By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The family of Zambia’s ex-President Edgar Lungu, who died last week, has said the former leader left instructions that his successor Hakainde Hichilema “should not be anywhere near” his body.
This is the latest development in the bitter rivalry over funeral plans for the late President, who passed away in South Africa at the age of 68.
The government had planned to fly his body back home on Wednesday, but failed to do so because of a dispute with Lungu’s family and his political party, the Patriotic Front (PF), over mourning and funeral arrangements.
Lungu and his successor, Hichilema, were long-standing political rivals, with the incumbent President securing victory in the 2021 election that ousted Lungu, after five unsuccessful previous attempts.
Lungu died of an undisclosed illness, but his PF said last week that he had been receiving “specialised treatment” in South Africa.
The party alleged that Lungu was banned from leaving the country for years and that if he had been allowed to travel to seek medical treatment sooner, he might still be alive. But the government has denied the allegation.
Zambia’s Foreign Minister, Mulambo Haimbe, was among government officials who flew to South Africa on Wednesday for talks with Lungu’s widow, Esther, and his influential daughter, Tasila.
The government wants to give Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, a state funeral.
The Lungu family’s spokesman, lawyer Makebi Zulu, had previously said the family was not opposed to this, but it wanted to decide who would preside over the service.
But in a sudden U-turn, the spokesman of the family, in a video released from South Africa on Thursday, said the family had put in place “all logistics” to fulfil Lungu’s wishes to be given a private funeral and that Hichilema “should not be anywhere near” his body.
The government was behaving as though the family had “no say” over his burial and the way he should be mourned, the spokesman added.
It was the family’s desire that the “conscience of the deceased should not be betrayed”, he said.
In his response, the foreign minister said that while the bereaved family had put forward its wishes, Lungu’s funeral concerned all Zambians as he was a former President.
“I’m sure all of us would want to have a fitting send-off for our former president, and that is what we must work towards achieving,” the foreign minister told local journalists.
In an earlier statement, the government said that “constructive consultations” were continuing with Lungu’s family to ensure the “smooth repatriation” of his body.
After Lungu’s defeat in the 2021 election, he stepped back from politics but later made a surprise return to the political scene. He was however, disqualified from running in the 2026 election by a constitutional court.
