LUNGU FAMILY FREE TO HOLD PRIVATE BURIAL IN ZAMBIA WITHOUT GOVERNMENT APPROVAL – KAWANA
Government has reaffirmed its commitment to complying with the South African Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgment on the repatriation of former President Edgar Lungu, saying the Lungu family is free to hold a private burial in Zambia without seeking Government approval.
On Tuesday, the SCA ruled in favour of the Lungu family, overturning a Pretoria High Court decision that had authorised the Zambian Government to repatriate the former Head of State’s remains for a state funeral in Zambia.
The ruling affirmed the family’s legal right to determine the late president’s burial arrangements after they opted for a private funeral in South Africa.
Addressing the media yesterday, Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana said Government’s position remained consistent with Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha’s earlier announcement that it would not pursue the matter any further.
“While Government does not agree with the judgment, it has resolved not to appeal the matter to the Constitutional Court of South Africa,” Kawana said.
He explained that, following the family’s decision to bury the former president in South Africa, the matter had become a private family affair.
However, he stressed that the family was at liberty to conduct a private burial in Zambia without Government interference if it so wished.
“Government’s involvement over the past year was motivated by its desire to honour former President Lungu in line with the established national practice. All of Zambia’s deceased former presidents have been laid to rest at Embassy Park with full state honours,” he said.
Kawana added that the burial site prepared at Embassy Park in Lusaka now remained uncertain, with Government yet to decide its future use.
“Government is yet to issue a directive on the future of the burial site that had been prepared at Embassy Park for former Sixth Republican President Edgar Lungu and will, in due course, inform the nation on what will happen to the burial ground,” he said.
He further noted that although Government had hoped to give Zambians an opportunity to mourn and honour the former President on home soil, it respected the family’s decision.
He added that former President Lungu would continue to be recognised as a former Head of State during future national remembrance activities in keeping with the dignity of the office he held.
The idea of burying late presidents at Embassy Park was a very bad idea.
The idea of putting up elaborate graves for former presidents is even worse.
For a poor nation to spend so much on interring a president is scandalous. These are some of the practices we should revisit. Lining the coffin with gold doesn’t do the corpse any good.
Let such occasions be the preserve of the family with minimal assistance from the state.
We must learn from this Lungu saga otherwise all the stress and agony would have been in vain.
As for the final resting place of Mr. Lungu, let him remain in South Africa till the resurrection. There should be no reburial in Zambia ever. He chose his final resting place among strangers.