Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Emmanuel Mwamba says the remains of freedom fighter Mama Chibesakunda Kankasa will arrive in the country tomorrow.

And President Edgar Lungu has accorded Mama Kankasa a state funeral and declared Saturday, the day she will be buried, as a day of national mourning.

According to a statement issued by the First Secretary for Press and Public Relations at the Zambian High Commission in South Africa Naomi Nyawali, Wednesday, Mwamba announced this when he visited Mama Kankasa’s family led by Dr Tukiya Kankasa, Dr Chipepo Kankasa and Makole Kankasa who were gathered at a temporal funeral home in Pretoria.

Mwamba said the plane carrying the remains of Mama Kankasa would be South African Airways -SA064 that would land at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport tomorrow at 15:15 hours.

He said Mama Kankasa was evacuated to South Africa on October 6, 2018 for specialist treatment by government.

Meanwhile, President Lungu accorded Mama Kankasa a state funeral and declared Saturday, the day she would be buried, as a day of national mourning.

Mama Kankasa’s burial would be preceded by a requiem service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka at 09:00 hours.

Burial will later take place at Leopards Hill Memorial Park.

During the period of national mourning all flags will fly at half-mast and programmes of entertainment on radio and television will be postponed or cancelled from 06 to 18 hours.

Mama Kankasa died in South Africa on Monday, aged 82.

She was married to another struggle stalwart, Timothy Jiranda Kankasa who died on October 28, 1983.

Incidentally Mama Kankasa died a day after her husband’s anniversary.

She rose to position of the Chairperson of the UNIP Women’s League and was also a member of the Central Committee.

She was also minister of Women’s Affairs from 1969 to 1988 under the Kenneth Kaunda led government.