If HH Stays Away, Would Lungu’s Burial Lose Its Dignity?

Broadcaster Paul Shingongo has posed a direct and searching question to the Zambian public, asking whether the burial of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu can only be considered dignified if the sitting Head of State, President Hakainde Hichilema, is in attendance.

The question has taken on renewed relevance following President Hichilema’s own public declaration that it is Zambia’s duty to bury its sixth Republican President with full military honours. Speaking during a widely circulated social media discussion on Wednesday, which attracted more than 5,000 views, Shingongo challenged what he described as a national assumption that may have contributed to the prolonged failure to lay the late former President to rest, more than a year after his death in South Africa on June 5, 2025.

“Does it mean that ECL can only have a dignified burial when the President of this country is present?” he asked. “If the President of this country is not present, then no matter what happens, it’s not a dignified burial?”

The question carries particular weight because it comes barely a day after President Hichilema publicly expressed support for a dignified burial for Mr Lungu. Speaking on Tuesday during funeral proceedings for Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV at Ephendukeni Palace in Chipata, the President told thousands of mourners, including traditional leaders, church leaders and government officials, that the country had a duty to accord the late former Commander-in-Chief full military honours.

“It is our duty to bury him with the military protocols. He was commander-in-chief of our country,” President Hichilema said. “We must all work together to bury our Sixth President with dignity in a military style. Let us work together to do that.”

The remarks were among the clearest public statements the President has made on a matter that has remained unresolved for more than a year. They followed an appeal by Chipata Catholic Diocese Bishop George Lungu, who urged Government and the Lungu family to find common ground and facilitate a Christian burial. The bishop described the prolonged delay as a wound extending beyond those directly involved, saying it had prolonged grief for many Zambians.

Despite the President’s public commitment to a dignified burial, Shingongo’s discussion highlighted the reality that the impasse remains unresolved. His co-host, John Mark, suggested that some citizens may attach special importance to the President’s attendance because of what the office represents.

According to John Mark, the issue may not necessarily be about the individual occupying State House, but about the presidency itself, which many regard as symbolising the father of the nation. To illustrate the point, he recalled attending a wedding that started several hours late because the bride’s parents, who were expected to preside over the ceremony and offer their blessing, had not yet arrived. He suggested that some people may view the role of a sitting President at a state funeral in a similar manner.

Shingongo acknowledged the symbolism associated with the office but maintained that the Lungu family had publicly and repeatedly communicated their opposition to President Hichilema’s attendance at the burial. He further noted that the late former President was reported to have expressed the same wish.

“The wish has been communicated by the family,” he said. “This father is not wanted by the family.”

He also acknowledged an issue that emerged during related legal proceedings in South Africa, where a lawyer representing the Lungu family was reportedly unable to produce documentary proof of the former President’s alleged instructions concerning who should be excluded from his burial.

“If there’s no proof, it’s also difficult to ride on that,” Shingongo said.

Even so, he maintained that the absence of documentary evidence does not remove the central question facing the country.

“That, maybe the Zambians have forgotten, is a major reason why ECL has not been buried to date,” he said. “The family did not want ECL’s wish to be ignored. They wanted the wish of their departed to be respected.”

Shingongo said that if he were given an opportunity to address President Hichilema before the burial takes place, there is one question he would ask above all others.

“What is so hard with you stepping aside?” he asked. “What’s the worst that can happen, Mr President, if you step aside? Does that reduce the dignity of ECL’s burial?”

He went further, outlining what he believes would be a straightforward route towards resolving the deadlock.

“He can simply announce: I will not be present. Let’s proceed. Attorney General, drop the cases,” Shingongo said.

Referring to the legal proceedings that form part of the wider dispute, he added: “Drop the cases. I will not be present. And let’s see what the family will say. I am sure they will be happy to bury ECL even tomorrow.”

According to Shingongo, such a move would quickly reveal whether presidential attendance is indeed the principal obstacle or whether other unresolved issues remain beneath the surface.

The broadcaster acknowledged that the question of whether the Republican President should attend or voluntarily stay away is one aspect of the dispute that many people have been reluctant to confront directly.

“The presence of the Republican President is a bone of contention,” he said. “That’s a component many people don’t want to speak about.”

For now, the tension between the two positions remains unresolved. On one side is a President who has publicly declared his commitment to ensuring a dignified burial with full military honours. On the other is a family whose stated objections have centred on the President’s attendance.

No burial date was announced during the Chipata proceedings, and calls from church leaders and public figures for all parties to find common ground have yet to produce a breakthrough.

Shingongo concluded by returning to the question that has anchored his position throughout the discussion. If President Hichilema were to absent himself from the burial, would that in any way diminish the honour and dignity accorded to the interment of Zambia’s sixth Republican President?

For the broadcaster, that remains the central question. Until it is answered, he suggested, the country may remain no closer to resolving a matter that has now remained unsettled for more than a year.