President Rupiah Banda has learnt with sorrow, the untimely death of late veteran politician and freedom fighter John Mwanakatwe whom he described as a great nationalist.
President Banda said the late Mr. Mwanakatwe will be remembered as a beacon of peace, unity and hard work and he will greatly be missed.
The President has since sent message of condolences to family of the late John Mwanakatwe who passed away on 23 August after an illness.
The President said this today in a press statement release to ZANIS by his Special Assistant to the President, Dickson Jere.
Mr. Banda said the late Mwanakatwe believed in the cause of the nation.
“I have learnt with sorrow the untimely death of Mr. John Mwanakatwe who passed away on 23 August, 2009 after an illness. The nation shares the pain and sadness with the bereaved family during this trying moment and he will be remembered as a beacon of peace, unity and hard work.
” I will greatly miss him,” President Banda said in a letter addressed to late Mwanakatwe’s son, Mupanga, today.
The late and educationist Mr. Mwanakatwe served the nation in various government portfolios with dignity.
And The Zambia Disability HIV/AIDS and Human rights programme ( ZDHHRP ) Programme director Elijah Ngwale says his organisation is saddened with the untimely death of veteran freedom fighter John Mwanakatwe.
Mr Ngwale described late Mr. Mwanakatwe as a principled educationist, politician, peace maker and national builder who contributed immensely to Zambia’s economic and legal reforms.
He said the late veteran freedom fighter worked tirelessly for the achievement of human rights for all Zambians and who
worked hard to bring unity and peace in the country.
And Mr. Ngwale has urged youths in the country to study the works and writings of the late John Mwanakatwe if they were to better their lives as well as for national growth.
Mr. Ngwale said Mr. Mwanakatwe’s writing would motivate young people to work hard and contribute positively to national growth.
The late Mwanakatwe died at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) yesterday after suffering from a stroke.
The man died in UTH
A true nationalist MHSRIEP
why not send him to india or south africa?
this man is Sad.
This man is sad
MHSRIP. As for the President (RB), sir may you apologise to the people of Zambia for your statement in Kasama (The President said constituencies with opposition MPs will not be developed bcoz such MPs had no access to Govt resources as if only MMD pay tax) which amounts to discrimination and infringes on the human rights of the people you are supposed to serve. Remember that people have the right to choose who to represent them
MHSRIP. He was truly a great Zambian
Some of the reporting leaves a lot to be desired. If Mr Mwanatatwe passed away due to stroke can they please say this rather than saying ‘an illness’. We all know what ‘an illness’ means kuZed. Also, look how smart our politicians looked back in the day. These days they look like a bunch of raggamuffins and vagabonds!
MHSRIP
MHSRIP…Go and rest well John, we shall greatly miss you. No one in our era can miss a Mwanakatwe all because of the good works of this “principled educationist, politician, peace maker and national builder who contributed immensely to Zambia’s economic and legal reforms” if I can borrow somebody’s words. His contributions to Zambia are immeasurable
RB, the transitional president without an agenda for development. Great men are remembered by their great works. If RB ever wants to be remembered, it’s time he pulled up his socks. Otherwise the scandals he’s carelessly building on will haunt him to his grave.
I bet in hell he’ll share the demon high table with FTJ and the devil.
Istarted hearing about MR MWANAKATWE when i was a small boy in 1962 and politics ;;surely he has done volumes and volumes of achievements in his political career that shall ever be remebered in Zambia;; mhsrp
Great man indeed. If only we had more of his type
Ideed we have lost an icon may his soul rest in eternal peace
He died in UTH while useless chiefs are globe trotting, this just reminds me of mr ponde mpundu mutale the late “who sung africa my my africa”. he too died in UTH. Some animals like teta are far more superior to mwanakatwe when it comes to access to good health facilities
If he was indeed a nationalist as you are saying; why didnt you evacuate him to S.A? Dont say things you do not believe in, Mr. MWanakwatwe was indeed a nationalist and contributed immensely to the development of Zambia. You keep on evacuating yourselves to S.A even for simple knee problems but you let the man die in the delapidated UTH.
Bushe batata aba ninshi ba signer kanshi?
UTH is a death trap ,banono abapusuka once adimited, if my child is sick i would rather take him or her kiliba shing’anga bamundapa.no wonder akamfulumende kesu kalebutukisha ama Ministers besu ku S.A ngabamona ati nakabobwa.
Chi Kanitundila, shedding sinister crocodile tears, alah! Why did you not send Mwanakatwe to Morningside like you did Teta whom we know is afflicted by an incurable illness and has for the last two weeks been lapsing in and out od conciousness? We’ll see too when you fall sick, we’ll send you to Mwami Mission Clinic Khumawa!
i was young ,but i used to read his article in the newspaper.iam not sure it was times or daily mail .but one thing i remember ,i would not wait for for the time the bigman would bring the newspaper home .MHSRIP
Help me here, but how do we afford to send primates like Teta to Morningside, and allow great politicians to die at the useless UTH? MHSRIP. And what happened to Teta’s death? Guess that was a false alarm, but next time it’s gonna be for keeps.
This was the right time for him to die. We cannot go against God’s wish. Teta may be dying soon too at a much younger age, for him its due to AIDS
#11 Your user name and gravator are just but a GREAT DEAL
Zambians tend to be good natured and pleasant when you meet them in real life. However when they are hiding behind pseudo-names, they become monsters, wishing death on fellow zambians who have never harmed them. As for the late John Mupanga Mwanakatwe, he was a friend of RB and served with him in the Kaunda government. The Committee of doctors that makes assessment of patients for treatment abroad must have decided against evacuation. The whole country mourns the passing of a generation of decent and selfless servants of the people of which John Mwanakatwe belonged. Condolences to the people of Zambia and the people of Mbala in particular.
He wrote a very good consititution draft unfortuately Chiluba tore it a part just to bar KK. He made very reccommetions on how to revamp the Zambian economy unfortunatly KK threw it out as it touched on removing Unip functionaries from GRZ pay roll. How bad that such good intentions were not appreciated
#9 and #23 You said it all but I wanted to find out what criteria is used to have a national mourning. I know we have had some people who deserved to have national mourning but some cannot be compared to what ba tata ba Mwanakatwe contributed to this country. MHSRIP
Where did MHSRIP or RIP come from.
What is death? Do people really rest, in peace or otherwise as implied? Where?
We know we will all die at some point, we may as well know what MHSRIP or RIP means before we die, when those left living will be using these terms over our dead bodies.
Anyone to enlighten us please?
There goes a true son of zambia, served selflessly, I remember him as the first minister of education and I still sing that song we sang as small school kids ” ba john mwanakatwe nimwe tulelumba, pakutuletela amasukulu mu zambiaa!!!!!” REST IN PEACE.
Bashi Kalelelya (Mr Mwanakatwe) is my uncle. He died in UTH because he was not stable enough to be fown to RSA. He was a great man indeed! We, as a family, have lost a much loved and precious person in our lives. We are thankful to God for the time that we had him. MHSRIP.
A true reflection former freedom fighters. That photo taken in 1962 ie 47yrs ago the Politicians though under colonial masters looked much smarter and healthy. What a shame, they take themselves to RSA even when treatment is avilable. I dont know whether FF John Mwanakatwe was not evacuauted abroad as a result of being pricipled or did not amtter in the eyes of the Powers Be. We need some explanation on this matter. JMM made more contributions to the well being of mother Zambia thasn some of the pipo who get evacuated to RSA etc. There so much kapatulula in mother Zambia. Bwanga wa Ba MMD. Here they do gud there they du takataka. MHSRIP