Pretoria - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is in Lusaka, Zambia, to join other dignitaries and mourners for the state funeral of the late President Michael Sata this morning.
Deputy President Ramaphosa, who is leading a South African delegation, is there on behalf of President Jacob Zuma.
The Deputy President is joined by First Lady Bongekile Ngema-Zuma and International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, among others.
They will join other Heads of State and Government in paying their respects during the viewing ceremony of the body of the late President Sata as it lies in state, according to the Presidency.
Leaders expected to attend the burial include Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) leader Joseph Kabila, Namibia's Hifikepunya Pohamba, Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, Rwanda's Paul Kagame, Mozambique's Armando Guebuza and Malawi's Peter Mutharika.
The 77-year-old leader died in late October at London's King Edward VII.
Sata will be buried at Embassy Park in Lusaka, opposite government offices, where other former leaders, Levy Mwanawasa and Frederick Chiluba are buried after a funeral service to be held at the National Heroes Stadium.
President Zuma, in conveying his condolences to the government and people of Zambia, said President Sata belongs to the generation of leaders produced by Zambia during the colonial times and gallantly pursued the anti-colonial struggle.
His death, President Zuma said, should remind the people of South Africa of the immeasurable sacrifice and the sterling leadership role that Zambia played in ridding the African continent of the yoke of colonial domination and apartheid rule.
“President Sata supported robust economic transformation of the country, which led to positive economic growth and increased investment in Zambia. His contribution to the work of bodies such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) would be sorely missed,” said President Zuma. - SAnews.gov.za-Xinhua
