SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo will form part of a list of 11 sitting African leaders set to attend late former President Robert Mugabe’s send-off ceremony at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday.
This was revealed Thursday by Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet in charge of Presidential Communications, George Charamba.
Among the notables will be eight former Presidents who include those who served during the formative years of their post-independence States.
Sitting leaders who have confirmed their attendance include DRC’S Felix Tshisekedi, Ghana’s Nana Akufo-Addo, Malawi’s Arthur Peter Mutharika, Angola’s Joao Laurenco, Saharawi’s Brahim Ghali, Mozambique’s Felipe Nyusi, Zambia’s Edgar Lungu, Namibia’s Hage Geingob and Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta.
Former Presidents who shall attend Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda and Rupiah Banda, Mozambique’s Joachim Chissano, South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, Namibia’s Sam Nujoma and Hifikepunye Pohamba and Botswana’s Festus Mogae.
Conspicuous by his absence is immediate former Botswana president Ian Khama who had frosty relations with Mugabe when the two leaders served in their countries in their countries.
There was no sign of any European leaders and other parts of the world who in 2015 poured in their numbers to attend former South African leader Nelson Mandela’s burial.
