‘Govt has smelt loss in Lungu burial case’
By Mast Reporter
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) government wanted to engage the family of former Zambia president Edgar Lungu out of court after sensing a loss in South Africa, Dr Fred M’membe has said.
Dr M’membe, Socialist Party (SP) presidential candidate, said the spirit driving the court action initiated by the UPND against the Lungu family was not about winning the matter but bullying the family, relatives, friends and supporters.
“They want to talk now because they know they are going to lose the case in South Africa. It’s not these courts they manipulate here. And they initiated that action not to win it but to stop the burial period so that they can negotiate. They are showing it. That’s what they are doing. They go and stop the process of burial at a high cost and then they say ‘let’s talk’,” he said.
“Why did they go to court? They went to court simply to stop the burial so that they can talk. Why this interest in Edgar’s body? Why? Let them bury him the way they want,” he said.
He said the whole issue of going into a strange country, a foreign country, and instituting a court process was unacceptable, shameful and embarrassing.
Lungu died in South Africa on June 5 but he is yet to be buried because of the row between his family and the Zambian government over where he should be buried and who should attend the funeral.
Government stopped the family from burying Lungu’s body in South Africa at the last minute last month through a court injunction obtained by Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha.
Last week, Kabesha wrote to the Lungu family proposing that the impasse be settled out of court through negotiation, bu the family has rejected the request preferring to leave the court to proceed with the case.
