The Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick Kangwa, has officially announced that the memorial service to commemorate a decade of the death of Zambia’s fifth president, Michael Sata, will be held on Monday, October 28.
Kangwa advised that the memorial program would commence with a requiem mass at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross at 9:30 a.m. before proceeding to the presidential burial site at Embassy Park for a wreath-laying ceremony.
Yesterday, Miles Sampa—one of the claimants to the Patriotic Front presidency—wrote on his Facebook page insinuating that President Sata was a devout Catholic, hence, his memorial should not be celebrated at a non-Catholic venue. “Sata’s memorial venue is a preserve of his closest family, namely Dr. Kaseba and children.”
In a seeming response to Sampa, Information and Media Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawama said the government and the Sata family had agreed that the program be carried out and conducted at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
“It is important to note that we are commemorating the Memorial Anniversary of His Excellency Mr. Michael Chilufya Sata, who was a President for all Zambians regardless of political or religious affiliation.”
President Sata passed away on 28 October 2014. He was the Republican president from 2011 to 2014. He founded the Patriotic Front party in 2001 after breaking away from the Movement for Multi-party Democracy when he wasn’t chosen to succeed Frederick Chiluba as its leader.
He contested all the presidential elections since 2001, winning on his fourth attempt in 2011. Sadly, his tenure was short-lived as he fell ill not long into his presidency and died in October 2014, four days after the country celebrated its 50th independence anniversary.
