Lungu Pays Tribute to Deceased Aunt

President Edgar Lungu has described his aunt Mainess Lungu as a passionate and caring woman who was always candid and a “force of nature”.

President Lungu, who was speaking during his aunt’s funeral at M’kwama village of senior chief Kalindawalo in Petauke today, Lungu said his aunt was brutally frank.

“I don’t really know the exact words that would describe the woman we are bidding farewell to today. Maybe, I can describe her as a ‘force of nature’ and that’s the most apt description of her, I think. My aunt was brutally frank; she spoke her mind, yet never kept a grudge against anybody. So one time she may be ripping into someone if she is displeased with one’s conduct; the next time you realise she is back chatting with them and life goes on,” President Lungu said.

He said Ms Lungu was a passionate, tough, but caring woman.

“She was a happy woman. To many people, she was my aunt; yet to me, she was actually my mother. She was my father’s younger sister, and therefore, she meant a lot to me. She was always proud of us as her children and grandchildren and had many stories to tell us. There is so much we, as a family, and many people who knew her can learn from her; for example, her candidness. The only thing we can’t learn from her is how to live long. She was 92. The only one who knows the secret of long life is God. My mother’s death is truly a celebration of her life. She lived life to the fullest, and we can only thank God for giving us this gift. She was truly a gift from God,” said President Lungu.

“Let me conclude by thanking all of you who have managed to come here in Petauke. This is as it should be. We should meet in good times and bad times and build oneness together. Let us love one another. Let us remember that what divides us does not outweigh what brings us together. We are one under our national motto – one Zambia, one nation. I can only wish all of you God’s blessings as you go back to your various destinations.”

Ms Lungu, who was born born on January 2, 1926, died on Monday, September 16, 2019.