The President of the Angolan Republic, João Lourenço, has paid tribute to former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who was called back to God last Friday following a heart attack in Spain. The ceremony took place at the Dr. J.D. Memorial. António Agostinho Neto, in Luanda, this Monday 11 July 2022.
Several Angolan public figures, including President João Lourenço, marched this Monday (on the Praça da República) to the Republic Square in Luanda, where the first Angolan president lies. This ceremony marks the beginning of the tributes and farewells in honour of the former Angolan head of state. The current government has left a mourning book for José Eduardo Dos Santos.
“In this moment of pain and consternation, Angolans mourn President José Eduardo dos Santos, who, in the country’s most critical moments, gave everything to defend independence and national sovereignty. We bow our heads and honour his memory, defending and perpetuating his greatest work: peace and national reconciliation,” President Lourenço wrote in the book.
Following him, the president of the Assembly of the Republic of Angola, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, believes that former president José Eduardo dos Santos has left a legacy that honours all Angolans. “This is a very sad moment. We have lost President José Eduardo dos Santos, who is a worthy son of Angola. This leaves a legacy that honours us and that should be followed by us and the next generation,” he said.
Contested tribute
While Luanda wishes to host the official burial ceremonies of the former president, José Eduardo dos Santos, the daughters of the deceased advise against the homage because, for them, the father will be buried in Spain. Indeed, former MPLA deputy Welwistchia dos Santos, popularly known as Tchizé, one of José Eduardo’s daughters, spoke in a statement on Saturday of “a series of clues” that her father’s death occurred in “suspicious conditions”.
She is opposed to the return of his body to Angola and has already requested, a few hours after the death of her father, an autopsy from the Spanish justice system to examine the conditions of the death of the former head of state. The autopsy in question was carried out last weekend. The former president ‘expressed his wish to be buried in privacy in Spain’ and not ‘in Angola with a state funeral that could favour the current government’, she insists.
In addition, the successor of Jose Eduardo dos Santos at the head of Angola, Joao Lourenço, candidate for his own succession in August, has declared seven days of national mourning until Friday included. Born in a slum in Luanda, Jose Eduardo dos Santos ruled Angola with an iron fist for 38 years (from 1979 to 2017). He is accused of misappropriation of state property and favouritism towards his family and relatives. Another of his daughters, Isabel dos Santos, the eldest, is regularly at the centre of corruption accusations and is considered the richest woman in Africa.
So far, nothing has been decided. The date and place of José Dos Santos’ burial are yet to be determined. A strong government delegation is on the ground to negotiate with his family.
