HH, New Dawn missed opportunity to foster national unity

HH, New Dawn missed opportunity to foster national unity

WE CONCUR with historian Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa that President Hakainde Hichilema and his government have mishandled the death of late former president Edgar Lungu from the beginning.

Essentially, this is a lost opportunity for Hichilema and his supporters to promote harmony and unity within the country.

Firstly, when Lungu died on June 5, 2025, it took his daughter, Chawama Member of Parliament Tasila Lungu, to announce the death of her father hours after he had died while Hichilema was officiating at some event.

It took more than 48 hours for the government, acting through Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa, to declare a state funeral and seven days of national mourning in response to Lungu’s death.  The Lungu family was not consulted or given any opinion on any of this.

Because of the government’s inaction, the Patriotic Front (PF), led by its acting president Given Lubinda, was compelled to declare the party secretariat as the official site of mourning so that members could have an opportunity to mourn their late leader.

We also agree with Dr Sishuwa that during his predecessor’s funeral, Hichilema should have gone to the PF secretariat to offer his condolences as well as to attempt to promote national unity.  He chose instead to establish a second site of mourning at Belvedere Lodge, where members of the United Party for National Development (UPND), including those who denigrated and abused Lungu throughout his lifetime, were encamped.  For Hichilema, this was all a power struggle to establish who was in command and had State authority.

As Dr Sishuwa has stated, in the Zambian culture you cannot dictate to the bereaved where and how they should grieve their loved one. Given the circumstances surrounding Lungu’s death, Hichilema might have at least visited the PF secretariat and Lungu’s house in Chifwema area. Such actions would have promoted unity and eased political tensions.

As we have previously stated, Hichilema’s selection of special envoys to engage in negotiations with the Lungu family was not the best. When Lungu was alive, people like former vice president Enoch Kavindele, former secretary to the Cabinet Secretary Leslie Mbula and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mulambo Haimbe had turned taunting and attacking Lungu into a pastime. Yet these were the characters Hichilema sent to go and negotiate with the Lungu family. And because they all lack wisdom, the shameless bunch excitedly headed to South Africa instead of declaring interest that they were too conflicted to be involved in such sensitive negotiations.

As a result, the Lungu family found it challenging to engage in dialogue with the same individuals who had vilified and attacked Lungu when he was still living.  The family eventually sat and talked with the delegation, though, regardless of the circumstances.

If the Lungu family had respected and trusted Hichilema’s choice of representatives, it would have been simple for him and his New Dawn administration to engage with them and reach an agreement right at that stage.

Thirdly, Hichilema should have complied with the family’s request that he should not attend the funeral of his predecessor.  If he had pledged to stay away from his predecessor’s funeral, this impasse would have been resolved by now.

In the same way that he delegated Vice President Mutale Nalumango to represent Zambia at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-IX), Hichilema has the authority to assign another person to preside over Lungu’s funeral and stay away.

Hichilema and his administration have undoubtedly mishandled Lungu’s death.  This omission has divided the nation more than it has ever been in its more than 60 years of existence.  Regardless of the outcome in South African courts, the poor conduct of Lungu’s burial will have an impact on the nation’s future and national unity.