can anyone tell me what teta was taking about, i missed
I didnt know that we have jets in Zambia.
LPM rest in peace viva SATA and PFFFFFF
TK, we have jets in zambia though the commonest ones are the ones flown only at night by naked pilots.
I meant Chris!
May his soul rest in peace.
BREAKING NEWS MWE BENA ZAMBIA BREAKING NEWS!!! COULD THIS BE MAUREEEN?
Party National Secretary, Katele Kalumba, said, Wednesday 17 members including one undisclosed candidate have so far applied.
Dr. Kalumba said the undeclared candidate has had their membership status undisclosed until now.
He refused to name the undeclared candidate but described the person as a formidable force.
MHSRIP.We will surely miss you Levy.Zambians,remember the words ‘ you dont know what you’ve got till its gone’. Now lets watch how the power hungry crooks will try to spoil Zambia.
Darlington Mwape you even went to lay wreaths after what you did with former 1st lady Maureen or should i say what you are still doing, what caused the 2nd stoke that the late LPM had? You know what am talking about. I dont want to go into details.
# 22 You are right.Darlington Mwape you even went to lay wreaths after what you did with former 1st lady Maureen or should i say what you are still doing, what caused the 2nd stoke that the late LPM had? You know what am talking about. I dont want to go into details.
Ba Pretty, news has it that Mirriam was taken ill to hospital after she collapsed By one of the Shakas. She is said to be stable.
I personally will miss Levy. Too bad it had to take his death for some people to realise how important he was to this nation and the world at large.MHSRIP
#23 Pretty enlighten us about Mirriam’s discovery in France.
#38 I really dont think she was there or that she collapsed cause they wouldn’t have been calling out her name knowing she had collapsed. It’s either she was not there or simply didn’t want to potray a happy family with Maureen.
NKANI YA DARLING YABVUTA KO TUZENKONI – WHAT HAPPENED BANE WE ARE ENTITLE TO KNOW ZAMBIA CHALO CHESU BANE
HH you are winning just once more tour the country as you give to us all.VIVA H.H AND UPND,PA KUBOKO CHABE.
HH you are winning just once more tour the country as you give HOPE to us all.VIVA H.H AND UPND,PA KUBOKO CHABE.
Awe bane wev got a chance to remove ths unip.i didnt vote fo them,i only lpm coz he had a vision n changd tings,bt nw no 1 is worth hm n mmd
Embasy park shud be turned into a well maintained tourist park ( Garden }
May the soul of Levy Patrick Mwanawasa rest in the hands of God th Creator, and may God bless mother Zambia, by giving us another leader of quality, to take Zambia forward from where Levy left it.
Thank God, Levy deserved such a burial. Much respect.
Embassy Park should be turned into a National Monument. Why cannot we have the picture of beloved Levy’s blessed tomb?
Bane leave Darlington alone. No-one has proof of your rumours What happened to innocent til proven guilty. Let us not feed on rumours. For crying out loud the young man worked with LPM at a very close range, as his private secretary so we should all expect him to lay a wreath and say bye to his former boss. The other private secretaries did. Right now we have a bigger problem to worry about who takes over from LPM? Maureen is history best thing for her to do, is to pack her bags while it is still day time. She is no longer first lady.
What a bad ending for us as a nation and for LPM. We will always miss your good leadership, you tried your best to change Zambia. Now its in their hands, let’s see what they have to offer us. Whenver a person dies, even those that used to preach bad about you will preach good e.g. the POST.
Almost everyone is refering to Maureen as former first lady. She is still the First lady until we have a new president.
Iwe 52,
She cannot be first lady anymore, unless you are telling me that levy is still president according to your reasoning.
#52 Njobvu kazi – you are so wrong! Investigate before you show your ignorance on these matters. As soon as a President dies, his wife ceases to be first lady because that term is only used in reference to a woman whose LIVING husband is the President. Maureen Mwanawasa is now a FORMER first lady whether you like it or not ! And whether SHE likes it or not too !
Now i am begining to think levy died the very day he was air lifted to france. Maureen mourned and may be thats why she has been extraordinarily strong as though te mukamfwilwa. remember mike rose up to tell sata that he cant go to paris. bishop mpombo said no to the pictures, mambo said no to revealing the medical bill. so this could have been the time they were embalming him for the rigorous tour the body made around zambia.
sister D black kawana kiwi,just keeping singing dot tell zambians what to do they know what they are doing already,if you want media coverage to be popular go to the post,im sure those liars can do sumthing for you.
Pls update us more on Miriam……… we need 2 know what happened.
Will miss you Mr. President, rest in eternal peace.May the peace of God continue to rain on Zambia. Thanks Lord Jesus because you are blessing us with another reliable leader.God bless Zambia!!!
nachishipa mwandini ndefuya fie ukulila chimochimo na amazambians.I am congolese from DRC grwon in Zambia.
Iknow how it feels to loose a loved president…
My pray is that all zambian should remain united in Jesus name!
MHSRIP. lET US UNITE AND ASK OUR HEAVENLY FATHER TO ANOINT ANOTHER LEADER WHO IS GOING TO MOVE THIS COUNTRY FORWARD FROM WHERE IT HAS BEEN LEFT.
#57 Mirriam explained on ZNBC 19 hrs news that she didnt not attend his father’s burial coz she fainted during the church service at paliament building and was assisted by a red cross staff. later advised to rest
Can Embassy Park be gazzetted as the official Burial grounds for all presidents (current and former)? GRZ needs to come with a plan to maintain the embassy park with proper lawns/flower and fence it.
Mirriam is jehova’s witness and those people dont beleive in lying of wreaths, so could be that was the obvious reason. If she fainted how come even her relatives didnt know, was she alone when she fainted? also when advised to rest , did she remain alone as well for the rest of the family not to know her status? Imagine the family was waiting for her. those people sat together and even when she fainted she must have been seen by her brothers and sisters.
No. 54, are you saying that Rupiah,s wife is the acting first lady since the hubby is acting?