.Mrs Lungu

By MAYA NTANDA –

FIRST Lady Esther Lungu yesterday broke down when she visited funeral houses for Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) miners who were buried alive after a rock fall at 3240 feet level at the South Ore Body (SOB) shaft.
Ms Lungu, who was accompanied by Copperbelt Provincial Minister Mwenya Musenge, acting Permanent Secretary Elias Kamanga, Kitwe District Commissioner Chanda Kabwe and Patriotic Front (PF) officials,  visited the funeral houses in Chamboli, Miseshi and Nkana East areas.
She told mourners that what had transpired had affected President Edgar Lungu and all Zambians especially that it was unexpected.
“This funeral is for all of us, we are together in this, the President is heartbroken by the death of the miners and requested me to come and mourn with you,” she said.
Ms Lungu encouraged the families to leave everything in God’s hands and to look to him for strength.
The miners, machine operators, were part of the 90 employees who went underground around 23:00 hours on July 19, this year and fell in the underground pit when the area caved in.
They were Emmanuel Kyongola and Arnold Mambwe both of Chamboli township, Honest Mushota of 74 Geddes Street Nkana East  and Abel Munthali of 893 old Ndeke township.
The search for their bodies has continued.
Earlier, Ms Lungu was among hundreds of mourners that paid their last respects to a State House driver who died in a Road Traffic Accident In Serenje last Thursday.
Jeslie Ngoma, 45, was put to rest at Chingola road cemetery in Kitwe.