Africa-Press – Zambia. Governance activist Wesley Miyanda says the government’s request to verify the remains of former president Edgar Lungu is long overdue and has urged the Lungu family to allow the process to go ahead to dispel any doubts.
Reports indicate that the Zambian government has asked a South African court for access to the morgue where the late president’s body is kept for purposes of identification, while the family has reportedly asked the state to cover costs related to the delayed funeral.
Mr. Miyanda has criticized the family and the former ruling Patriotic Front, for what he describes as premeditated actions, citing the announcement of parallel funeral arrangements and a mourning period without coordinating with the government, as examples of how their demands and actions have stalled the burial of Mr. Lungu.
He says it is unfair for the family to demand compensation from the government when their own conditions have contributed to the delay in burying the late former head of state, and is disappointed that the protracted process has failed to yield consensus between the state and the family.
In an interview with Phoenix News, Mr. Miyanda has also expressed concern that most stakeholders, aside from the family, including opposition leaders, have not viewed the body while the government has already spent money on burial preparations and other logistics which remain on hold.
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