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Kikwete to attend burial of Malawi`s First Lady Ethel
2007-06-02 10:16:13
By Gerald Kitabu, Blantyre
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has become the first foreign head of state to announce that he would attend the burial of the Malawian First Lady, Ethel Mutharika.
The late Madame Mutharika died on Monday this week at the State House in the Malawian capital city of Lilongwe at the age of 63 after battling with cancer for about two years.
Malawian Foreign Affairs minister Joyce Banda who is the chairperson of the State Funeral`s sub-committee on protocol, told the media.
``So far, it is only His Excellency the President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete who has confirmed that he would attend the burial of the late Ethel Mutharika, explained Banda, according to The Nation.
She however could not give the exact date of Kikwete’s arrival, saying such details would be announced later.
In an interview with The Guardian yesterday, Tanzania High Commissioner to Malawi, Maj. General Makame Rashid confirmed that President Kikwete would attend, but he was quick to point out that his embassy has not yet received the programme of his arrival.
``Yes it is true that our President is coming to attend the burial of the First Lady, Ethel Mutharika, but we have not yet received the programme of his arrival`` said Gen. Makame in a telephone interview.
Reports say other foreign leaders are also expected to attend the burial of the Malawian First lady although they have not yet confirmed.
Meanwhile thousands of Lilongwe residents yesterday flooded the new State House to pay their last respects to the First Lady.
Some Malawians travelled over 35 kilometers to Lilongwe in order to view the body of the First Lady.
Long queues that comprised young, the old and school children snaked around the imposing structure of the new State House where the body has been lying in state for public viewing this week.
First Lady`s body was expected yesterday to be flown to Mzuzu State Lodge to give people in the Northern Region a chance to pay their last respects to the country`s fallen Mother.
Thereafter it will be flown to other regions as well for similar process before being laid to rest next Saturday at President Bingu`s Ndata Farm in Thyolo District.
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