The Zambian government announced on Thursday the death at the age of 97 of the country’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda, father of the independence of the former British protectorate he ruled for 27 years.
He has visited Mauritius on several occasions in the past.
Kaunda was admitted to a military hospital in the capital, Lusaka, on Monday suffering from pneumonia. His aides said he did not have Covid-19. In the 1950s, Kaunda was a key figure in what was then Northern Rhodesia’s independence movement from Britain. He became president following independence in 1964.
As head of the left-leaning United National Independence Party (UNIP), Kaunda then led the country through decades of one-party rule. He stepped down after losing multi-party elections in 1991. “I am sad to inform we have lost Mzee,” Kaunda’s son, Kambarage, wrote on his late father’s Facebook page, using a term of respect. “Let’s pray for him.” Zambian President Edgar Lungu said the country was mourning “a true African icon”.
He was nicknamed the “African Gandhi” for his non-violent activism. Kenneth Kaunda led the former Northern Rhodesia to bloodless independence in 1964. He “died peacefully” at 2:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. GMT) in hospital, government secretary Simon Miti said on Thursday. on national television. National mourning for 21 days has been declared.
The government declared three weeks of national mourning with all forms of entertainment suspended. The Nelson Mandela Foundation said Kaunda’s contribution to the struggle against colonialism and apartheid would not be forgotten.
Another tribute came from Kalusha Bwalya, former captain of the Zambian national football team, who said Kaunda had made “an immense impact”.
