Confusion over Mwanawasa's health, VP denies he is dead

Confusion over Mwanawasa's health, VP denies he is dead

CONFUSION: Zambia has denied Mwanawasa is dead

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CONFUSION reigned on Thursday over the health of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, who had earlier been reported dead.

Zambia's vice president denied media reports that Mwanawasa had died, saying he was in a stable condition in a Paris hospital.

"The president had (a) satisfactory night at the Percy military hospital in France. The news reports ... are not true," Vice President Rupiah Banda said in a statement.

Earlier on Thursday, South Africa's Talk Radio 702 reported that Mwanawasa had died, quoting a Zambian High Commission spokesman.

Mwanawasa, 59, an outspoken critic of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, was rushed to hospital on Sunday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after suffering a stroke just before an African Union summit.

He was later transferred to Paris for treatment.

Banda said Mwanawasa was being treated for hypertension.

"The doctors attending to (Mwanawasa) are happy with progress he has made so far and his condition remains stable. He has continued to receive treatment for hypertension in the intensive care unit and there are no new developments," Banda said.

On Wednesday, the head of an Egyptian hospital said Mwanawasa was in a semi-coma when medically evacuated to Paris from the African Union summit.

Saeed Abdel Fattah Essa said the Zambian leader had a "brain haemorrhage," which Egyptian doctors stopped when he was taken to his hospital on Sunday.

A semi-coma is a mild or partial comatose state.

Mwanawasa, who is the chairperson of the Southern African Development Community, recently expressed understanding for Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai when he pulled out of the presidential poll a week ago.

"Elections held in such an environment will not only be undemocratic but will also bring embarrassment to the SADC region and the entire continent of Africa," the Zambian leader said.

His comments about Zimbabwe made him a target of Zimbabwe's state media which labelled him a western puppet.

Mwanawasa became a favourite of the International Monetary Fund and other Western donors, who have extended billions of dollars in debt relief in the wake of his crackdown on government spending and launch of an anti-graft drive.

He became Zambia's vice-president in 1991 after Frederick Chiluba ousted founding President Kenneth Kaunda in landmark multiparty elections. Mwanawasa won the presidency in 2001.

He suffered a mild stroke in 2006 but said before being re-elected that year that he was fit to stand for office.- Reuters
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