'Harassment' of Lungu continues even in death: Outrage grows over the State's handling of his funeral

IOL News

2 days ago

Former Zambian president Edgar Chagwa Lungu passed away in the early hours of June 5, 2025, at Mediclinic Medforum Hospital in Pretoria.
Tensions between the Zambian government and the family and supporters of late former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu have erupted into a full-blown crisis, with accusations that President Hakainde Hichilema's administration is deliberately sidelining the Lungu family and the Patriotic Front (PF) from funeral arrangements.
The controversy has triggered outrage in Zambia and across the diaspora, with some going as far as accusing the current regime of having a hand in Lungu's sudden death.
The former President passed away in the early hours of June 5, 2025, at Mediclinic Medforum Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, reportedly from chest complications. He had been under specialist care for several weeks.
His daughter, Tasila Lungu, confirmed the death in a sombre statement released from Lusaka.'It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of His Excellency Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, Sixth President of the Republic of Zambia, who departed this morning at 06:00 hours,' Tasila said.
She appealed for unity and dignity during the mourning period, invoking her father's commitment to the spirit of ''One Zambia, One Nation'' .
Yet what should have been a solemn and unified national moment has instead exposed deep political divisions.
According to multiple hospital insiders, Zambian government officials instructed staff not to release information or documents to the family, stating that Lungu's passing was now being handled strictly as a "state funeral."
The PF and the Lungu family allege that this has been used as a pretext to exclude them from the planning process.
'This is not how you treat a man who once held the highest office in the land,' said a PF official in Johannesburg. 'President Hichilema and his team are using this moment to politically erase a legacy they despise.'
The PF's Secretary General, Raphael Nakacinda, held a media round table in Sandton on Sunday afternoon to condemn the government's conduct and demand full participation in the repatriation and burial process.
He insisted that the funeral of a former head of state cannot be orchestrated behind closed doors.'The party, the family, and the people of Zambia deserve transparency and inclusion. Anything less is an affront to democracy and national unity,' Nakacinda stated.
Meanwhile, outrage is growing among Zambians living in South Africa.
A protest under the banner 'Suffering Lungu, Even in Death' is being organised outside the Zambian High Commission in Pretoria. Organisers say the protest is not just about Lungu's treatment in death, but about a much broader crisis of governance under Hichilema.
'HH and his people said Lungu wouldn't make it to 2026 — and they made sure of it,' said one protester. 'We are watching our democracy die, and now they're trying to bury Lungu without even involving his family.'
Protesters accuse the Hichilema administration of tribal favouritism, elite-driven economic policies, repression of the media, and silencing of political opponents.
'Never in our history has Zambia seen this level of political exclusion and control,' said another protester. 'We are not mourning just a man — we are mourning our democracy.'
With Lungu's remains still in South Africa and the impasse with the family, the controversy is no longer just a family dispute — it has become a symbol of Zambia's fractured political landscape.