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Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - Web posted at 7:27:16 AM GMT Zimbabweans lose a voice LEWIS MWANANGOMBELUSAKA - Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, widely regarded as a man of integrity, broke the African tradition of silence and solidarity among leaders to denounce neighbouring Zimbabwe's economic ruin. |
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When Mwanawasa suffered a stroke and collapsed at an African Union summit in Egypt in June, it cost Zimbabweans the voice of one of their few champions on the continent. French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Mwanawasa's death "a great loss for the African continent" and for democracy. Mwanawasa's illness precipitated power struggles within and between Zambia's political parties and his death leaves a power vacuum. Mwanawasa did not groom a successor, and Banda was expected to continue as acting president until an election that must be held within in 90 days. Widely regarded as a man of integrity, he won praise for breaking the traditional silence of African leaders to criticise his autocratic neighbour, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, which encouraged a few other African presidents to show their displeasure. Speaking earlier this year of Zimbabwe and the exodus of millions of its citizens, Mwanawasa said the country "has sunk into such economic difficulties that it may be likened to a sinking Titanic whose passengers are jumping out in a bid to save their lives". Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was one of the first to pay tribute to a "good friend and comrade" who stood up for democracy in southern Africa. "His passing-on is a sad day to the Zimbabwean people," said Tsvangirai, who had repeatedly asked that Mwanawasa replace South African President Thabo Mbeki in mediating the Zimbabwean crisis. Mugabe was long revered as an African independence hero, but the softly spoken Mwanawasa - Zambia's third president since independence from Britain in 1964 - was not bound by the liberation movement ties of older African leaders. Mwanawasa was equally outspoken about Western criticism of the unconditional aid that China is pouring into Africa, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars China has invested in mining Zambian copper. "You people in the West redeem yourself before you begin attacking China," Mwanawasa told an audience in the United States last year. At home and abroad, Mwanawasa won praise for fighting corruption and modernising Zambia's economy. He is survived by his wife Maureen and six children. Nampa-AP |
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