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"As we mourn President Levy Mwanawasa, we need to be very honest with ourselves. We need to ask all the difficult questions that have to be asked. Death is a difficult human experience," The Post, a leading independent newspaper, said in its editorial Friday.
The paper that acknowledged Mwanawasa's efforts to fight corruption warned the public to be cautious, saying that "plunderers and those sympathetic to them, regardless of how much they try to disguise themselves, must be stopped. They must be fought."
"Having gotten his opportunity to become President, Levy could have continued the corruption, the thieving of his predecessor (Frederick Chiluba). But he made a different choice, a choice in a different direction. He instead chose to fight corruption, to fight the banditry of his sponsors. And this is why Chiluba and his tandem of thieves are where they are, found with cases to answer and put on their defence on corruption charges," The Post said.
It went on: "We are mourning Levy because he brought about common decency in our politics. He worked hard to restore confidence in government. Although it took very long for our people to appreciate this, in the last two years many have begun appreciating the work that government has been doing."
The paper warned that those who think or want to deceive themselves that with Mwanawasa's death they will be able to turn the country back to decade of corruption, the plunder and human rights abuses of the Chiluba era, are deceiving themselves, saying that for them to achieve this, "they will have to kill many of us."
In paying tribute to Mwanawasa, the state-run Times of Zambia cited the successes achieved by President Mwanawasa, notably, in the area of HIV/AIDS.
The Times noted Friday that President Mwanawasa was a tireless crusader against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Zambia.
The paper said many HIV/AIDS activists both within and out side the country recognised the efforts that President Mwanawasa brought on board in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
"This is why his death is a huge loss to the HIV/AIDS efforts, just as it is in other areas of national endeavour where he rendered his leadership," the paper wrote.
As United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has observed in his message of condolence, President Mwanawasa had always put HIV/AIDS issue as one of his priorities even in his busy schedules, the paper said.
It also noted that the anti-retroviral (ARV) drug programme has progressed to levels where more and more people are on the treatment throughout Zambia.
"This is why the death of Dr Mwanawasa has dealt a devastating blow to the nation's efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS," the newspaper said.
President Mwanawasa's body was due to arrive in the country Saturday (23Aug), ahead of burial on 3 September.
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