The remains of the country’s late 6th Republican president Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa on January 05, 2025 will arrive in the country today via a private flight provided by well-wishers.
Lungu left the country privately in January 2025 without pomp, but today his remains would be received in the country by millions in a nation in mourning. No one would have anticipated such a scenario when news filtered through that Lungu had travelled outside the country under the cover of privacy to attend to what many thought was a regular medical checkup, that would unfortunately get complicated and end up claiming the life of the country’s former leader.
Up until his death, Lungu was the only surviving former president in a nation which has lost all the previous heads of state to have served in the counrty’s highest office. Even with his continued participation in active politics as leader of the Patriotic Front and the Tonse Alliance, having earlier come out of retirement to “save democracy”, at least many lived with the awareness of having a former head of state around.
His family and political party argue that had he not delayed the medical checkups due to the various restrictions placed on him from travelling, he probably could be alive today. Therefore, the arrival of his remains today will evoke sad memories, especially when coming to terms with seeing his mortal remains carried in a coffin wrapped in the national flag.
In saying so, we are also alive to the fact that there are also those who still hold hard feelings against Lungu, some justifiably so, because of one or two issues they did not like especially when he led the country as president. And they have their own right to hold such feelings, except that nothing will be gained from holding on to those hard feelings against a dead person. This calls for those who are alive now to draw on the best lessons Lungu espoused while also learning from the bad ones, especially those who lead the country now and those aspiring to take over leadership.
For the sympathisers and other mourners alike, the fact remains that Lungu served this country and deserves a dignified sendoff as one of the only seven people in this nation’s history to have led us all.
The government and the family of the late will be key towards realising that befitting send off. Therefore, every effort must be made by both parties to avoid deviating from the resolutions that were agreed upon, following an impasse that had developed on how his repatriation and funeral were going to be conducted.
It is also not lost on anyone that Lungu was a politician, and there has been heavy involvement of politics from the time he died and the same will continue during and after this funeral. However, even in politics there can be dignity in ensuring a befitting send off for one of the nation’s greatest sons.
By Daily Revelation Editor
The remains of the country’s late 6th Republican president Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa on January 05, 2025 will arrive in the country today via a private flight provided by well-wishers.
Lungu left the country privately in January 2025 without pomp, but today his remains would be received in the country by millions in a nation in mourning. No one would have anticipated such a scenario when news filtered through that Lungu had travelled outside the country under the cover of privacy to attend to what many thought was a regular medical checkup, that would unfortunately get complicated and end up claiming the life of the country’s former leader.
Up until his death, Lungu was the only surviving former president in a nation which has lost all the previous heads of state to have served in the counrty’s highest office. Even with his continued participation in active politics as leader of the Patriotic Front and the Tonse Alliance, having earlier come out of retirement to “save democracy”, at least many lived with the awareness of having a former head of state around.
His family and political party argue that had he not delayed the medical checkups due to the various restrictions placed on him from travelling, he probably could be alive today. Therefore, the arrival of his remains today will evoke sad memories, especially when coming to terms with seeing his mortal remains carried in a coffin wrapped in the national flag.
In saying so, we are also alive to the fact that there are also those who still hold hard feelings against Lungu, some justifiably so, because of one or two issues they did not like especially when he led the country as president. And they have their own right to hold such feelings, except that nothing will be gained from holding on to those hard feelings against a dead person. This calls for those who are alive now to draw on the best lessons Lungu espoused while also learning from the bad ones, especially those who lead the country now and those aspiring to take over leadership.
For the sympathisers and other mourners alike, the fact remains that Lungu served this country and deserves a dignified sendoff as one of the only seven people in this nation’s history to have led us all.
The government and the family of the late will be key towards realising that befitting send off. Therefore, every effort must be made by both parties to avoid deviating from the resolutions that were agreed upon, following an impasse that had developed on how his repatriation and funeral were going to be conducted.
It is also not lost on anyone that Lungu was a politician, and there has been heavy involvement of politics from the time he died and the same will continue during and after this funeral. However, even in politics there can be dignity in ensuring a befitting send off for one of the nation’s greatest sons.
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