Kikwete to speak at Mandela’s burial

A woman is overcome with grief after paying her last respects to former South African President Nelson Mandela as he lies in state at the Union Buildings yesterday. PHOTO | AFP

Dar/Pretoria. President Jakaya Kikwete is expected to speak at the Mandela burial ceremony in Qunu Village, South Africa on Sunday, representing a bloc of countries that supported freedom fighters in the struggle against apartheid.

Tanzania was at the helm of the Frontline States that threw their weight behind black people’s struggle against the racist and oppressive policies of white rulers in southern Africa.

Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s leadership allowed the Umkotho we Sizwe (MK), the military wing of the African National Congress (ANC), to establish training camps in the country.

The first MK camps outside South Africa were established in 1963 and 1964 in Tanzania at Kongwa, Mbeya, Bagamoyo and Morogoro. Morogoro later became ANC’s headquarters in Tanzania. Mwalimu Nyerere was instrumental in the setting up of the anti-apartheid movement, together with Bishop Trevor Huddleston in the early 1960s.

State House spokesperson Premmy Kibanga yesterday confirmed to The Citizen that President Kikwete would indeed be in Qunu for the final internment of Mzee Mandela.

“He will travel on Friday (today) to South Africa and I am aware he’s among Heads of State who will speak at the burial on Sunday,” said Ms Kibanga.

President Kikwete was among nearly 100 global leaders who were in Johannesburg on Tuesday to pay tribute to the fallen anti-apartheid hero at the Soweto township.

He was in Nairobi yesterday attending Kenya’s 50th anniversary celebrations alongside 10 other presidents and heads of government.

South African government’s International Relations spokesperson Clayon Monyela told the media in Pretoria yesterday that despite the burial ceremony being a private, family event, numerous foreign dignitaries were also expected to attend.

Malawian President Joyce Banda is another African leader expected to speak at the funeral on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc).

Former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda and Rwandan President Paul Kagame will also be there.

Meanwhile, President Kikwete has admitted he had a very hard time paying last respects to Mandela on Wednesday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria because of his close personal attachment to the anti-apartheid hero. “It was hard to believe that what I was seeing was real; I had problems accepting the reality that body I was looking at was that of Madiba. It was a very difficult moment for me,” Kikwete said during an interview with South Africa Broadcasting Cooperation (SABC) soon after paying his last respects.