Opinion / Columnist
Edgar Lungu: untidy facts surrounding his burial place?
15 hrs ago | Views

The death of former President of Zambia, Advocate Lungu is opening a can of worms. How did he get a Zimbabwean diplomatic green passport from Zimbabwe. This question must be asked by Zimbabweans too, how did got it? Surely, from the government of Zimbabwe: how else could he have acquired such a high-profile document without government assistance. Corruption cannot be worse than what has just happened to Lungu. Whatever he wanted to conceal using a false passport to get medical assistance is now open, we know, and we can start speculating too, that Lungu could have been a citizen of Zimbabwe incognito. What is not clear is how the South Arican hospital treated him using a false document. Are we to buy it that the hospital authorities were not privy the patient was high-profile, a former president of Zambia! It does not add up to full total!
No amount of denial will quieten the fact: Lungu died in a South African hospital where he was admitted with the name Mr. Tendai Munyaradzi, hence the whole burial procedures were complicated by that revelation. Mangwana came out refusing that Lungu possessed a Zimbabwe diplomatic document. It is embarrassing enough; to further fuel issues by refusing it, makes the government of Zimbabwe a mockery. Here, they have been found wanting: The Zimbabwe government must give a credible explanation as to why Lungu held a diplomatic passport with a Zimbabwe name Tendai Munyaradzi. That Lungu possessed a Zimbabwean passport is a national security issue that should raffle the Harare regime. Are our African presidents criminals?
It happens globally that citizens can forge passports of other countries as survival strategy. It is, however, inconceivable for a former head of state to stoop so low. Most citizens, forced by desperate circumstances dropped their original citizenship and acquired one passport and citizenship of that country. This time around it is different. A whole former head state is found with 3 foreign diplomatic documents, reminiscent with actions of criminals. Is Lungu a criminal? What was the use of three foreign documents in his name? Who issued documents from other countries? Apart from Zimbabwe, which other country issued him a passport? Are these countries from the SADC region? SADC citizens have the right to be informed about these details. If indeed Lungu got his passport from Zimbabwe, under what conditions was he given that passport, as erstwhile citizen?
The burial of Advocate Lungu was stopped because serious background issues must be cleared first. It must be established that Lungu was a citizen of which country – Zambia or Zimbabwe. If the passport he used at the time of death was Zimbabwean: with the name, Tendai Munyaradzi, it must be established first if indeed he was Zimbabwean. Secondly, if he was Zambian, why acquiring several foreign passports to muddle waters. The devil is in the detail! There is a lot to be unpacked before Advocate Edgar Lungu is laid to rest. Lungu is not a private person: He was sixth leader of an African nation with member of several international organisations including SADC, AU, UN & other sub-organisations globally. There is no privacy to talk about here. His death is of public concern not only in Zambia but the whole of Africa. He cannot be buried in South Africa even by a stretch of imagination, but in a designated place in Zambia where other Presidents were laid to rest. This is truly what HH is trying to achieve, never to expose him, but to honor him, give dignity that duly belongs to Lungu, former head of state.
In Zezuru I would have said: ndinozomunyarira: in Bemba, nafi sevanya uku.
The South African courts must begin unpacking issues surrounding his hospitalization first. Why did the authorities conceal a high-profile patient in their premises without alerting at least the South African high secret service and treat the case as a national security issue in the event it happened, he died using a false passport under their jurisdiction. I shudder to believe that the authorities in the hospital were not privy of the false document with a name, Tendai Munyaradzi instead of HE Edgar Lungu. Such a personality of Lungu cannot hide enough even if he had a false document.
Jeff Juda was talking about the same topic in the social media: I listen to him not for content, but about his drama when talking exactly such issues, he loves, gloats questioning identity of individuals. Lungu's identity mismatch did not escape Jeff Juda. "Veku Masvingo vaudzwa here kuti kunemu Karanga atisiya ku South Africa"? I wonder still if the Lungu family realizes a serious problem that could drag for months before Lungu is laid to rest. It is incumbent upon the government of Zambia to make a thorough investigation to this matter: who will trust an African if an African head of state can fraudulently acquire three different foreign passports all of which are of different countries? Did the Zambia government evoke his diplomatic passport he is supposed to possess indefinitely? Many questions must be adequately answered and his next of skins must be investigated if they hold such passports too.
President HH has handled Lungu saga with great statesmanship. HH is a noble man. In all these verbal lacerations in the media, the criminal aspect of the whole issue is not recklessly spoken about, either by HH or his party and government. Edgar Lungu is accorded dignity in death by HH expected in accordance with the philosophy of UBUNTU.
No amount of denial will quieten the fact: Lungu died in a South African hospital where he was admitted with the name Mr. Tendai Munyaradzi, hence the whole burial procedures were complicated by that revelation. Mangwana came out refusing that Lungu possessed a Zimbabwe diplomatic document. It is embarrassing enough; to further fuel issues by refusing it, makes the government of Zimbabwe a mockery. Here, they have been found wanting: The Zimbabwe government must give a credible explanation as to why Lungu held a diplomatic passport with a Zimbabwe name Tendai Munyaradzi. That Lungu possessed a Zimbabwean passport is a national security issue that should raffle the Harare regime. Are our African presidents criminals?
It happens globally that citizens can forge passports of other countries as survival strategy. It is, however, inconceivable for a former head of state to stoop so low. Most citizens, forced by desperate circumstances dropped their original citizenship and acquired one passport and citizenship of that country. This time around it is different. A whole former head state is found with 3 foreign diplomatic documents, reminiscent with actions of criminals. Is Lungu a criminal? What was the use of three foreign documents in his name? Who issued documents from other countries? Apart from Zimbabwe, which other country issued him a passport? Are these countries from the SADC region? SADC citizens have the right to be informed about these details. If indeed Lungu got his passport from Zimbabwe, under what conditions was he given that passport, as erstwhile citizen?
The burial of Advocate Lungu was stopped because serious background issues must be cleared first. It must be established that Lungu was a citizen of which country – Zambia or Zimbabwe. If the passport he used at the time of death was Zimbabwean: with the name, Tendai Munyaradzi, it must be established first if indeed he was Zimbabwean. Secondly, if he was Zambian, why acquiring several foreign passports to muddle waters. The devil is in the detail! There is a lot to be unpacked before Advocate Edgar Lungu is laid to rest. Lungu is not a private person: He was sixth leader of an African nation with member of several international organisations including SADC, AU, UN & other sub-organisations globally. There is no privacy to talk about here. His death is of public concern not only in Zambia but the whole of Africa. He cannot be buried in South Africa even by a stretch of imagination, but in a designated place in Zambia where other Presidents were laid to rest. This is truly what HH is trying to achieve, never to expose him, but to honor him, give dignity that duly belongs to Lungu, former head of state.
In Zezuru I would have said: ndinozomunyarira: in Bemba, nafi sevanya uku.
The South African courts must begin unpacking issues surrounding his hospitalization first. Why did the authorities conceal a high-profile patient in their premises without alerting at least the South African high secret service and treat the case as a national security issue in the event it happened, he died using a false passport under their jurisdiction. I shudder to believe that the authorities in the hospital were not privy of the false document with a name, Tendai Munyaradzi instead of HE Edgar Lungu. Such a personality of Lungu cannot hide enough even if he had a false document.
Jeff Juda was talking about the same topic in the social media: I listen to him not for content, but about his drama when talking exactly such issues, he loves, gloats questioning identity of individuals. Lungu's identity mismatch did not escape Jeff Juda. "Veku Masvingo vaudzwa here kuti kunemu Karanga atisiya ku South Africa"? I wonder still if the Lungu family realizes a serious problem that could drag for months before Lungu is laid to rest. It is incumbent upon the government of Zambia to make a thorough investigation to this matter: who will trust an African if an African head of state can fraudulently acquire three different foreign passports all of which are of different countries? Did the Zambia government evoke his diplomatic passport he is supposed to possess indefinitely? Many questions must be adequately answered and his next of skins must be investigated if they hold such passports too.
President HH has handled Lungu saga with great statesmanship. HH is a noble man. In all these verbal lacerations in the media, the criminal aspect of the whole issue is not recklessly spoken about, either by HH or his party and government. Edgar Lungu is accorded dignity in death by HH expected in accordance with the philosophy of UBUNTU.
Source - Nomazulu Thata
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