A family representative of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu has rejected a state funeral for Lungu.
Lungu (68), who served as president of Zambia from January 2015 to August 2021, died on 5 June in South Africa due to an undisclosed illness.
His body will arrive in Zambia on Wednesday for burial.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Lungu’s family criticised the incumbent government for allegedly having denied Lungu access to medical treatment abroad despite being fully aware of his condition.
Family representative Makebi Zulu said that had Lungu’s requests been honoured, the former president might still be alive.
Zulu said despite this, Lungu’s family are calling for national unity during the mourning of his death.
The family insists that no burial arrangement contrary to Lungu’s wishes and dignity will be accepted.
“As the family moves, we call for unity, sobriety and introspection that this should not be a cause for division, but should be a cause for unity. And as such, any position from the government that goes against the desires of the family will not be accepted.
“However, we remain amenable to a win-win situation that accommodates all the views of the stakeholders involved,” said Zulu.
Zulu said Lungu was cognizant that the government, under the watch of president Hakainde Hichilema, did not treat him as it ought to have.
Sometime in 2022, Zulu said, the former president requested to travel to South Africa for medical purposes, but the Zambian government rejected that request.
That request, Zulu said, was re-emphasised in 2023. The government responded by stating that it had no resources. Lungu responded that he would use his own resources, Zulu recounted.
The Zambian government announced on Saturday that a seven-day national mourning period will be observed.
During this period, the public are requested to suspend all entertainment activities while flags will be flown at half-mast. A state funeral has also been accorded.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, in a statement issued on 5 June, said she learned of Lungu’s death with a deep sense of sadness.
“[T]he passing on of former president Lungu is deeply felt by the Namibian people who have forged strong bonds of friendship with the Zambian people over many decades,” Nandi-Ndaitwah stated.
She recalled meeting Lungu on several occasions during his tenure, and that she felt his commitment to stronger bilateral cooperation between Namibia and Zambia.
Nandi-Ndaitwah extended her condolences to the Lungu family and the entire Zambian people.
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