What should have been a solemn moment of national mourning has devolved into one of Zambia’s most divisive political battles in recent memory.
Two months after former President Edgar Lungu died in South Africa at age 68, the dispute over his burial has escalated into a full-blown saga pitting his family against the government of President Hakainde Hichilema — reigniting old political rivalries and even prompting whispers of witchcraft.
A Pretoria court last week ruled in favor of the Zambian government, allowing Lungu’s remains to be repatriated for a state funeral in Lusaka. The decision was celebrated by some governing party supporters, who posted online using the football-inspired slogan: “It’s coming home.” For others, the celebratory tone felt undignified and underscored the partisanship fueling the row.
Lungu’s family has appealed the ruling, with a new hearing scheduled for Friday in South Africa. They insist they are willing to bury him in Zambia — but only if one condition is met: President Hichilema must not attend. According to the family, this was one of Lungu’s final wishes.
A Feud That Outlived the Presidency
The bitterness stems from years of political hostility. In 2017, then-opposition leader Hichilema spent more than 100 days in detention on treason charges after his convoy allegedly failed to give way to Lungu’s motorcade — charges later dropped after international mediation.
Since taking office in a landslide victory in 2021, Hichilema’s administration has pursued corruption cases against Lungu’s widow, Esther, and his daughter, Tasila — charges they deny.
When the Pretoria court issued its ruling last week, tensions flared in the courtroom. Lungu’s elder sister, Bertha, lashed out at Zambia’s Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha:
“Kabesha, Lungu is not your father’s son… he’s not Hakainde’s son… This is really painful. I don’t want to go to Zambia.”
Government Insists on State Funeral
The Zambian government maintains that all former presidents deserve a state funeral at Embassy Park, where past leaders are buried. Attorney General Kabesha has warned the ceremony could proceed without the family’s participation.
“We are ready as government to discuss with the family… but the family has a right to say: ‘We are not coming.’ Then we will proceed and bury without them,” he told state broadcaster ZNBC.
There is no Zambian law governing the burial of ex-presidents, but historian Sishuwa Sishuwa called the threat to exclude the family “culturally insensitive” and politically motivated.
“Had Hichilema publicly said he would stay away, Lungu would have been buried long ago,” he said, warning that the standoff has fueled public suspicions — in a country where belief in witchcraft remains strong — that the body is sought “for occult reasons.”
A Saga Far From Over
Nevers Mumba, leader of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy and an ally of Hichilema, defended the president’s persistence.
“What drives [the president] is not obsession, but a deep, deep sense of duty… He fights, with a clear conscience till the end.”
For now, Lungu’s remains remain in South Africa, his legacy overshadowed by a dispute that shows no sign of ending. In a nation grappling with economic challenges, the question of whether the body will ‘come home’ continues to dominate Zambia’s political conversation.