Ministry of Home Affairs Deputy Permanent Secretary, Solomon Jere has described the body viewing ceremony of the late President Levy Mwanawasa as incident free despite the commotion that occurred as people jostled to view the body.
People at Kasama stadium pushed down a wall of the stadium as they pushed their way in to view the body of the late President.
Dr. Jere, who was in charge of security at the stadium said the commotion was caused by the excited people who did not want to follow the queue to the body viewing point.
He said security personnel from the Zambia Police, the Zambia Army, the Zambia Air Force, the Zambia National Service and the Zambia Prisons Service moved in quickly to restore order.
Meanwhile, the body viewing ceremony in Kasama ended at 17:14 hours from the proposed 16:30 hours.
The extension of the body viewing ceremony was due to a large turn out of people.
And chief of protocol, Darius Bubala said it was not possible for everyone to view the body because there were too many people that turned up.
Mr. Bubala said the body would be taken to Mansa tomorrow at 06:00 hours.
And in Chipata thousands of people from all the eight districts of Eastern province this morning gathered at the Chipata airport to pay their last respects to the late Republican President, Dr. Levy Mwanawasa.
The people started arriving at the airport as early as 6:00 hours.
A check by ZANIS in town found people in strategic positions waiting to be ferried to the airport.
Those present at the airport included paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people , representative of Kalonga Gawa Undi  of the Chewa people in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique  Joseph Chikuta and other traditional leaders from around the province.
Government officials included Eastern province Minister, Charles Shawa, Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, Members of Parliament from Eastern Province, heads of parastatal companies, the business community and the church.
First Lady, Maureen Mwanawasa and other relatives to the late Dr. Mwanawasa arrived, together with the body of the late President Mwanawasa, at the airport 08:36 hours.
The body was received at the airport by Mr. Shawa and other senior government officials.
The military personnel, who were at hand to receive the body, conducted the military procession, carried the casket of late President Mwanawasa and later laid it on the dais before body viewing.
And Speaking before body viewing commenced, Mr. Shawa described late Dr. Mwanawasa as a hero and gallant son of Zambia, who facilitated a number of developmental projects in the province.
Mr. Shawa, who quoted 1 Samuel 4:22 and liken the late Dr. Mwanawasa to David in the Bible, said the late president was a leader, a brother, a mentor and a father.
He said the late President Mwanawasa revitalized the Chipata-Mchinji railway project, which is scheduled to be completed this year.
He further said the late head of state had a passion for the agriculture sector, which led to increased crop production in the province.
He said the departed President’s commitment to the sector led to government increasing the subsidies on the Fertilizer Support Programme from 60 per cent to 75 per cent.
Mr. Shawa said a number of road works were currently ongoing that on the Chipata-Lundazi road, adding that 23 pieces of earth moving machines have already arrived in the district.
And MMD Provincial Executive Committee Chairman, Kennedy Zulu, said the province had lost a father who had done a lot of work to reduce poverty.
Due to the President’s commitment to develop the area, Mr. Zulu said a lot of investors were attracted in the province.
He said the late President has helped to build the party in the province such that it can now boast of having the strongest party in the province.
Meanwhile, the body viewing has ended and the body has since been flown to Kasama.
However a lot of people that gathered at the airport to pay their last respects to the departed President did not viewed the body because of the massive turn out of the people.
Military personnel had a tough time to control the people that wanted to have a glimpse of the late President Mwanawasa’s body.
Meanwhile a boy was injured in the stampede and was rushed to the hospital.
President Levy Mwanawasa died last week at France’s Percy Military Hospital following a stroke he suffered on June 29, this year while attending the Africa Union Summit in Egypt.
Meanwhile, business came to a stand still in Chipata district this morning as people from all districts of the province went to pay their last respects to late President Levy Mwanawasa.
And the Eastern Province Royal Foundation has appreciated government’s move to allow the people of in the province to be the first to view the body of Dr Mwanawasa among the eight provinces.
Most shops in both the town center and the second class trading area closed to allow both shop keepers and shop owners, attend the body viewing ceremony of the late Dr. Mwanawasa, which took place at Chipata airport.
A check by ZANIS found all shops closed at the second class trading area, formerly known as Down Shops, while a few shops remained open for business at the town centre.
And all government and private offices remained closed to let officers attend the sorrowful occasion.
A few people that were found in town said they wanted to go to the airport but failed to do so because of lack of transport.
Owen Kapembwa of Kapata Township said he was unable to go to the airport because he could not manage to get on the trucks that were ferrying people because of his physical disability.
Masiye Muyunda explained that he did not manage to get to the picking point at Barclays Square in town early enough for him to access transport.
Trucks from both the public and private sector went to pick up mourners at various points in all district of the province.
ZANIS/MK/LN/PN/LM/KSH/ENDS
Annonymous please not kutwana bantu manje please.no insulting
ala yes thats true
Easter Province Royal Foundation…. you do not need to politicise the fact the late Mwanawasa was flown to the east first. Don’t make it into an issue because it is not. Unless you are trying to tell us something.
They had to start somewhere . . . One Zambia One Nation
Norway
What is the minister talking about. There was a commotion and he calls it incident free. Kanshi what is an incident. I would understand if he said that, despite the commotion, it was peaceful. Choice of words is very important.
Takwata amono teshibe ifyo alelanda! Nafulunguna kwati niba Maureen!
Is it justified to decrare september 3rd as a public holiday? Zambia has had such big loses before but whats so special about this one kanshi? We lost footballers nothing happened, we lost more than 50 people at once in Chambishi, and so no but life goes on. How many public holidays of this nature are we going to have 50 years from now coz by then we will have lost 10+ heads of state. I thinks we are hero worshiping LPM.
Hello there #3 to 5 why onlys qeustioning that which is strsight forward
MHSRIP
At least fwe ba Bemba we were incidence free unlike kuchipata were Sata was chased.
Nishani iwe #7 whats straight forward? Ulependa bwino!
#4, what the minister is probably trying to say is that Maureen didn’t cause any incident this time.
Equal rights apa. naine nga na vaana, ifwilefye yaba ni holiday…bonse ni flesh and blood apa! Nomba iyo “incident free” ya ku kasama, e definition ya absence ya kwa Sata?
Centre for bana chimbusa what do you expect?Someone would have thrown cold water on her.So its respectez-vous for once.
Lusaka times could you please stop refering to Maureen Mwanawasa as Firts lady, she is former please be professional.
Its just that Sata’s broom only moves in the night. Wait till the morning for drama
Yali “stable” pa first now it is “incident free”. Lekenifye bamudala balale mucibote.
WHERE ARE THE PICTURES FOR KASAMA BODY VIEWING? PICTURES SHOULDN’T ONLY BE IN LUSAKA. RURAL AREAS UPDATES (IN PIX) ARE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT. LT, DOES IT MEAN THAT YOU CAN ONLY PHOTOGRAPH IN LUSAKA?
YOU CANNOT BOAST OF BEING THE FIRST ON THE DEAD BODY…SHAME!!
YOU THINK THIS DEVELOPMENT BA EASTERN PROVINCE ROYAL FOUNDATION?
SAY SOMETHING ELSE THATS WHY YOU ARE CHASING PEOPLE AT FUNERALS.
Is this the same guy that used to sing in by gone years with ba police?
VERY DISAPOINTED WITH BANA CHIPO!!!
Eastern province was chosen because it comes first alphabetically
is Solomoni Jere that Kapocola who sings? tell us tinasala mu vakale coz citili pa zed
I think to me it doesn’t make any sense reason being that in other provinces only few people have access to boarding viewing now what about those remaining are they going to be given a second round like lusaka people? if the answer is no then what am seeing is politics in the whole thing. Am disappointed with my fellow Esterners how can they treat Sata like that i thing someone chamed them they need deliverance before its too late.
BASATA UMULOMO MULEKE TWATWAKAMIVOTELE PANTU NOMBA MWATULANGISHA UBUFONTINI BWENU. NGABALANDA ATI BONSE KUMA PROVINCES MWISELA TUKALETA UMUBILI WAKWA LATE KATEKA TABASOSELE ATI KULAKONKAKONKA, PALAST TWALATILA NIWE WIPEYE. GROW UP.
where was satana?this guy si nonsense pliz!don’t let him come back on the scene..
#24 what do you mean mwalatila niwe wipeye. Bushe stroke nayo balalowa kanshi? Ba Sata balichita reconcile with the late and they became good friends. Tapali echo balufyanya ukukonkakonka. Its a state funeral dont forget. Ngoli nobulanda kuti wakonkakonse panka pa last day ngatwashika. Ubu ebu best of best friends
Am so dissapointed with bana chipo, when mourning a husband can some one have streighth to even chase mourners, there alot of people who viewed the body in lsk and even chipata , this is not time to show zambians ur stabonness,i remember on 20th august mr sata ephacissed on unity and to burry differences,madam firstlady were is ur concience. mr chibombamilimo maureen for presidency out shes not a mother. If u realy loved ur hubby u should have remained in state house welcomming mourners, u wil replace a hubby but not balevy .
i think these people are just okey and they must go ahead in viewing the body of MWANAWASA.please let us try to understand the situation.
The Post has reported that there was a stampede in Kasama and people were beaten by security personel.there was reinforcement of security actually,is that incident free?
why are you asking me i was not there
*****s
People pushing down walls just to see a dead body!!!
It is selfish that some people are kaking money by escorting the dead man. Can you please let the big man rest in peace.
I am confused with the circuss sorrounding the death of our beloved President.Especially the articles that have been posted on this platform! I wish people could give the funeral the respect the occassion deserves.Let LPM SRIEP
#19 and 22, what has Dr. Jere done?
I’m sure ichitumbi chilenunka nomba – this issue of zungulila zambia.