Africa-Press – Zambia. REPUBLICAN Vice-President Inonge Mutukwa Wina has said that Zambians were remembering late First Republican President Dr Kenneth Kaunda because they considered him as the ‘leader who made their country and created a nation’.
Mrs Wina said this was because Dr. Kaunda was a man who did not only preach peace but believed in it and the peace in co-existence. Her Honour the Vice-president said this when she featured a live virtual interview on BBC’s Focus on Africa television program with Lukwesa Burak last evening.
She said that Dr Kaunda who had been considered a father of the nation since independence was a tough leader who was very kind and hard working at the same time.
“He wanted all government officials to behave and act as he did. He never touched alcohol and he would not take kindly to any of his officials who were fond of the bottle during work times,” Mrs Wina recalled.
She said that the late president was a believer in christianity and his early upbringing had a strong bearing on his outlook to life. “As you know his parents were christians missionaries hence he had strong values in his modest lifestyle,” Mrs Wina added.
And when asked about his wish of being laid next to his late wife Betty Kaunda, Her Honour the Vice-president disclosed that negotiations were still ongoing between the government and the family and a conclusion was yet to be reached.
“The issue of the burial site is being looked into and some discussions between the Kaunda family and the government are still taking place as family had always been engaged since the demise of Dr. Kaunda,” Mrs Wina revealed.
And Mrs Wina said that Dr Kaunda never believed in tribalism and he had been preaching against it throughout his tenure of office and even after. She informed the interview thay the current situation in the country was that tribalism was not really there in Zambia.
“Tribalism is only being promoted by some politicians who want to use tribe as a leverage to get more votes from their regions and this is something that every leader in Zambia is fighting against,” she said.
She has since advised that to ensure that the nation held free and fair elections, there was need to avoid tribal sentiments and hate speeches. She added that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was taking a firm stance in ensuring that next month’s elections are free and fair.
