Former sixth Zambian President Edgar Lungu family has barred President Hakainde Hichilema from attending President Lungu’s funeral.
In a statement read on behalf of the family from Johannesburg, South Africa, where the former president died on June 5, they said it was the late president’s wish that the present president should not come anywhere near his body.
The family said his wish was that “Mortal remains be conveyed by the family privately and not the government of the Republic of Zambia,” and that “President Hakainde Hichilema should not be anywhere near the body of President Edgar Lungu for reasons that have since become common cause.”
The family has shown their frustration with the Zambian Government; it has attempted to override their decisions on funeral arrangements and violating the Lungu’s final wishes.
“The family is disturbed by the desire of the government of the Republic of Zambia to convey the mortal remains of the 6th Republican President in ways that suggest that they have no say, that is the family, that the family has no say in the manner the same will be conveyed and how they desire that he be mourned,” said the family.
Tensions appear to have escalated after two government delegations engaged with the family in Johannesburg, only to later shift their positions, further straining relations.
Meanwhile, the Zambian government had planned to fly his body back home on Wednesday, but failed to do so because of a dispute with Lungu’s family and his political party, the Patriotic Front (PF), over mourning and funeral arrangements.
The two leaders were long-standing political rivals, with Hichilema defeating Lungu in the 2021 election after failing in five previous attempts.
The family had promised to stay committed to the 6th Republican President’s wishes.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
