Lusaka, Zambia – The funeral arrangements for Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu, who died last week at the age of 68, have descended into a bitter dispute, with a family spokesman stating that Mr. Lungu left instructions that his successor, Hakainde Hichilema, “should not be anywhere near” his body.
Mr. Lungu’s death in South Africa triggered a standoff between the government and his family, along with his political party, the Patriotic Front (PF). The government’s plan to repatriate his body on Wednesday failed due to disagreements over mourning and funeral protocols.
The two leaders, Mr. Lungu and President Hichilema, were long-standing political rivals. Mr. Hichilema defeated Mr. Lungu in the 2021 election, after five previous unsuccessful attempts.
Mr. Lungu died of an undisclosed illness, though the PF stated last week he had been receiving “specialised treatment” in South Africa. The party has alleged that Mr. Lungu was prevented from leaving the country for years and that earlier access to medical treatment abroad might have saved his life. The government has denied this allegation.
Zambia’s Foreign Minister, Mulambo Haimbe, was among government officials who travelled to South Africa on Wednesday for talks with Mr. Lungu’s widow, Esther, and his influential daughter, Tasila, in an attempt to resolve the impasse. The government wishes to accord Mr. Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, a state funeral.
However, in a video released from South Africa on Thursday, the Lungu family’s spokesman, lawyer Makebi Zulu, asserted that the family had made “all logistics” to fulfill Mr. Lungu’s wishes for a private funeral and that President Hichilema “should not be anywhere near” his body. Mr. Zulu accused the government of acting as if the family had “no say” over his burial and mourning, adding that it was the family’s desire that the “conscience of the deceased should not be betrayed.”
In response, Foreign Minister Haimbe stated that while the bereaved family’s wishes were important, Mr. Lungu’s funeral concerned all Zambians, given his status as a former president. “I’m sure all of us would want to have a fitting send-off for our former president, and that is what we must work towards achieving,” he told local journalists. An earlier government statement indicated that “constructive consultations” were ongoing to ensure the “smooth repatriation” of the body.
The public dispute has caused considerable sadness and confusion among Zambians uncertain how to appropriately mourn the former president. The government declared a seven-day national mourning period starting last Saturday, following a similar announcement by the PF a day earlier. Further complicating matters, the government designated a state-owned lodge in Lusaka as the official mourning venue, a plan dismissed by the PF, which directed mourners to its party headquarters instead.
Constitutional lawyer John Sangwa told the BBC that the “tug-of-war” highlights the need for Zambia to enact a law outlining funeral arrangements for presidents and ex-presidents, though he believes the family’s wishes should ultimately be respected.
After his defeat in the 2021 election, Mr. Lungu initially stepped back from politics but later returned to the fray. He remained a significant political figure for the PF and had expressed ambitions to contest the presidency again. However, a Constitutional Court ruling late last year barred him from running, determining that he had already served the maximum two terms allowed by law.
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