Lusaka - The Vice-President of the Republic, Bornito de Sousa, on Friday in Lusaka, Zambia, honoured the figure of Kenneth Kaunda, a committed pan-Africanist, lover of peace and freedom of peoples.
Bornito de Sousa was speaking at the State funeral, in honour of the founder and first President of Zambia, who died on June 17, victim of illness.
The solemn act of tribute took place at the Show Ground, an exhibition space in the Zambian capital, under strict bio-safety measures, due to the high number of Covid-19 cases registered in that country.
Heads of State and political representatives, in addition to prominent African and world figures, attended the funeral ceremonies.
On the sidelines of the ceremonies, the Angolan Vice-President was received by the President of Zambia, Edgar Lungu, to whom he delivered a message from his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço.
Zambia is on the thirteenth day of national mourning, out of a total of 21 days announced by the Zambian authorities, in the ambit of the physical passing of Kenneth Kaunda.
State funeral ceremonies precede the family ritual of burial of the mortal remains of the deceased, scheduled for the 7th of this month, putting an end to the funeral ceremonies of the former President.
Also on Friday afternoon, Bornito de Sousa received in an audience Serbia's minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikola Selakovic, with whom he discussed issues of bilateral interest.
ANGOP has learnt that the burial ceremony of Kenneth Kaunda’s remains is reserved for relatives and people close to the family.
Meanwhile, last Thursday, the Angolan ambassador to Zambia, Azevedo Francisco, delivered a message from President João Lourenço to the Kaunda family and, in response, Kawech Kaunda, son of the former president, thanked the gesture and described Angola as Zambia's brother country.
