Ugandan socialite Zari Hassan has hit back at people questioning the circumstances surrounding the death of her former partner, businessman Ivan Semwanga, nearly a decade after he passed away.
Zari expressed her frustration in a statement shared on her Instagram Stories on Thursday, October 29, telling Ugandans to focus their attention on more pressing issues in their country.
The mother of five appeared unimpressed by renewed discussions about Semwanga’s death, questioning why people were still revisiting the matter years after his burial.
“Look at you, clinging to a dead person as though he were still alive, almost 10 years after his death. M7 still rules you so much. You have very little sense. In fact, the time you are wasting should be the time and energy you use to overthrow a government you claim to be tired of,” she wrote.
Her remarks came after Ugandan journalist Simon Kaggwa Njala questioned the circumstances surrounding Semwanga’s death in South Africa in May 2017.
The journalist recently described the businessman’s death as one of the most mysterious cases he had encountered, raising questions about the hospital where he reportedly received treatment.
Njala claimed that his inquiries at Steve Biko Hospital in Pretoria had failed to establish whether Semwanga had been admitted there. He also questioned why no one had made a postmortem report publicly available.
Zari defends family’s account of Ivan’s death.
Responding to the claims, Zari maintained that her family had personally confirmed Semwanga’s death and handled the arrangements to transport his remains from South Africa to Uganda.
Speaking to Tawfiq Media, she questioned how the journalist expected a hospital to release confidential medical information over the phone.
She also suggested that the businessman could have been registered under a different name while receiving treatment abroad.
Zari further explained that a postmortem examination was conducted in Uganda after his remains were returned home.
The socialite added that their three sons participated in washing their father’s body in accordance with Buganda cultural traditions.
“We, the bereaved, know that he died; we confirmed, zipped up the body bag, and worked on the paperwork to return his remains to Uganda,” she said.
Who was Ivan Semwanga?
Semwanga was a prominent Ugandan businessman and socialite associated with the Rich Gang, a group known for its extravagant lifestyle and displays of wealth.
He was also known for his relationship with Zari, with whom he had three sons: Pinto, Quincy and Raphael.
The businessman died on May 25, 2017, aged 39, after reportedly suffering a stroke while in South Africa.
His death attracted considerable attention, with his burial in Uganda drawing several high-profile personalities and becoming a widely discussed event.
