PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki has voiced his sorrow at the death on Thursday of Tunisia’s first president Habib Bourguiba and praised his efforts for the development of Africa. Bourguiba, Tunisia’s first president after independence from France in 1956, died after a long illness. He was 96. Africa “feels greatly indebted to the efforts of leaders such as Bourguiba who through their unflinching sacrifices created a climate conducive for an African Renaissance to take root in our continent,” Mbeki said in a statement. “We owe it to leaders such as Bourguiba to ensure we do not falter on our irreversible march towards the renewal of our continent,” he said.
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