Larry Mweetwa’s apology to ECL family not a sign of remorse

By NATION REPORTER

A PUBLIC apology by outspoken UPND supporter Dr. Larry Mweetwa to the family of the late former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has backfired, with critics describing it as hollow, insincere and a carefully orchestrated stunt by the ruling party meant to create false remorse.
Dr. Mweetwa, who had earlier branded the former President Lungu’s family as “bitter” during their mourning period, has now issued a written apology, retracting his words and expressing deep regret for the pain caused. He also extended his apology to Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa for overstepping authority by commenting on funeral arrangements of the late president.
But the apology has stirred more controversy than calm.
Political commentator Michael Phiri dismissed it as nothing but a UPND damage-control manoeuvre, warning that it was aimed at sanitising the government’s mishandling of President Lungu’s burial.
“This regime has turned a solemn national funeral into a political circus,” Mr Phiri charged. “Dragging this process for three months, digging graves without family consent, mocking mourners…all of it shows arrogance and insensitivity. Now they want to bury their lies under the guise of an apology.”
Child rights advocate Anastasia Banda echoed similar sentiments, stressing that mocking a family in mourning was against Zambian culture and values.
“Mourning demands compassion, not mockery,” she wrote. “What we have witnessed – cadres ridiculing the Lungu family in their grief – has brought shame on our nation. Our elders and traditional leaders have been silent, and that silence is disturbing.”
Another critic, Thandiwe Ngoma, accused the UPND of using Dr Mweetwa’s apology as a trap to manipulate the Lungu family into silence.
“No cultured person calls a grieving family bitter. This sudden remorse is not sincere, it is a ploy,” she argued. “If the government truly respects the late President, let it show through action, not staged apologies. Zambians must not be fooled.”
The mounting anger has reignited accusations that the government was weaponising the mourning period for political gain.
Opposition leaders insisted the funeral process is being used to control the narrative, suppress dissent, and sideline voices such as that of lawyer and former minister Makebi Zulu, who is reportedly being targeted with “trumped-up charges” for challenging the state’s handling of the matter.
Meanwhile, calls are growing for President Hakainde Hichilema himself to address the controversy directly, with demands that he rein in surrogates, bloggers and aides accused of mocking the Lungu family.