People’s Pact urges Chawama voters to punish UPND over Lungu burial dispute

People’s Pact urges Chawama voters to punish UPND over Lungu burial dispute
The People’s Pact Movement (PPM) has urged voters in Chawama Constituency to use the January 16 parliamentary by-election to punish the United Party for National Development (UPND), framing the poll as a response to the treatment of the family of late former president Edgar Lungu.

PPM vice president Peter Sinkamba made the appeal in Lusaka, calling on residents to vote for opposition candidate Bright Numdwe as an expression of dissatisfaction with the conduct of the current administration. He argued that the by-election presented an opportunity for voters to register disapproval over what he described as cruelty shown to the Lungu family following the former president’s death.

Sinkamba linked the appeal directly to the ongoing legal dispute surrounding Lungu’s burial, which has remained unresolved months after his death in Johannesburg on June 5 last year. He said the decision by the State to pursue court action in South Africa over the burial arrangements had politicised the matter and prolonged the family’s grief.

He accused the government of lacking moral authority in its handling of the issue, stating that the responsibility for resolving the impasse rested with President Hakainde Hichilema. Sinkamba called on the Head of State to withdraw the South African court case and allow the family to conclude burial arrangements without further State involvement.

According to Sinkamba, the continued legal battle has transformed a private family matter into a national controversy, undermining Zambia’s cultural and traditional values. He said it was wrong for a former head of State’s remains to remain unburied due to legal disagreements involving the government.

He further alleged that the Chawama by-election had previously been influenced by what he described as harsh political tactics, citing the circumstances surrounding the last poll in which Tasila Lungu, the late president’s daughter, was a candidate. Sinkamba claimed that the manner in which the seat was won reflected insensitivity towards a grieving family.

The People’s Pact leader urged residents to turn out in large numbers and cast their ballots as a peaceful expression of dissatisfaction with governance under the UPND. He described the vote as a moral judgment rather than a routine political contest, saying it would send a clear message about public expectations of leadership conduct.

Sinkamba warned that failure to resolve the burial dispute risked creating lasting national embarrassment, both locally and internationally. He suggested that the matter could enter history as an unprecedented case of a former head of State remaining unburied for an extended period due to government involvement.

He said the party’s appeal was grounded in respect for cultural norms and family autonomy, insisting that closure should be determined by relatives rather than dictated through legal processes initiated by the State.

Chawama residents are expected to vote on Thursday to elect a new member of Parliament, with the contest attracting heightened political attention due to its symbolic significance amid broader national tensions.