Zambians continue to mourn Sata
They continue to queue from the gates of Mulungushi Conference Centre in the capital Lusaka and one by one, the Zambians, guided by police and military officers, orderly walk into the hall where the body of former president the late Michael Sata is lying in state.
The mood in the hall on a Monday afternoon is sombre, sorrowful hymns greet your ears as you approach the entrance of the hall and different choirs, brought together to sing for a fallen leader who was a Catholic, haven taken their places, awaiting their turn to come.
Other mourners, especially women, are brought out on stretchers by medical workers after collapsing upon seeing the man, who was popularly known as King Cobra when he was in opposition, breathless and lying in the casket.
Yet others, including boys, come out sobbing, beating their chests in disbelief of what they have witnessed. Most girls and boys are helped out by the medical aiders, weeping uncontrollably.
Jonas Kabwe, a taxi driver, told The Nation Zambians have been unlucky to lose two sitting presidents, the first being Levy Mwanawasa.
The body will continue lying in state up to the day he would be buried on November 11 2014.
