SEVERAL foreign dignitaries began arriving in Lusaka yesterday ahead of today’s burial of President Sata, with Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe describing the late Zambian leader as a “man of the people”.
Mozambique President Amando Guebuza and Madagascar President Henry Rajaonarimampianina also arrived yesterday.
Others in are Malawi Vice-President Saulos Chilima, South Africa Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, Tanzania Vice-President Muhammed Bilal, Swaziland Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini and Africa Union (AU) Chairperson Nkosazana Dhlamini-Zuma.
Further arrivals were of Chinese Minister of Housing, Urban and Rural Development Chen Zhenggao, Angola Speaker of the National Assembly Fernado dos Santos, South Africa’s First Lady Bongekile Zuma, former Nigerian President Yakubu Gowon and Ethiopian Speaker of the National Assembly Abdullah Gemeda.
Mr Mugabe, accompanied by wife Grace, said on arrival that President Sata was a man of the people who will be greatly missed by both Zambians and Zimbabweans.
“No one can take it away from him,” Mr Mugabe said.
“The greatness of a man is seen and felt from his actions and how he relates with others at various levels.
President Sata always left a footprint wherever he went because he was action-oriented,” Mr Mugabe said.
“We are also mourning President Sata in my country because he was also our man. We loved President Sata because he did a lot for us and he was a real brother. We referred to each other as Sekuru,” Mr Mugabe said.
Mr Mugabe said it is important for leaders to leave a story on what they did for the people they met in life.
Later, after signing a book of condolences at State House, Mr Mugabe said unlike some leaders who sought high office for financial gains, Mr Sata worked to emancipate people from poverty by enhancing development.
Mr Rajaonarimampianina said he is hopeful that the transition will be smooth and that his country is mourning with Zambians. He said he has been robbed of a friend and brother.
Ms Dhlamini-Zuma said President Sata’s death is a great loss not only to Zambia but the entire African continent.
Dr Bilal upon arrival said that Tanzanians are extremely saddened by the death of the “great Zambian President”.
Good news for me. I’m going to bed in about a couple of hours. I will most likely wake up after the smoke has cleared and Zambia is back to normal.
hope a sadists disillusioned nonentity like you wakes forever
We shall miss our president. I pray for contiued peace and stability in zambia.
Nyah, are you serious? You may not have agreed with the policies of President Sata but he first a human being like you and that God asks us to mourn with those that are mourning which Zambians are doing now. Is this not reason enough for you to do so too?
This is addressed to Nyau…
Msoro,
Thanks but no thank you. I mourn people I respected and those I held no ill feelings towards. The departed dictator fails to meet either criterion. It would be hypocritical of me to attend his funeral and pretend to be sad. Unless of course I follow my true instincts and urinate on his grave. And then get slaughtered on the spot by the armed forces.
Only 2 presidents in attendance. Angola and South Africa could not even send their presidents. What’s happening to our relationships with our neighbouring countries to cause such apathy?
GOOD POINT ESPECIALLY SOUTHAFRICA USES ZAMBIA AS A DAMPING GROUND FOR THERE GOODS AND WHAT DO THEY SEND US ONE OF ZUMA’S WIVES WHAT A JOKE!WE NEED TO CLOSE SHOPRITE AND START MAKING OUR OWN GOODS THAT WILL PROVIDE REAL EMPLOYEMENT FOR OUR PEOPLE !
Typicall Shallowness. President Zuma has just landed for the G20 here in Brisbane. This meeting was scheduled years ago and Sata just died, keep dreaming silly reasons why Jacob hasn’t attended. Dreamers.
Cat bro, we can spin this every which way. When something important enough happens, people change plans. Sata’s funeral was not important enough. Bottom-line.
May the President of Madagascar, on compassionate grounds, shorten his name to Henry Rajao! I will appreciate.
We have the elephant in the room here and it is the scarcity of heads of state at this funeral. It’s the elephant in the room that is so obvious but most people pretend it’s not there. Even Malawi and Tanzania only dispatched the vice. Imagine that. It’s unprecedented. And I mean unprecedented not in a good way.
People wanting to criticize Nyau for his views make me want to puke. Like him or not he is entitled to his views. That is what we call freedom of speech. Always remember the departed man was elected by 42% of the electorate so 58% did not cast their votes for him. As if this was not enough he started rubbing it in our face by only appointing people from one region! Do you expect some of us who are not christians to to say finally God answered our prayers? When anyone goes into public office just know not everyone will like you. I do not care if you bring God into this discussion that he wants us to love our enemies. Me I do not love my enemies especially those that promote division in a peaceful country such as Zambia.
Oyaya, thanks. I appreciate your sincerity and honesty. If I were to guess, I’d say 42% is about the number of attendees at the funeral who were genuinely sorrowful. For the rest it was mere window dressing. A charade they somehow felt obligated to put up.