*The Mercenary of Bitterness are Using Grief as a Political Weapon, Shame on Them*
*By Magret Mwanza*
As Zambia mourns the passing of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the nation stands at a crossroads—not just of emotion, but of principle.
In times of national grief, we expect solemnity, dignity, and truth. What we do not expect—what we must not tolerate—is the hijacking of collective sorrow to peddle political bitterness disguised as patriotism.
Recently, a deeply emotive and accusatory open letter has circulated widely, blaming President Hakainde Hichilema for the death of his predecessor. This so-called “letter of truth” is not truth at all.
*It is a well-crafted fiction, a dangerous cocktail of half-truths, speculation, and deliberate distortion.* It is the latest example of a growing trend in our political discourse—the weaponization of grief for personal and partisan gain.
The former president travelled freely. He jogged publicly. He issued political statements. These are not the actions of a man being strangled by the state. They are the signs of a man who, while battling illness, still retained the agency to engage.
So who truly failed President Lungu? Was it the current government, which largely kept silent despite provocations? Or was it those closest to him—those who refused to let him rest? *Those who propped him up as a political figurehead long after it was evident that he needed peace, not podiums?*
Let us not forget that President Lungu had retired. He had exited public life. He had found some measure of stillness. But those around him—those who could not accept the end of their own political journeys—dragged him back into the fray.
They pushed him into battle not out of conviction, *but out of desperation. They wanted relevance. They needed a symbol. And he, weakened and weary, became the vessel of their political resurrection.* This is the real betrayal.
Not by a sitting President who kept his distance. But by loyalists who used him, abused his silence, and refused to release him from the burden of their ambition.
The tragic irony is that those who now cry the loudest in public are the very ones who silenced him in private. They are the same voices that issued political statements in his name even when he was too unwell to stand.
They are the same architects of the illusion that he was still fit to fight. They are not mourners. They are image managers trying to cover their own guilt. And so, Zambia must be vigilant.
We must be alert to the mercenaries of bitterness who use anonymous names and ghostwritten letters to mislead a grieving nation. Their goal is not healing. It is chaos. Their method is not fact. It is emotional manipulation. And their motivation is not patriotism. It is political survival. Let us reject this cynicism.
These guys acted irresponsibly, when Mr was not feeling well they must have asked him what the problem was and render help accordingly.The first thing to do is to ask the details of the illness from the patient and doctors.With them they ignored that but just wanted him to lead them in their political agenda.Doctors are always more than ready to advise on medical issues to people who ask.And people know how to read and write they could have read about the illness, the cause, the medication or any remedial measures and any thing to avoid when one has a problem.They now want to blame innocent people about how they didn’t care for him when instead of regretting that they shouldn’t have drugged him into endless politics but attend to medical condition.Some one goes to South Africa and talks about poison to a journalist.Is that normal surely? It is important for us to start understanding illnesses and how they progress, and the dangers of.Then we shall stop witch hunt.