MNANGAGWA SENDS HIS DEPUTY GENERAL CHIWENGA TO HICHILEMA
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa sent his Deputy General Constantino Chiwenga to President Hakainde Hichilema as his envoy following the death of Sixth President Edgar Lungu.

General Chiwenga arrived in Zambia mid morning on Friday and proceeded to State House to convey his message from his Boss to President Hichilema.

During a meeting General Chiwenga said Zambia and Zimbabwe are close felt the pain the country was going through following the demise of its Sixth President.

General Chiwenga said they could not just keep quiet as though nothing had happened hence the decision to come and deliver condolences. He urged President Hichilema to remain strong.
And President Hichilema appreciated the gesture by President Mnangagwa. He informed General Chiwenga that Zambia is going through a dark moment as it has now lost all former Presidents.

President Hichilema apologized that a formal program had not been drawn for funeral due to some challenges his government has with the family. He said he is hopeful that a consensus will be reached so that president Lungu is buried in a dignified and descent manner in Zambia.
“We are profoundly moved by this solemn gesture from President Mnangagwa and the people of Zimbabwe during this dark chapter in our nation’s history,” PresidentHichilema said. “It is a testament to the enduring bonds of solidarity and brotherhood between our two nations.”
The former President died on 5th June 2025 in South Africa where his body remains after his family and government could not agree on how to handle the funeral.

The Family wants to privately repartriate the remains of Lungu and only handover at the Airport. They also want to have three funeral services in Ndola where Lungu was born from, Petauke his home village and Lusaka where he was staying. The other condition is that President Hichilema should not be “anywhere near the body of Lungu” saying this was the instructions from the late because of the manner he treated him.

The Lungu family says President Hichilema’s government blocking Lungu on three occasions from travelling out for specialized treatment contributed to his demise. Lungu could not access treatment for three years after he left office as he was not able to travel out of the country.

The Family says the time Lungu left the country he had to sneakout and the Manager at the Airport was fired.
The state funeral ends tomorrow but with the standoff it is not clear when the burial will take place.- ZambianEye