Former Zambia Vice President George Kunda buriedBy MICHAEL CHAWE in Lusaka | Saturday, April 21  2012 at  17:13

Former Zambia Vice President George Kunda who died Monday last week in a Lusaka hospital where he had been hospitalised for the past three weeks was buried Friday.

Hundreds of Zambians including President Michael Sata turned up for the requiem mass and eventual interment of the late Mr Kunda,56, who hospital authorities said died of anaemia related causes.

During the burial at Memorial Park at the Leopards Hill cemetery in Lusaka, Zambia Vice-President Dr Guy Scott paid glowing tribute to his predecessor.

"As president of the Law Association of Zambia and as a private lawyer, he was passionate about his work. He believed in the diversity of humankind and spoke openly about the responsibility and duty of all citizens,” Dr Scott said.

"He gave advice though at times hostile but it was useful, anyway. We took it.”

Politics played its part when party members of the ruling party Patriotic Front and the late Mr Kunda’s MMD exchanged invectives with the situation threatening to degenerate into chaotic scenes before security quickly intervened to quell the tension.

Mr Kunda, a lawyer by profession before being tapped by former President Levy Mwanawasa into politics, was nominated to parliament following a general election in 2001.

He was subsequently appointed Justice minister and Attorney General in 2002.

Mr Kunda served as President Rupiah Banda's deputy between 2008 and September 2011 when the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy lost power to the Patriotic Front led by Michael Sata.

He was critical of the new PF-led government over what he said was the harassment of the former ruling party's members.

At the time of his death he was the elected member of parliament for Muchinga Constituency in Zambia's Central Province.

Rumours of his death in 2010 did the rounds after he travelled to South Africa for three weeks for medical treatment, claims he attributed to ill-wishers.

He was born on February 26, 1956 in Luanshya, Copperbelt Province.