By Gregory Mofu

Growing up in the 1990s, I witnessed Zambia stand tall as a beacon of peace—not just in the region, but across the African continent. Under the leadership of our then-president, Frederick Chiluba, Zambia played a central role in promoting dialogue, mediating conflicts, and hosting peace negotiations that shaped the course of nations.

Zambia was not just known as a peaceful country; it was the headquarters of peace in southern Africa. We watched with pride as our capital, Lusaka, hosted landmark agreements like the Lusaka Protocol, which brought together Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos and UNITA rebel leader Jonas Savimbi in a bid to end the protracted civil war in Angola. We also witnessed Congo’s newly installed president, Dr. Laurent-Désiré Kabila, sign peace accords with over 18 rebel groups—right here in Lusaka. These moments were not mere political events; they were affirmations of Zambia’s identity as a stabilizing force and an honest broker in times of crisis.

But something has changed.

Today, the story feels different. The confusion and political friction surrounding the funeral of our sixth Republican President, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, have left many wondering: Where did we go wrong?

I believe I have an answer—politics.

Politics have become divisive, toxic, and misunderstood. Somewhere along the way, we lost sight of the true spirit of democracy. Instead of embracing diversity of thought and opposition as pillars of a healthy system, we have allowed suspicion, bitterness, and mistrust to define our political interactions. Democracy was never meant to create enemies; it was meant to create space for conversation, accountability, and growth.

That’s why I was deeply encouraged by President Hakainde Hichilema’s recent address to the nation. His reminder that politics should not turn us into enemies is a necessary and timely message. It is a step in the right direction—and hopefully, a turning point.

When this moment of political tension and misunderstanding eventually passes—and it must—we must not return to business as usual. Instead, I strongly believe that President Hichilema should initiate a Commission on Peace, Reconciliation, and National Unity. Such a platform could allow Zambia to revisit its founding values, heal political wounds, foster mutual respect among stakeholders, and restore our nation’s rightful place as a beacon of peace in Africa.

We have done it before. We can do it again.

By Morgan Phiri

Right now, as Zambia mourns the passing of its Sixth Republican President, something shameful is unfolding before our eyes. What should be a moment of unity, reflection, and national dignity has instead become a theatre of political bitterness, orchestrated by a desperate opposition that cannot tell the difference between power and pettiness.

The Patriotic Front, through lawyer Makebi Zulu, has publicly barred President Hakainde Hichilema from attending the funeral of Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Their words are not just cold  they are chilling:

“President Hakainde Hichilema should not be anywhere near the body… for reasons that have since become common cause.”

What reasons? None have been honestly stated. But the message is clear: the PF would rather keep the casket than open the door to national healing. This is not grief. This is manipulation. And Zambia is watching.

Instead of honouring their own leader with grace, PF has decided to weaponize his death, dragging his grieving widow and children into a storm of bitterness. The Lungu family deserves peace, silence, and space to mourn. What they’re getting is scripts, microphones, and cameras. It’s cruel. It’s calculated. And it’s playing out in real time.

On the other hand, the UPND has so far exercised noticeable restraint. Secretary General Batuke Imenda advised members not to comment  and they haven’t. That discipline matters. President Hichilema has maintained a composed silence despite provocation, and that silence speaks volumes. It reflects emotional control, institutional respect, and the understanding that not every battle is fought with words.

The contrast is jarring. While some are performing for headlines, others have chosen dignity. This isn’t about politics. It’s about national responsibility. When people are grieving, leaders are expected to lead by example to unite, not divide.

An opportunity to strengthen our democracy has been rejected by a small group of cadres trying to undermine our national motto, One Zambia, One Nation.

Let’s be brutally honest. What we’re witnessing isn’t just a reaction to death it’s a performance built on resentment. It’s an attempt to provoke chaos and stir public anger.

Instead what we have seen is a nation, which has been mourning in quiet dignity, now increasingly ready to move on.

A family mourns. Our country remains united.

By Kapya Kaoma

The death of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu should have united Zambia in solemn mourning. Instead, it has cracked open political wounds—threatening to turn his burial into a national crisis.

Rather than calming the waters, the UPND leadership seems to be digging in. Aside from its disjointed messaging, morally and emotionally, it is in a far weaker position than the Lungu family and the Patriotic Front (PF). With every press statement, threat, and act of procedural control, the state deepens the grief of the bereaved and hands the PF a powerful political opening.

Many UPND officials expect the PF to remain apolitical. This is wishful thinking. This funeral is being weaponized for a reason—the PF knew Lungu was its biggest asset for retaining power. With him gone, how it handles his death is key to its future. Beyond portraying itself and Lungu as victims of a vindictive regime, the PF has cast the UPND as indifferent to grief. By weaponizing bureaucracy, the HH administration is allowing the PF to mobilize, reclaim sympathy, and reframe the national conversation to its advantage.

President Hichilema’s administration must recognize another optic. Former First Lady Esther Lungu and her daughter Tasila are not passive mourners—they are active actors in their own right. Both have been on the receiving end of state persecution. Tasila, in particular, is a rising political force—possibly eyeing the presidency one day. Her father’s death has silently re-catapulted her into the national spotlight.
She stood by her father when he was booed at Hichilema’s inauguration. That image—one of filial loyalty in the face of public scorn—seared itself into the national memory. Many now await to see how she will honor him in death. But unlike other former presidents’ children, Tasila has won people’s hearts. She needs the PF to realize her dreams—and against Mweetwa’s antics, negotiations over Lungu’s funeral won’t happen without the PF at the table.

With the PF behind them, the Lungus won’t bow to the state’s demands. They have no reason to comply and every reason to resist. This is their chance to turn the tables on a system that has relentlessly harassed them. (If the Church didn’t stop HH from harassing them, why should it intervene now?) Moreover, the state cannot bury Lungu without their consent. Lungu was not just a former president, but a father and husband. They watched him die, and they deserve the dignity to grieve without state coercion.

To insist that the state dictates his funeral arrangements is tone-deaf. Lungu died a “neglected” private citizen. The UPND’s insistence on protocol—on treating his death as state property—only heightens tensions and hardens resentment. Besides, the family knows that an official state funeral could be held in the future under a different regime.

No doubt, the state has a role to play—but it must act as a respectful partner. Protocol only matters if it is acknowledged by all parties. In this situation, it is not. The PF and the Lungu family must set the tone, and the government must follow—not lead.
The President’s role and funeral arrangements ought to be negotiated with humility. Why not offer material support—tents, logistics, security—at the PF Secretariat as opposed to Belvedere Lodge? The UPND stands to gain no political capital from Lungu’s death. Public opinion is already formed.

Some are pointing to the Church to resolve the crisis. But what about First Lady Mutinta Hichilema? Could she be that bridge? Could she quietly reach out to Esther and Tasila Lungu—not through press conferences, but through the soft power of shared experience and maternal empathy?

Mutinta is a mother, too. She could speak to Tasila in ways the President cannot. She knows her husband better than anyone and may communicate with a nuance that politics simply doesn’t allow. She has no points to score—only peace and sympathy to offer both parties. I am not suggesting one meeting, but a number of discussions devoid of cameras. Could her soft power be the missing link?

I don’t want to dismiss the anger of the Lungus or the PF. It is real. The UPND officials’ overreach in attempts to impress the President could spark unrest. Yet I still believe that a careful, inclusive, and compassionate approach could bring us together. In mourning, there are no winners—only fragile, wounded human hearts. Lungu deserves a dignified burial. His family deserves compassion and respect. Zambia deserves peace.

Threats won’t give us any of these. But humility just might.

Kapya Kaoma

By Chanda Chisala

As the country goes through an unfortunate impasse between the family/party of the late president Edgar Lungu and the state, I suggest that the president makes a compromise speech that goes something like this:

Countrymen and Women,

As you all know, we currently have an unfortunate impasse following the death of President Edgar Lungu (MHSRIP), with different interests insisting on their own way as the only path forward concerning the funeral and burial of our late president.

As an act of compromise, I have decided that I and the top leadership of my party will not be attending the state funeral or burial of our beloved former president.

This is simply out of respect for the family and widow of president Lungu. Due to so much misinformation circulating in the country through social media, she may feel that I personally, and my party the UPND, hold some culpability in the events that culminated in the death of their beloved father and husband.

Let me clarify once and for all that when the benefits of retirement were withdrawn from the former president, we were only following the law; and this was a law that we did not make or even amend. We are a country of laws and we will be in breach of our Oath if we do not follow the law as it is written. This was neither my personal decision nor the decision of anyone in the UPND party or government.

Other than that, I must acknowledge that president Lungu and I did have an acrimonious relationship due to the nature of politics. This does not mean that I hated him personally, nor does it mean that he hated me personally. It is the nature of politics that sometimes you issue very strong statements against each other as you compete for political office so that you can bring the vision that you believe is the better one for the people. Naturally, you always believe the other person and his party have the worse policies for the country and you make it your duty to inform the public in the most passionate way. This can come off as personal hatred to some people, and some opportunists can take advantage of that perception and build all kinds of false stories that the public might find easy to believe.

The reason I have decided that my party and administration officials will stay away from this important function is therefore simply out of empathy for the family so that they may not feel tormented by our presence, given all the unfortunate misinformation that they may have come across. Some people have even recklessly implied that I had a hand in the actual death of the president, besides many such false rumours, so I can understand if Mrs Lungu may feel highly conflicted by my presence at the burial and funeral of our late former president.

I am therefore giving a directive to Cabinet Office to liaise with the army commander to manage and conduct the proceedings of a state funeral and burial that accords all the full respects to our former Commander-in-Chief and I will only send my blessing to them. As UPND president, I will also ask that our party withdraws from attending these events in their official capacity and allow the Patriotic Front to take preeminence at these functions. We will still mourn him in our own way, but there is no law that requires us to have official representation at these functions.

I hope this compromise helps in the process of our country healing from the acrimony that the deep political rifts have inflicted on our nation, as we move closer to the values of empathy demanded by our Christian nation.

I thank you and may God bless you all.

HH.