By CHARLES MUSONDA and NOEL IYOMBWA
IT is a taboo in the Zambian culture to bury someone and later exhume the body without any special reason, traditional chiefs have said.
Meanwhile, a senior clergyman has said first president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda was State property and government made the right decision to bury him at Embassy Park where the public can access his grave.
In an interview yesterday, Bible Gospel Church in Africa (BIGOCA) Archbishop Peter Ndhlovu said as such the government had an upper role in making the decision to bury Dr. Kaunda at Embassy Park in consultation with his family.
And speaking in separate interviews, Chief Mpepo , Chief Kaputa and Chief Chikanta of Kalomo said that as much as there are different cultures, reburying someone is an abomination in any culture.
The chiefs were reacting to suggestion of a possible exhuming and reburying of former president Dr Kenneth Kaunda from Embassu Park to State Lodge where his wife Betty, was buried.
The chief unanimously said that someone should only be buried once and for all so that they rest in peace.
Chief Mpeople of the Bemba speaking people said it is also unchristian to exhume someone’s body and rebury it unless there are important reasons to do so.
“It is taboo to rebury someone without any special reason to do that because it is unchristian and uncalled for so traditionally it is a taboo, “ he said.
And Chief Kaputa of Northern Province said that unless under certain circumstances, someone has to be buried only once and for all.
Chief Kaputa said that the dead have to be respected by burying them once.
Meanwhile Chief Chikanta of Kalomo district in Southern province said that only in circumstances such as someone who was buried in another country can he be reburied.
Bishop Ndhlovu said majority of Dr. Kaunda’s family agreed but the controversy is coming from some politicians who are trying to influence people into believing that government made a wrong decision to bury him at Embassy Park.
“His grave is protected as it is State property and those advocating that he should be exhumed and reburied at his house are not in their right mind because Dr. Kaunda was not only for his family as he was for Zambia and Africa,” Bishop Ndhlovu said.
He commended President Lungu and his government for giving Dr. Kaunda a befitting burial, which showed that he was truly Zambia’s founding father and the people have honoured him.
Bishop Ndhlovu urged Zambians not to forget Dr. Kaunda’s prayer releasing and blessing Zambia on May 25, 2015 and that his burial site should not bring confusion.
