ZAMBIA ANNOUNCES WEEKLONG MOURNING FOR FORMER PRESIDENT LUNGU
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By: Sefiu Ajape
The Zambian government on Saturday announced a seven-day national mourning period in honour of former President Edgar Lungu, who passed away in South Africa on Thursday.
Lungu, aged 68, served as Zambia’s president from January 2015 until August 2021, when he was defeated by the current leader, Hakainde Hichilema.
“The government of the Republic of Zambia wishes to inform the nation that President Hakainde Hichilema has accorded a state funeral to the sixth president, Edgar Lungu, who died on 5 June,” said the secretary to the cabinet, Patrick Kangwa.
The government announced that all flags would fly at half-mast from June 8 to 14 and that entertainment events would be suspended during that time.
Kangwa announced that the body of former President Lungu is expected to arrive in Zambia next Wednesday, with Belvedere Lodge in Lusaka designated as the official mourning venue.
According to his political party, the Patriotic Front (PF), Lungu had been undergoing specialized medical treatment at a clinic in Pretoria, South Africa.
He was being treated for recurring achalasia, a condition resulting from the narrowing of the oesophagus.
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