The late former Zambian President Rupiah Banda will be given a state funeral. He passed away last Friday after battling colon cancer.
Banda will be laid to rest on Friday at the Presidential Burial site in Lusaka. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has since declared 7 days of mourning to honour the late leader.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has also confirmed that his predecessor Edgar Lungu is going to attend the funeral.
Hichilema visited the Banda family where he appealed to them not to deviate from the values Banda stood for.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also conveyed South Africa’s condolences. Banda was the Zambian President from 2008 to 2011.
Tributes are pouring in following the passing of Former Zambian President Rupiah Banda:
Banda had held senior diplomatic posts under first PresidentKenneth Kaunda before being eventually named as vice president in 2006 by then-President Levy Mwanawasa.
Banda served as acting president in mid-2008 when Mwanawasasuffered a stroke. Banda narrowly won October elections the same year on a ruling party ticket.
His tenure was marred by allegations of graft and in 2013, Zambia’s parliament stripped Banda of immunity from prosecution, clearing the way for investigators to arrest him for corruption-related offences.
Banda stood accused of abuse of office, corrupt acquisition of public property and misappropriation of public funds involving more than $11 million during his tenure as president, but was never convicted in a court of law and did not serve any jail time. -Additional reporting by Reuters
