KK steals limelight at ANC dinner
By Chibaula Silwamba Mangaung, South Africa
Mon 09 Jan. 2012, 13:59 CAT
DR Kenneth Kaunda stole the limelight at South Africa's governing African National Congress centenary celebrations dinner with rapturous ovation from dignitaries, including about 14 heads of state that chanted: "KK! KK! KK!"
Immediately African Union (AU) commission chairperson candidate Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who was a co-director of ceremonies, called on "our father and guardian fondly known as KK" to go to the podium to address the gathering, the delegates spontaneously burst into pro-Kaunda chants, as the former Zambian leader trotted to the stage.
The chants drowned all the previous speakers as all heads of state, former presidents, foreign dignitaries and locals alike stood up and started singing.
"KK! KK! KK! Our father!" the crowd chanted while clapping. Dr Kaunda could not resist the chants and joined in and started singing his famous liberation struggle song: "Tiyende pamodzi ndi mutima unomodzi." Let us move together with one heart".
Dr Kaunda chanted: "One South Africa!" while the audience responded: "One nation!"
In his address which was punctuated with songs and chants, Dr Kaunda urged President Jacob Zuma to discuss with white South Africans about the land issue.
"Comrade President, the many problems you face so many other former colonial countries don't face. I have in mind in particular the problem of land; it's a serious problem. We are very proud of what you are doing. That reminds me of Zimbabwe," Dr Kaunda said.
"That British woman former prime minister Margaret Thatcher listened to Robert Gabriel Mugabe about the problems of land in Zimbabwe. Margaret Thatcher together with Robert Gabriel Mugabe worked out a programme and that was going to be very well for Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, Margaret Thatcher lost to Labour Party, people I consider our friends, our colleagues, our comrades, socialists, their Commonwealth Secretary destroyed what Robert Mugabe and Margaret Thatcher had agreed to do for Zimbabwe."
He as a result of the Labour Party's conduct, President Mugabe was in trouble.
"That is why I keep saying, ‘don't demonise Mugabe over what has been taking place in Zimbabwe because that problem was created by the social Labour Party'. Mugabe is still going through some problems. To comrade Zuma, I am saying ‘please continue. You have more serious problems than any of us in your hand, land question mark'," Dr Kaunda said.
"I am saying to the young people of South Africa, ‘please remember, two wrongs can never make a right'. Discuss with the white leaders in South Africa about the problem of land. Let them know what is taking place elsewhere in other countries, let them know that the situation here is very serious but they and black people of South Africa should remember that ‘two wrongs never make a right' anywhere on earth."
He called for peace in the world.
"God taught us, whether we are Hindus, Muslims, Christians or whatever, ‘love God your Creator with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, with all your strength.' Love your neighbour as you love yourself. Do unto others as you would love them to do unto you. Wonderful commandments! Where these are obeyed, there is genuine peace. Where they are not obeyed, there is chaos," Dr Kaunda said.
"Egypt should have been here but there are problems there. Libya, Gaddafi is gone, Tunisia, Syria and so many other small countries in the Middle East, where people are pointing fingers at each other, saying, ‘because of your colour you are very stupid' like the Boers did here. These three fingers were pointing at them that, ‘you Boers are three times as stupid'."
He urged people not to point blaming fingers at others but learn to discuss to iron out differences.
He called for the respect of humanity.
"Comrade Zuma, continue to lead us and we are proud of what you doing," Dr Kaunda said.
"Thank you for this wonderful occasion when you bring us all together to come and say to the people of South Africa and all those who supported them to ‘thank you for a job so well done!'"
He noted that South Africans had gone through many difficult times.
Dr Kaunda urged South Africans to combat poverty and HIV and AIDS.
"Today, as we say South Africa is independent, anyway there are many other problems which you face. We have to fight poverty and all its offshoots of hunger, ignorance, disease, crime, corruption and above all exploitation of one man by another. This is common to all countries, which once upon a time were colonised," said Dr Kaunda.
"We have now an added problem to fight HIV and AIDS. That reminds me of that great son of Africa, Kwame Nkrumah, the song he sang, ‘sons of Africa raise and fight. We shall fight and conquer AIDS'."
Among Presidents present were Hifikepunye Pohamba (Namibia), Yoweri Museveni(Uganda), Bingu wa Mutharika (Malawi), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Mahmoud Abbas (Palestine), Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (Equatorial Guinea), Andry Rajoelina (Madagascar).
Thomas Yaya Boni (Benin), Mahamadou Issoufou (Niger), James Alix Michel (Seychelles), Michael Sata (Zambia), Mohamed Ould Abdel Azizi (Mauritanian), Armando Guebuza (Mozambique), Manuel Pinto da Costa (Sao Tome and Principe) while President Mugabe was represented by his Vice-President Joyce Mujuru.
Other leaders were Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Kenya's Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, Kenya's Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Swaziland Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini,.
Former presidents present were Jerry Rawlings (Ghana), Benjamin Mukapa (Tanzania), Sir Ketumile Masire (Botswana) and Thabo Mbeki (South Africa) while Nelson Mandela was absent.
ANC, the liberation movement that was headquartered in Lusaka for many years until the early 1990s, formed government in 1994 when its leader Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black president at the end of the brutal apartheid rule.
The ANC, initially called the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), was founded on January 8, 1912 in Bloemfontein now called Mangaung in Free State Province to increase the rights of the black South African population.
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