Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Minister Charles Milupi says he expects personnel in his Ministry who are preparing the burial site for the late President Rupiah Banda to do a good job.
Mr. Milupi has said President Hakainde Hichilema expects to see a good burial site befitting the late former Zambian President.
The Minister was speaking when he inspected works at the Presidential burial site at Embassy Park in Lusaka today.
Mr. Milupi has further instructed his Permanent Secretary, Eng. Danny Mfune to ensure that a thorough job is done because the state funeral for the late President Banda is expected to be attended by various dignitaries who include foreign Heads of State and Government.
“President Banda did a lot for this country and preparing a good final resting place for him is the least that we can do. I expect to see a good job done here.” Hon. Milupi said.
And Eng. Mfune assured the Minister that works to prepare the burial site is going on smoothly and that the workforce that includes the Defence personnel are working according to the programme set.
The Minister was also joined by Zambia Army Commander, Lieutenant General Sitali Alibuzwi and the late President Rupiah Banda’s son Andrew.
Zambia’s former President Rupiah Banda, who died on Friday, March 11th, will be buried on Friday, March 18th at the Presidential burial site at the Embassy Park.
Meanwhile, President Hichilema, has declared Friday, 18th March, 2022 a Public Holiday.
According to a statement from Cabinet office, President Hichilema has made the declaration under the Public Holidays Act, Cap 272 of the Laws of Zambia.
The declaration is meant to facilitate a befitting State Funeral and burial ceremony to the Fourth President of the Republic of Zambia, the late Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda.
In view of the declaration, Government is urging Members of the public and the business community to observe the public holiday in a dignified manner as the nation puts to rest President Banda, a gallant Freedom Fighter, Great Son of the Nation and Statesman.
Members of the public are further guided that attendance to the State Funeral Church Service at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross is strictly by invitation, while the Burial Ceremony at the Presidential Burial Site is a private function restricted to family members and a few invited guests.
The public is, however, encouraged to follow the live ZNBC Television broadcast of the State Funeral proceedings at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross and burial ceremony at the Presidential Burial Site, Embassy Park.
The live proceedings will also be made available on other social media platforms.
As the Nation observes the Public Holiday on Friday, institutions which provide essential services are requested to ensure that adequate arrangements are put in place to avoid a disruption in the provision of such services.
MOST STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET
AND A PUBLIC HOLIDAY IS DECLARED
I GUESS WE IN FOR ANOTHER 57 YEARS OF ????
Yet ANOTHER public holiday, unbelievable. Zambia is a poor country and needs everybody to work hard with long hours. And what does government do? It declares the UMPTEENTH public holiday for the year. Which actually will mean that normal ordinary citizens will just WORK this Friday, and only those lazy civil servants will take the day off. Sorry Mr President, baaaaad move!
Look there , being supervised by Chinese on how to build the resting place for RB…….
What a shame ,…………
after $17 billions borrowed and didn’t by that corrupt theif lungu, Zambians still can’t build a presidential resting place without Chinese……….
Very soon Zambia whose first president was in 1964 will competing with USA whose first president was in 1789 in terms of number of dead presidents. Imagine with very few years of Independence we only have one living former president. This is a bad record for a country were consulting a former president will be going to kneel a memorial park.
We spend far too much on these Presidential burial sites ..look at that a concrete wall grave, why can you not just let put the coffin into the ground and let the earth take his body like everyone else!!
kci – The lifespan for men in Zambia is very low even for these chaps who have elue doctors to look after them …we dont look after ourselves like KK was who lived till 94. Excercise regularly buy a bicycle …eat alkaline foods or diet to keep cancer away and reduce or eliminate on alcohol.
Its only in Zambia where public holidays are liberally dished out. UPND dont seem to understnd these hoidays affect the economy negatively. This is without mentioning the fact that te entertainment industry is unfairly targeted and strangled with National mourning’s arbitray rules. Radio stations that survive on entertainment music lose the little income they treasure all in the name of national mourning. Why dont developed nations have such national mournings imwe bantu?
Hey #6 Tariono Orange actually KK lived to 97yrs of age.
Good to see economic Guru Rupiah Bwezani Banda get accorded the great respectful sendoff that he rightly earned.
When a head of state demands for quality work then you know we are in trouble. These things should be organised in advance. We should be experienced by now after putting to rest 4 former presidents. Maybe Embassy park should have a contractors responsible for maintaining the site.
KONG WOO KNOW HOW TO WORM THEIR WAY INTO OUR WEALTH THEY ARE AN ADVANCED RACE AND THEY ARE SUBTLE
AND CALCULATING
AS TUTU SAID ABOUT EARLY MISSIONARIES
THEY GAVE US THE BIBLE AND TOLD US TO CLOSE OUR EYES AND PRAY
WHEN WE OPENED OUR EYES THEY HAD OUR LANDS AND WE ONLY HAD THE BIBLE
MARK THESE WORDS
This is disgusting…and no medication in hospitals….how much did that grave cost??? and on top of that you declare a public holiday….HH is trying hard to outdo. Lungu……Africans kulibonseha nanjala
Sh!t, I almost missed those two Chinese standing around. So even this contract was not awarded to Zambians?
Build these things in advance. Immediately a president is inaugulated, you should start building his grave. By now we should have built ECL grave. And the moment HH was inaugulated in 2021 the same day we should have started preparing is grave site.
@13Chambia it is taboo under African culture to build a grave for someone who is still living. It looks as if you want them to die fast. Let’s take things one day at a time. Let’s continue doing things as circumstances unfold everyday. Graves will be built for Edgar and Hakainde the day they will answer the Lord’s call
FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME I PARTLY AGREE WITH SAULOSI
THATS IF HE’s NOT HAVING ANOTHER DIG AT UPND AS USUAL
90% of businesses will be working anyway ?
SO BUSINESS AS USUAL
Balibe Vochita – Yes we need a review on this declarations of holidays …why can we not have national mourniing without holiday…It should always be business as usual there are too many holidays in Zambia
Ashes to ashes…..
The only good thing about a grave like this is that it simplifies the work of the future archeologists. They will not have to dig, but just slide the grave cover and find the bones. Please remember to put in the grave all those things archeologists look for. I can see the this grave is very spacious to accomodate such.
Welcome to Zambia, Welcome to people who cant dig a grave without foreign supervision. Welcome to people who think everything from brains to dress must be imported.. Welcome to people who think national mourning must have a public Holiday to accompany it. Welcome to people whose President struggles to identify National values. Welcome to a democracy that values Presidents more than citizens. Welcome to people who build mansions and big concrete graves for ex-presidents. Welcome to people whose lawyers want to wear white people’s wigs. Welcome to brainwashed people without an identity
Kikikikikiki! Chief Mourner only now do I realise that those graves are meant for archeologists. I suggest we put a picture of his state built mansion in the grave in case an erthquake destroys it so that they can know where he lived
If he didn’t make the burial day a holiday the same people could have attacked him and called him names, he accords a public holiday you still complain, mwaba shani kanshi??? Let’s mourn in peace. Whether holiday or not business will still go on. Will the holiday prevent you from doing what you want?
@15 TIKKI
Even after these Politicians die they continue wasting tax payers money…imagine that grave was given to a Chinese and you know what follows its the grave site maintenance…those Graves are very expensive to maintenance….if you have a contract of maintaining one Presidential grave….then you’re set for life…monthly maintenance fee US$ 5000 every month……
@Patrick. Some simple economics: holiday=no work =no production =less GDP
Kwena sure how were we burying ourselves before the Chinese arrived?
Saudi Arabia is among the very rich countries yet its royals are buried in common graves and a ‘poor’ nation as Zambia is still into building mausoleums! Pragmatic thinking is carried away with emotions! Embassy Park is now an assemblage of shrines