ZAMBIA: Zambians express mixed feelings about their interim president becoming Africa's first white head of state in 20 years, after president Michael Sata died in a London hospital
Record ID:
708251
ZAMBIA: Zambians express mixed feelings about their interim president becoming Africa's first white head of state in 20 years, after president Michael Sata died in a London hospital
- Title: ZAMBIA: Zambians express mixed feelings about their interim president becoming Africa's first white head of state in 20 years, after president Michael Sata died in a London hospital
- Date: 29th October 2014
- Summary: LUSAKA, ZAMBIA (OCTOBER 29, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF VEHICLES BEING DRIVEN ALONG STREET IN BUSINESS DISTRICT LUSAKA RESIDENT, FRANK SAKA, OPENING VEHICLE TRUNK LUSAKA RESIDENT, FRANK SAKA, READING PAPER (SOUNDBITE) (English) LUSAKA RESIDENT, FRANK SAKA, SAYING: "I don't have any problem with vice president Guy Scott acting as our president because the party of the Patriotic Front has him as vice president and the constitution stipulates that if the incumbent dies, the vice president takes over, so I don't see any problem with that." (SOUNDBITE) (English) RESIDENT, ALLAN GONDWE, SAYING: "Whenever someone is a Zambian, they deserves that seat. I don't see it to be a serious case, to be or not to be a president, he has to become a president." (SOUNDBITE) (English) LUSAKA RESIDENT, NOSIZI NDHLOVU, SAYING: "I think Mr. Guy Scott is qualified to do that job because they wouldn't have chosen him to become vice president if he was not qualified to do that." VARIOUS OF NDHLOVU TALKING TO FRIEND (SOUNDBITE) (English) LUSAKA RESIDENT, NYAWA PHIRI, SAYING: "When we say Mr. Guy Scott should be the President that will mean we are bringing back colonialism, bringing back the old days, because even the whites, they will come and take over. Do we want to bring back colonialism in Zambia? No." LUSAKA RESIDENT, ROBIN MULYAKO, TALKING ON PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LUSAKA RESIDENT, ROBIN MULYAKO, SAYING: "Its not right, fifty years after independence I think we are supposed to have our own indigenous person acting in that position because this actually puts the country in a very awkward position. So I think in PFP they are going to have a crisis because they did not set a standard." INTERIM PRESIDENT OF ZAMBIA, GUY SCOTT, GREETING LEADER OF UNITED PARTY FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA SCOTT, GREETING SERVICE CHIEFS VEHICLE CARRYING SCOTT
- Embargoed: 13th November 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Zambia
- Country: Zambia
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA33T84ZH8R5I22RHOP28LT7WG2
- Story Text: Zambians expressed differing opinions on Wednesday (October 29) about interim president Guy Scott becoming Africa's first white head of state in 20 years, after president "King Cobra" Michael Sata died in a London hospital aged 77.
Scott, a Cambridge-educated economist born to Scottish parents, had been Sata's vice president. He will be interim leader until an election in three months, making him the first white African leader since South Africa's F.W. de Klerk lost to Nelson Mandela in the 1994 election that ended apartheid.
Scott, 70, is ineligible to run for the presidency in the election because of citizenship restrictions, leaving defence minister Edgar Lungu and finance minister Alexander Chikwanda the most likely contenders for the ruling Patriotic Front party's ticket, analysts say.
Some Zambians have no qualms with Scott's appointment since they believe constitution procedure need to be followed.
"I don't have any problem with vice president Guy Scott acting as our president because the party of the Patriotic Front has him as vice president and the constitution stipulates that if the incumbent dies, the vice president takes over, so I don't see any problem with that," Lusaka resident Frank Saka said.
Nosizi Ndhlovu, another Lusaka resident, said she believes Scott is knowledgeable enough to take over the position.
"I think Mr. Guy Scott is qualified to do that job because they wouldn't have chosen him to become vice president if he was not qualified to do that," Ndhlovu said.
However, other Zambians said a white president would draw them back haunting memories of their country before it gained independence.
"When we say Mr. Guy Scott should be the President that will mean we are bringing back colonialism, bringing back the old days, because even the whites, they will come and take over. Do we want to bring back colonialism in Zambia? No," Lusaka resident Nyawa Phiri said.
"Its not right, fifty years after independence I think we are supposed to have our own indigenous person acting in that position because this actually puts the country in a very awkward position. So I think in PFP they are going to have a crisis because they did not set a standard," another Lusaka resident, Robin Mulyako, said.
Scott is a lively character who has caused diplomatic controversy in the past, describing South Africans as "backward" in an interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper last year.
Sata, who was nicknamed "King Cobra" because of his sharp tongue, died on Tuesday (October 28), the government said. He had been president of Zambia, Africa's second-largest copper producer, since 2011.
The cause of death was not immediately disclosed, but Sata had been ill for some time. He was at London's King Edward VII hospital when he died, the website Zambian Watchdog reported.
Sata, whose populist platform included defending workers' rights, was often fiercely critical of the foreign mining companies operating in Zambia's copper belt. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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