FORTY MINUTES WITH LUNGU’S BODY
Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, representing the Lungu family, presented tangible evidence to the Supreme Court showing that President Hakainde Hichilema wanted to have forty minutes with the body of the late President Edgar Lungu.
This private encounter with the body at the airport, triggered significant alarm within the Lungu family, leading to a halt in the repatriation process.
The family’s apprehension was rooted in the perceived lack of agreement for President Hakainde Hichilema to have such a meeting and the deeply personal and potentially symbolic nature of the interaction with the body.
The family’s reaction was not one of obstructionism for its own sake, but rather a protective stance driven by a profound sense of unease.
They were also not privy to the specifics of President Hichilema’s intentions. This ambiguity, coupled with the unusual length of time allocated, created fertile ground for speculation.
Their concern was not about the logistics of transporting a body, but about the sanctity of the deceased and their family’s right to a dignified farewell free from unforeseen and unexplained interventions.
President Hichilema is not a pastor who would want to pray for the body, and even if he did, he has no right to do so without informing the family. This made the Lungu family and a wider public suspicious.
Furthermore, the plan for solitude with the body, away from observers or family members, amplified concerns
The very nature of the planned ritual, its content, and its ultimate objectives remained unknown to anyone outside of President Hichilema’s immediate circle.
This secrecy, inevitably bred suspicion.
Private rituals involving the deceased have significant symbolic weight, and when performed in secret, they are interpreted in a variety of ways, some less benign than others.
The lack of transparency surrounding President Hichilema’s intentions allowed for the emergence of more sinister interpretations, with accusations of Satanic related activities surfacing in public discourse.
To date, no one knows what President Hichilema intended to do in the presence of the body in a room alone.