GOVERNMENT has revealed that late former president Edgar Lungu, shall be given a dignified send off with military honours and a cortège.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16TWNfKrrE/?mibextid=oFDknk
The full military honours include the presidential gun salute, guard of honour and fly past.
According to Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Mulambo Haimbe, President Hakainde Hichilema is saddened by the death of his predecessor, adding that the Head of State had to make a statement immediately he learnt of the demise of Lungu on Thursday.
“The manner in which an announcement is made is not the issue, Facebook is one of the quicker ways of communicating. The President also through secretary to the Cabinet made a statement and remember that there are processes that need to be undertaken to verify and that may have been the issue because the President cannot comment or react before the information is verified,” he said.
Haimbe advised the nation to focus on mourning the late former president in a respectful way that will in turn give dignity to the funeral.
“We need to focus on a proper send off for our former Head of State instead of focusing on what happened when he was alive. We must focus on sending President Lungu in a befitting way, let’s not focus on people asking questions and making statements that bring about division,” he said on Diamond TV’s Costa programme.
“We will give our late President a dignified send off like late President KK’s (Kenneth Kaunda) which was what all of us Zambians appreciated, with military honours and cortège. Let’s not enter into political discourse. If we are to send him in a dignified way then we should be able to unite even when we are coming from different political backgrounds.”
He added that the Secretary to the Cabinet will give the nation more updates on the funeral arrangements either before the remains are repatriated to Zambia or after it is in the country.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, June 9, 2025
