Story by Abigirl Tembo
Vice President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga has delivered a special message of condolences on behalf of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the people of Zimbabwe to the Zambian leadership and citizens, after the death of former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
Vice President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga paid a courtesy call on Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema this Friday at the Zambian State House in Lusaka where he extended President Mnangagwa’s condolences, underscoring the deep-rooted kinship between the two nations, two sovereign states divided only by geography, but united in spirit, blood, and legacy.
“I bring you greetings from your brother during this sad time that our neighbour, brother is going through, the dark cloud that hangs over the Republic is what your brother, His Excellency Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has sent me to come and commiserate with you Your Excellency. I carry his message to you Your Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema and the Government and the people of Zambia on this loss,” he said
“We are brothers and sisters, we are only separated by the Zambezi river which we did not determine, it’s a matter of history but we are one people. For Zimbabwe to be where it is, it is because of the role that Zambia played, as you received us and kept us during the liberation struggle and second most important you were the frontline state. We have a deep history that binds our two people and our two countries. At one stage we were called by the same name, some southern some northern. But we remain the same. So, what affects Zambia also affects Zimbabwe. So, we have come to say as deeply sorry and we wish you to be strong for your nation,” he added.
President Hakainde Hichilema responded warmly, noting that Zimbabwe’s swift show of solidarity was testament to the strength and authenticity of the nations’ historic bond.
“If you look at our history, the trading routes in prehistoric times, this was just one territory and people moved from one region, not country those days, to another and our people have remained one. So people to people, relationships, family, business to business, Zambia and Zimbabwe do a lot of business. We have joint assets, Kariba Dam. Kariba North Bank, Kariba South Bank Power Station, all of them feeding from the Kariba Dam, which was constructed by us together. We have a lot of assets intertwined in Rhodesia Railways and many other projects, so our relationship is umbilical and it is important for the young Zimbabweans, young Zambians to understand the importance of this relationship and to deepen it, not to paralyse it but to deepen it, to grow it,” noted President Hichilema.
As the region mourns the death of Zambia’s sixth President, the solemn visit by Vice President Chiwenga stands as a diplomatic and fraternal gesture that reaffirms the unshakable foundation upon which Zimbabwe-Zambia relations stand.
The former Zambian President died on the 5th of this month at Mediclinic Medforum Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa.
