The Council of Churches has praised governments transparency over the health of President Lungu and has said it is praying for his quick and total recovery.However, the council has urged government to give a a comprehensive report rather than piecemeal bulletins on the matter.It also recalled that to date the nation has not been officially told the cause of death for the late President Michael Sata a situation which remains wide open to continued speculation.The Council of churches also urged the media to report ethically on the health of the President considering that the he is a family man and the family must be protected from unnecessary anguish.
Below is the full press statement
Press Statement on the health of President Edgar Lungu issued by the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) ON 16th March, 2015
The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) joins the nation in praying for a quick and total recovery of the Republican President, His Excellence Edgar Lungu, so that he could continue the tasks before him of ensuring that there is continued peace and stability in the country.
We note the transparency with which his being hospitalized has been exhibited thereby reducing the unnecessary speculation and distortion of information which usually result from lack of information to the citizens. The council would, however, appreciate a comprehensive report rather than piecemeal bulletins on the matter.
We recall that to date the nation has not been officially told the cause of death for the late President Michael Sata a situation which remains wide open to continued speculation on the cause of death.
We would like to caution the media to report ethically on the health of the President considering that the he is a family man and the family must be protected from unnecessary anguish.
The Council of Churches in Zambia would also like to encourage the government to ensure that the new constitution includes mandatory physical and mental health checks of aspiring presidential candidates before they are nominated for elections.
We urge all citizens to continue praying for President and the nation as a whole.
Dr Rev Edwin Zulu
VICE- PRESIDENT- COUNCIL OF CHURCHES IN ZAMBIA
Am just here to look carefully at EL’s picture just in case I see a protruding kidney just above his belt or a pipe sticking out of his neck.
Maybe a comprehensive report on the presidents health won’t be possible for ethical reasons but a good summary will be adequate. It’s time for Zambian politicians to respect the Zambian electorate,after being informed that the late Sata was on working holidays abroad and doing fine he died with not a word about cause of death.That is highly irresponsible.
Children of God world wide are very happy seeing the humble President of Zambia landing back home in good health. Surely the God of
heaven is faithful, we prayed and He answered.
We will continue living by faith not by feelings . To God be the glory.
Churches asking for medical report?? What happened to their prayers, they never got answered?
Umwaiche Amos Chanda was giving you daily reports, given by the 2 doctors of behalf of other medical teams. Why not trust him?
About the health report of the president ask HH , he knows very well about it considering what he writes through his online media zwd. Recently HH sponsored media boasting about the full medical report for the president. So please ba ccz, stop bothering govt with such reports when hh and zwd have them.
So what ailments will be on the list that will preclude some body from standing as president of Zambia? May be the council need to give us a list of ailments doctors will be required to look out for.
Yes what did the post mortem say about MCS?
Refusing to engage someone service because he has AIDS is internally outlawed.
CHAGWA AGWA, REINSTATE SUBSIDIES AND GIVE US A CONSTITUTION, PLEASE
While the idea of a medical check is a reasonable one, the whole idea smacks of discrimination and manipulation. I don’t think we should go there. Worse still we are in a society that has smashed all manner of confidentiality and privacy barriers judging by the way information is peddled on the cyber-Soweto Market.
THIS IS A GOOD MOVE BY CCZ. NOW ZAMBIANS ARE BEGINNING TO WAKE UP. GENTLEMEN LET US TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE OF LIBERATING OUR COUNTRY FROM THESE ECONOMIC DOLDRUMS INFLICTED ON US BY POLITICIANS WHO LACK EXPERTISE AND WILL-POWER TO GOVERN OUR COUNTRY WITH HONEST AND DILIGENCE, AND WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOR. A LOT OF OUR MONEY HAS BEEN WASTED ON SITTING PRESIDENTS AND OTHER POLITICIANS MEDICAL BILLS. IT’S NOW HIGH TIME THESE POLITICIANS ACCOUNTED FOR THEIR HEALTH AND THE PUBLIC MONEY THEY ARE BUSY GOBBLING TRYING TO SERVE ONLY THEIR LIVES, NEGLECTING MILLIONS OF OTHER LIVES. LUNGU IS NOT FIT, SO HE SHOULD RESIGN IMMEDIATELY SO THAT THE COUNTRY DOES NOT COMPROMISE ON DEVELOPMENT JUST TO SUSTAIN AN INDIVIDUAL’S LIFE.
Ba Zambia CCZ what illness can stop someone from standing? Mazoka would not have been allowed to stand because of his long standing AIDs condition. Now if this happened ask Up and Down party what they would have said?
There are so many Zambians in good health who are capable of leading this country successfully. It about time we became serious with qualities of our leaders. We should set ourselves stringent criteria to ensure (as humanly possible) we get the very best of our people. Why should we continue short-changing ourselves?
Some church organizations in Zambia are now in the habit of waxing political. Days are gone when churches were known for engaging in matters spiritual, matters biblical. Now they are in the fore front of engaging in matters political, matters confrontational, matters totally removed from the ecclesiastical.
Even FTJ’s death.
How about Levy Mwanawasa death, do we know the cause? Wasn’t he jogging in London?
FTJ afwile nabwima. Viagra overdose..bali bantu balya…
Dear CCZ, please make reference to ZWD unless you are pretending not to have believed them
Even Mwanawasa…we dint get the cause…even the Gabon Disaster…yes who killed Kaunda also…Wezi Kaunda?
This is a very silly request or demand to come from church leaders.
There are other life changing Gospel matters to focus on.
CCZ though President is public figure generating public interest we honestly have to slow down on certain matters and wait for an appropriate time if need be. Even yourselves looking at the kind of media writing you cant afford to be reckless. we need to be cautious as not to disturb our dear ones unnecessarily. We are human beings who have traversed this land in so many ways and eat all sorts of food that at times even difficult to tell what has suddenly happened. No one can stop destine regardless. Why not concentrate on prayers. The church is one reckless in the name of transparency?. Certain utterances look innocent but not so always.
CCZ you are losing it. Remember Dr Zulu that you are a leader of an organization that supervises churches. May be to remind you, churches are places were we find hope and comfort when the world is bombarding us with all manner of missiles of life. Leave such comments to politicians. Encourage people to pray for both the nation and the leaders. Don’t join politics. If you were sick your self since you are a public figure, would you be comfortable for CCZ to publish the details of your illness to church members since they have rights to know. The fact that the medical challenge the president is facing has been mentioned what remains now is to pray that God gives him healing. Do we honestly need to know how his intestines and veins are doing. Come on Zambians. God bless Zambia.
I like your comment. May God bless you.
The Church is ONLY asking for honest…..Experience is the best teacher. Remember what happened to Sata who was said to be enjoying good health and working very hard in State House. These guys are really true to their Don’t Kubeba………Everything is hiding this, hiding that…..sad!
Just how comprehensive does the report need to be??
CCZ go back and concentrate on Church matters! Christ left us the instructions to pray for one another and ourselves.
As church leaders your thrust should be around the need for prayer and tackling the unpleasant and evil conduct of wishing Presidents dead by failing opposition parties. This is a particular problem online, people publish such evil and wicked bitter hatred wishes for Zambians and international audiences. That is not the conduct of a Christian Nation.
Good move by CCZ thats what emost Zambians are saying.We need to have comprehensive report not piece meal.Unhealthy president will affect economy of a nation.We can not have sickly presidents in succession.NO NO.YOU ARE SPEAKING FOR THE MAJORITY AND THATS IS SERVICE UNTO GOD AND MAN KEEP IT UP.
One moment in the theater and the next moment “I am ready to work”…….Is this really the Theater that we all know? You have to think through the lie before you produce it. The challenge with lies is that you have to cover up all the time. Cover up for the first lie, then cover up for the second and so on & so forth. Now it will be difficult for any more press statements or briefings on the health of Edgar Lungu. From now on ,we shall see ECL in patches…..see him now and see him latter……We are back to the Sata hide and seek were Sata was said to be enjoying good health and working very hard in State house……This is the famous statement from George Chella.
Interesting CCZ but why not Mwanawasa as well. We know he died in Cairo but the Church was in the forefront in praying for a dead body to come alive for a month? At least Maureen Mwanawasa is still alive as is former minister of Information Shikapwasha.