Mwanawasa dies

He was 59. Zambia's High Commissioner to Botswana Mwamuntenta Musakabantu said Mwanawasa passed away at 10:30am at the French Military Hospital where he had been hospitalised for the last seven weeks. He was scheduled to handover the SADC chairmanship to South African president, Thabo Mbeki, at the SADC summit held in Johannesburg over the past weekend. Foreign minister, Kabinga Pande, instead handed the baton over to Mbeki.

Musakabantu said the nation "is gravely saddened by the news", adding that Mwanawasa was a great loss not only to the Zambian people but to the rest of the continent. He further said both Batswana and Zambians would miss Mwanawasa, "because of the close relationship our people have had". "Like we have done before we stand together as a people to mourn this great leader that God had given to the Zambian people, and we will wait as God chooses for us the next shepherd of our nation," said the high commissioner.