Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, leaves the country’s capital today, bound for Lusaka, where he will represent the Head of State, João Lourenço, at the funeral ceremony of Rupiah Bwezani Banda, former President of Zambia.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent to this newspaper, before the funeral, the Zambian Government will organize a state funeral at 10 am local time at the Showgrounds, in Lusaka, in a ceremony that will be attended by Heads of State. and Government and other unique guests.
Rupiah Banda, who died on the 11th of this month, was the fourth President of the Republic of Zambia.
After the funeral ceremony, the head of diplomacy goes to Lilongwe, Malawi, where he will participate tomorrow and Saturday in the session of the Council of Ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Rupiah Banda died last Saturday (12), at the age of 85, after “a long battle with colon cancer”, according to AFP, citing Andrew Banda, godson of the former Head of State. Andrew told an France Press correspondent in Lusaka.
The fourth leader of the southern African country since independence from Great Britain, Rupiah Banda only held office for three years, starting in 2008. It was a short term marked by economic growth and accusations of corruption.
Rupiah Banda was vice president when his predecessor, Levy Mwanawasa, succumbed to a stroke and assumed the presidency of the country. An experienced diplomat, Banda was defeated in the 2011 elections, despite his governance having consolidated economic growth as its strongest characteristic.
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