It was gaffe that has proven to be a severe embarrassment to South African President Thabo Mbeki. Last Friday based on information supposedly given to him by the Executive Secretary of the South African Development Community (SADC), Mbeki announced publicly the death of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa

Zambian officials were quick to deny this with the Zambian Vice President Rupiah Banda assuring Zambians and the international community that despite suffering a stroke the President was alive and receiving medical treatment in a French hospital.

President Mbeki has since apologised to the Zambians over the gaffe but Zambia is still insistent on getting a detailed explanation as to how the gaffe occurred in the first instance.

Zambian President Mwanawasa suffered a stroke while attending the African Union Summit of Heads of States in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt from where he was flown to Paris for treatment.