There was drama as mourners paraded a coffin carrying the remains of their relative at the Kapiri Mposhi District Commissioner’s office over the weekend, to the amusement of onlookers.
The mourners, while hoisting the coffin on their shoulders, marched from Kapiri Mposhi Urban Clinic mortuary demanding that Kapiri Mposhi Town Council, where the father to the deceased 19 year old boy works as a general worker, provides transport to ferry mourners from the funeral house in Ndeke Compound to the burial site.
Police had a tough time to prevent a horde of mourners who surged into the District Administration office which houses offices for Kapiri Mposhi District Commissioner, Peter Mwiinde, where they displayed the body at the entrance.
Mother to the deceased Grace Sakala demanded that the council provides a tipper truck to ferry mourners to pay their last respects.
Ms Sakala said the family was only given a hearse which was inadequate to ferry all mourners to the burial site.
“The tipper truck we were given has apparently gone to ferry timber but is timber more important than a dead body, I am very disappointed,” Ms Sakala said.
The mourners dispersed only after being assured by Patriotic Front (PF) Kapiri Mposhi Constituency Vice Chairman, Morgan Mwenya that a tipper truck had been released to ferry them to the burial site.
Meanwhile, Kapiri Mposhi Town Council Public Relations Officer Chris Mulaliki expressed concern over the manner in which the issue was handled by the mourners.
Mr Mulaliki stated that the family was provided with adequate transport logistics and K10, 000 cash to cater for all funeral expenses.
The deceased identified as George Munkombwe, 19, died on Wednesday last week, following a short illness.
Difficult to comment without real factual evidence of what transpired in this case.
May the deceased RIEP and may the family find peace in Jesus’s name. Death is a painful eventuality.
These mourners awe sure mwe….but..
Running a business in zed must account for such culturally expected norms. No wonder salaries are low in zed, as most jobs carry benefits.
Anyway, it is good this situation was defused, and the dead put to rest.
Ubufontini, why cater for mourners when you are bereaved?
There’s a lack of leadership at Kapiri Mponshi District Council and now the effects have begun to show. Workers at this council go for months without pay, even most peasant farmers that paid K400 never received their inputs last season. There’s no Council in Zambia that can give any worker, not even the Mayor K10,000 as funeral grant. When people do that it means they’re fed up. They’ll speak louder through the ballot, just wait and see