One year after the death of Zambia’s sixth Republican President, Edgar Lungu, renewed appeals for a resolution of the burial dispute surfaced yesterday as political leaders, church bodies and civic figures weighed in on a matter that remains before the South African courts.
The anniversary of Lungu’s death was marked by fresh public statements rather than funeral preparations, underscoring the extent to which the disagreement over his final resting place continues to shape national discussion. Twelve months after his death in Pretoria, no agreement has been reached on where or how the former Head of State should be buried.
Among the most notable interventions came from Given Lubinda, who called on the Lungu family to allow the burial process to proceed. Lubinda’s appeal followed reports that President Hakainde Hichilema would not attend the burial should arrangements move forward. He said the prolonged uncertainty had become painful for supporters and urged those involved to find common ground that would allow the former president to be laid to rest with dignity.
Lubinda’s remarks added a new political dimension to an issue that has steadily expanded beyond funeral arrangements into a broader legal and public contest. What began as negotiations over burial plans has evolved into a dispute involving court proceedings, competing interpretations of Lungu’s wishes and continuing public interest in how the matter will ultimately be resolved.
Church organisations also entered the discussion. Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia Executive Director Allan Kasung’ami said EFZ member churches and affiliated organisations should not organise, endorse or participate in proposed nationwide memorial activities linked to the anniversary before burial arrangements have been concluded.
The position emerged as various groups considered commemorative activities marking one year since Lungu’s death. The intervention from one of the country’s largest church umbrella bodies added another layer to a matter that has increasingly drawn responses from religious, civic and political institutions.
Civil rights activist Brebner Changala described the continued delay as a source of national embarrassment, arguing that Zambia should have found a way to conclude the matter long before reaching the first anniversary of the former president’s death. Changala said the situation had attracted unnecessary attention and prolonged uncertainty for supporters, relatives and citizens seeking closure.
The central disagreement remains whether Lungu should receive a state funeral in Zambia or be buried in South Africa in accordance with what members of his family have said were his wishes. The differing positions have resulted in a legal battle that now stretches beyond Zambia’s borders.
Last week, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal heard arguments from both the Zambian government and representatives of the Lungu family. The family is seeking to overturn an earlier ruling that favoured repatriation of the former president’s remains to Zambia. Judgment has not yet been delivered.
The court proceedings represent the latest chapter in a dispute that has repeatedly interrupted burial plans. Previous attempts to proceed with funeral arrangements were halted by legal action, while efforts aimed at repatriation have also faced challenges through the courts.
The issue has unfolded during an election year, ensuring that every development attracts heightened political and public attention. Statements from political leaders, church bodies and civic organisations continue to generate discussion about how the matter should be concluded and what outcome would best respect both the family and the office Lungu once held.
One year after his death, the former president remains unburied. The legal process remains active, public interventions continue to grow and the country is still waiting for a final decision on where Zambia’s sixth Republican President will be laid to rest.
Editors Note: “Twelve months after Edgar Lungu’s death, the burial dispute remains before the South African courts, while political leaders, church bodies and civic voices continue calling for a resolution.”
Economy is a fail. Governance is a fail. Even burying a former President should be a fail surely? So why did we elect you?
And remember the family has always wanted to bury him in Zambia. Nobody has cited any provision in our laws that gives the state powers over a funeral of a former President. The KK issue was not a precedent as the case was not conclusive. Let the family bring his remains here in Zambia and those asked to stay away, stay away and we bury.
You voted right.
HH is world best president, he is just overshadowed by Trump.
Nostra, stop these jokes please. How can you say he is the best President when his friends left mealie meal at K120, Fuel at K17 which him said was very high, so 30 chakuti is cheap now?
EXACTLY
This is heartbreaking, do people in power have hearts and souls? This is against our beliefs and our traditions, this is heartless and pure evil and we have so called praise singers who take joy in what is happening, we should take a deep reflection of our actions
@Chi-ka,
You should tell that to ECL wife. Even her lawyer was clear in court that it was wife’s power.
@ ? Mate have some respect and manners, village mentality
Any where in the world, regardless of the status of the deceased, whether a former President or not, the final authority for his funeral and burial is his family. The state just comes in to support. Simple and straight forward issue.
Under which law is that ??
Which article of laws in Zambia gives a family power over the state in case of a corpse ???
FWD2041
You dont need a law to tell the family what to do anywhere in the world on how and where to bury their loved one. Can you wake up for once. All governments work within establishment constitutional provisions. In this case, there is none compelling government to hijack this funeral. Cite one here now? Just cite the statute in our laws.
You are right, your evil family believes in witchcraft, rituals. Does HH looks like he needs witchcraft?
Your family belongs to hell.
Even if you put a question mark as your name, and sipping our tea in that embassy, after 13th August, you coming back iwe mbuliuli
Jikamba
Precedent shows us former president’s are buried at embassy park……..
The late KK was buried there against his wishes and the wishes of the family, KK wanted to be buried next to his wife………
FWD2041
Precident is not law please.
Njapau Z ?? June 5, 2026 At 11:58 am
“ is not law please.”
If precedent is not law , can you enlighten us as to why KK was buried at embassy park against his and his family’s wishes ??
Actually overseen by none other than ECL
FWD2041
You were not even talking to the person when he was alive, you did not care about his health. The man could not even jog in his country. Your cadres insulted him and said they would circumcise him and as their leaders you were just quiet. He dies, ati we want to give him a dignified send off. Stay away please. His family and the people of Zambia can and will give him a dignified send off
The late ECL was very cruel to the current president, even banning him from attending KKs funeral……….
Who bans someone from attending a funeral. ????
On top of being a big thief , he was very corrupt, MHSRIP
The president has stated he will stay away from the burial , but the unaccountable money and property is what the family fear questions about after the funeral when in Zambia
FWD2041
Whoa whoa whoa, short memory. The PF thugs and their late had so much evil on display against HH.
So if he was cruel, why are you inconveniencing the family? What is your business here?
The privatisation thief will be cornered some day
@Mulephere, do I look like Makebi Zulu? The man with a heart of a stone.
Trying to demonise Makebi won’t work. Going, you are going! Aluyeni. Where is the K12 fuel after methodically cutting out the middle men.
@Mulepheres’ friend, do you have an oil field. What currency do you for buying crude oil and what currency do you for paying transportation,? How is the distance?
One thing about my fellow Zedians, is finding out the logical truth.
Keep on hoping like UNIP, then MMD.
@Mulepheres’ friend, the will be no stopping calling him out @Makebi Zulu, he took much of himself.
I dont have any oil field. I am just relying on what i was promised by HH. I was told fuel was to be K12. I can send you the clip. I am principled, so I follow what i am promised. I dont change goal posts
@Mulepheres’ friend, Campaign and leading the nation, understand the transition and time frame. You do have the knowledge I can guess about the unforseen circumstances and the force they charge with. Disasters like drought, wars and I can give you more changes the trajectory.
@Mulepheres’ friend, HH might have said that but the reality change wouldn’t even allow a single subsidy. Governments operate on Fiscal and Monterey policies.
We are praying that God repays the evil doors in all this.
No one is above divine justice. Though they walk about in their arrogance, we will live to see them ruined. The servants of baalzebub will be repaid for their wickedness
Even burying some body is a fail. K50 mealie meal – Fail. K12 fuel- fail. K250 fertiliser – fail. Load shedding 4 years and yet there is no rain in Dubal. Vima excuse fulu fulu, blaming others mbwe ,No wonder Gonzales just removed his gloves to tell you in the face before he left
Hehehehe
Ati no rain in Dubai yet they have electricity??
Do some research ………
You will find the emirates sits on some of the largest energy reserves……..then come back and tell why there is no load shedding there………
And Zambians expect development with these kind of learned people who can’t work out why there is no load shedding in energy rich desert countries ????
We are in trouble
FWD2041
You have just failed. There is a provision for resigning. Not just clinging to free education which does not even solve our priority for now which is the poor state of the economy. For the avoidance of doubt, the economy though ravaged by covid when the whole world closed down then was better than what we have now. They have tried as usual to hide in drought and debt, but Zambians are now super sharp.
As for me, I am still waiting for somebody to cite the clause in our constitution that gives the state powers over this funeral. I have been waiting for one year now, all I see are hollow answers with fulish digressions like the ones from some lost souls above
While you are waiting…….,,
Give us the clause that gives the family power over the state incase of a deceased presidents corpse……….
Or even the clause for a common citizen which says the family has power over burial
FWD2041
If you have ever buried a relative, it is common sense that a family does not require any law to bury according to their wishes. Regardless of the status of the deceased.
Unlike the family, state craft requires statutes or laws to do any thing. This bit of education is basic but let me be labour to help. I can also send you the website for you to scan all of Zambias law so that you can verify that we dont have any laws in Zambia giving the state any powers whatsoever over a funeral of a former head of state. I hope this helps
This spaka guy is very ignorant. Please help him
Extremely ignorant chap. But also maybe just failing to accept the correct thing due to political inclination. The priority should have been sorting out the economy which they have messed up.
Utwile
Wrong…….
The body of the late Adomson mushala was not given to the relatives , the government buried him in a secrete grave….,…
Same with Alice lenshina , the state took control of the burial for public safety……
You can’t mention a clause that says the state could not do that.,,….
FWD2041
The agony is………..
Using multiple aliases, then………
He counts his multiple logins as separate people and thinks he has support…….
Wachepa sana
Hehehe
FWD2041
Look at this joker, who thinks the burial of Lenshina and Mushala was backed by law. This is what ignorance does
There is no kuchepa sana or kukula sana. The challenge is very simple. All people are asking for is to say tell them the clause number in the constitution of Zambia that says the state will bury a former President at Embassy park in this manner, but just to help you further because it is not your fault that you are ignorant, you will not find Embassy park in our constitution though the family has always been ready to bury at the same Embassy park. Precedent is not law – this you can Google on your own, we dont need to come in
Whether he has multiple log ins, just tell him the clause he is asking for, we move on
He is also failing to tell us the clause that says the family has over riding right over GRZ on the burial of a corpse………
Pleas , I am waiting for that law reference
FWD2041
Saddam Hussein Boulevar ?? June 5, 2026 At 12:08 pm
“Look at this joker, who thinks the burial of Lenshina and Mushala was backed by law. This is what ignorance does”
It is for you to tell us what law the GRZ of the time broke………
Not just pontificating about law, law law yet when turned around you can’t provide the clause ????
FWD2041
I have seen people moving funerals from urban areas to rural areas for burial within the country and not outside the nation which can be a sign of unpatriotism. Are we saying this Lungu family denounced Zambia over some beef with HH? I wish South Africa would just reject him to be burried on their soil. We want him here. The man did alot of good along with some bad and that deserves respect.
But the family has always wanted to bury him in Zambia. Unless you have just jumped off the bus and dont know what is happening.
@Spaka, please note that you are arguing from without. The family has never refused to bury at Embassy park. The reason the preparations had started at Embassy park. But remember the people who hated ECL with passion started putting things on the program which the owners of the funeral, the family, did not approve. We could have burried by now
What things were people putting in the program????
The program was a standard presidential burial that is tried and tested……..
Who are the lungu family to demand a different program ????
They are not royals, Infact they owe Zambia
FWD2041
@ spaka and Nkana, mwaleka? Let us continue guys. This is just a debate. How does it feel to be on the loosing side though? Bafana, come on, come on line.
We are waiting for the clause that says a family has over riding right versus GRZ on the burial of a corpse……..
What we saw was KK was buried at embassy park against his wish and that of his family
That’s the precedent we follow that ECL himself pushed
FWD2041
I bet my last dollar hh wont be buried at embassy park a casket maybe ?
Much like not moving to state house Which is his right so let hope future presidents stay in their own house at grz expense what a pleasure !!!
The key is the family, they are very hard hearted. They are hoping for change of government in August this year.
Who told you that they are hard hearted. They have rights. Stop this creative content.
Even you after August 13th, back home. We are introducing career diplomat program after August 13th. No cadres, no relatives. No children of friends in the diplomatic service. Meanwhile funeral is for banja please
Kabiyeni uko, na (ka) citumbi chenu.
HH has already told you he will not be present, so why are you still delaying the burial? Where is the issue now?
You thought it will win you VOTES, but the whole plan has backfired. Do what you got to do and leave HH about of your nonsence.
The family are scared of being asked to account for their wealth after the burial……….
No recites , no tax records, just sudden multi millionaires wealth in 5 years……..
FWD2041
State has seen they are about to lose the case in SA since those judges cannot be manipulated by zambian government hence the decision to have him buried in zambia without the attendance of HH. If he had done this from day 1 lungu would have been buried by now.
hh full stop
Someone should stop bringing wealth into it
even the people of zambia are not involved this is purely between the president and Lungu family
Ecl and family was loved by many