Latest news with #EdgarChagwaLungu
IOL News
4 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Surrender the body: High Court rules that Edgar Lungu must be buried in Zambia
Former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu's death triggered a bitter dispute between his family and the Zambian government led by President Hakainde Hichilema. Image: File The High Court in Pretoria High Court has ruled that former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu's body must be released for repatriation to his home country of Zambia, for burial in a state funeral. 'The court in this case concluded that the government of Zambia is entitled to proceed with the state funeral for the late president of Zambia,' Deputy Judge President of the Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa, Aubrey Ledwaba, delivered the judgment on Friday afternoon. 'The order of the court reads as follows … it is ordered that the applicant (government of Zambia) is entitled to repatriate the body of the late president, Edgar Lungu, for a state funeral and burial thereafter in Embassy Park, in Lusaka, Republic of Zambia.' The family members were ordered to surrender the body of the former president to representatives of the Zambian government to enable repatriation. A month ago, IOL reported that the government of the Republic of Zambia said it would abide by the ruling of South African courts in the tense standoff over the burial of the mortal remains of the country's former president. One of Africa's deepest episodes of political rivalry and animosity played out before South African courts, with Lungu's family saying one of the former president's dying wishes was that his successor and political nemesis, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, should not go anywhere near his body. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ However, state funeral arrangements made in Zambia, in anticipation of receiving the former president's mortal remains in Lilongwe, had Hichilema at the center, as the commander-in-chief of the Zambian Defence Forces. The Zambian government had planned State funeral arrangements in Zambia, in anticipation of receiving the former president's mortal remains in Lilongwe, with Hichilema at the center of the ceremony. Last month, IOL reported that the High Court in Pretoria had unexpectedly halted plans by the family to bury the former president in South Africa. The court ruling was delivered just moments before a private ceremony was set to commence in Gauteng. The Pretoria court's decision marked another development in the ongoing heated dispute between Lungu's family and the Zambian government over the former head of state's final resting place. Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died on 5 June in South Africa, where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness. He was 68. IOL News Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
IOL News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Edgar Lungu: Activists claim Zambian leader used Zimbabwean passport in South Africa
(From left) Mthetho Ngcukayitobi, Lebogang Shovhote, Bonang Sepoloane of Progressive Forces of South Africa sitting next to Mthunzi Luthuli from the Progressive Civics Congress demanding that the body of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu be repatriated to his home country. Image: Jonisayi Maromo/IOL Activists under the umbrella of Progressive Forces of South Africa insist they have it on good authority that the late Zambian former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu was using a Zimbabwean diplomatic passport during his stay, before he was admitted and later died in a Pretoria hospital. The allegations have been widely reported in different countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) following the death of the former president in June. Lungu passed away on June 5 at the private Mediclinic Medforum hospital in Pretoria CBD. A bitter cross-border wrangle has since erupted with the Zambian government seeking to repatriate his remains for an official state funeral. However, Lungu's family has, on the other hand, insisted on burying him in South Africa following a collapse of engagements. Allegations have swirled around Lungu's sojourn in South Africa, where he eventually passed away. Amid the reports of Lungu's apparent obscure identity, the government of Zimbabwe rubbished the reports alleging that Lungu held a Zimbabwean diplomatic passport. Earlier this month, Zimbabwe's Permanent Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana, entered the fray, describing the widespread reports as "mischievous falsehoods". Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading We wish to categorically state that the late former Zambian President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu did not hold a Zimbabwean passport or nationality. Any such suggestions are just mischievous falsehoods. — Nick Mangwana (@nickmangwana) July 1, 2025 'We wish to categorically state that the late former Zambian President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu did not hold a Zimbabwean passport or nationality. Any such suggestions are just mischievous falsehoods,' Mangwana wrote on X. The reports claimed Lungu had travelled to South Africa on a Zambian diplomatic passport, but he quickly switched to a Zimbabwean diplomatic passport under the alias 'Tendai Munyaradzi' even when he was admitted to the Pretoria hospital. Allegations are that Lungu used the Zimbabwean passport to fly out and return to South Africa, before he was admitted to the hospital. On Thursday, Progressive Forces of South Africa activists rekindled the allegations at a media briefing held in Midrand, adding that they have contacted the Department of International Relations (Dirco) and Home Affairs for clarity. The media briefing on Thursday was also addressed by multiple community organisations, including the Confederation of South Africans Unity represented by Cosmos Motha; Rea Aga Committee led by Michael Kgosana, and the Thembelihle Residents Association represented by Mary Tati. Former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu's death has triggered a bitter dispute between his family and the Zambian government led by President Hakainde Hichilema. Image: File 'It has now come to light, to us, that the former president Edgar Lungu was allegedly admitted into a Pretoria hospital under a false name. That forces us to ask critical questions on our own government. Who did South African authorities officially declare dead?" said Mthetho Ngcukayitobi, leader of the Progressive Forces of South Africa movement. 'This is not a trivial question. When a former head of state dies on South African soil, there are protocols and national guidelines and the national population register processed but in this case, none of these processes were properly followed. 'Instead, we are left with secrecy, irregularity and the risk of a diplomatic crisis unfolding on our watch. Why is our government so silent on this? Let us not forget why this matter is so sensitive for the people of Zambia,' he said. Ngcukayitobi claimed that when Lungu arrived in South Africa on January 19, he was picked up from the airport by an Audi Q7 vehicle owned by a Zambian businessman based in South Africa. IOL reported on Thursday that the Progressive Forces of South Africa activists are demanding that Lungu's body be repatriated to Zambia for burial, not in South Africa as Lungu's family wishes. 'Our duty is to protect the country from internal and external threats. On the issue of Mr Edgar Lungu, this comes as a threat to South Africa as a nation. The question is, when a person of the stature of Mr Lungu is being buried, whose flag is being lowered? Is it our South African flag, or is it a Zambian flag? This is not anybody,' said Rachel Makhubele, secretary of Defend South Africa. 'He deserves dignity as the former president of Zambia. The issue of the family, as Defend SA we stand for transparency and accountability. The family should go back home and account for those crimes that we hear. South Africa is not a country where we harbour criminals. The government should try to control the level of criminals that are entering our South African country. 'We have the issue of illegal immigrants in South Africa, it is not a lie. We are dealing with this issue. If a person of Mr Lungu's status is buried in South Africa, it will encourage many Zambian citizens to come here, saying they are coming to see their president's grave. At the end of the day, they end up staying in South Africa,' she said. Makhubele insisted that she was not being xenophobic, but her organisation is 'trying to protect what belongs to us'. IOL reported last month that the government of the Republic of Zambia said it will abide by the ruling of South African courts in the tense standoff over the burial of the mortal remains of the country's former president. One of Africa's deepest episodes of political rivalry and animosity is playing out before South African courts, with Lungu's family saying one of the former president's dying wishes was that his successor and political nemesis, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, should not go anywhere near his body. However, state funeral arrangements made in Zambia, in anticipation of receiving the former president's mortal remains in Lilongwe, had Hichilema at the center, as the commander-in-chief of the Zambian Defence Forces. The Zambian government had planned State funeral arrangements in Zambia, in anticipation of receiving the former president's mortal remains in Lilongwe, with Hichilema at the center of the ceremony. Bonang Sepoloane, national organiser of Progressive Force of South Africa, said the family of the late president has to go back to Lusaka and answer the charges before the courts. 'As South Africans, we know very well, we have the issue of land since colonisation and also apartheid. We have land claims that are being claimed via ancestry lineage. Graves are part of the instruments that we use when we want to claim the land. In the future, we are going to have an issue of Lungus in the generation to come and claim land in South Africa, pointing to their grandfather's grave. She acknowledged that Zambia played a pivotal role towards the independence of different African nations, including South Africa. Zambia still has graves of several South African freedom fighters who were exiled during apartheid. Some of the skeletal remains of the freedom fighters have recently been repatriated back to South Africa. 'We are not fighting the Zambians. What we will not allow is the current African leaders who loot coffers of their people, to come and enjoy the loot in peace, in South Africa. We know very well that African leaders have been looting their countries, and going to enjoy these resources in Europe and the West. 'With this case, we have now found that there are more looters who have found a haven in our country South Africa,' said Sepoloane. Indigenous monarch King Khalo la Bataung Jacob Hlalele of the Bataung ba Hlalele Royal Kingdom sent condolences to the Lungu family and the people of Zambia. He however insisted that Lungu's body must be buried in Zambia. 'I am saying, it will be a taboo if we can let the Zambian president be buried here. Everybody, according to the traditions, culture and rituals, must be buried where the elders' bones and graves are. No negotiations. I do not need to say anything. This is our people and this is what we know,' he said. 'Let the Zambian president go and be buried where his ancestors are close.' Indigenous monarch King Khalo la Bataung Jacob Hlalele of the Bataung ba Hlalele Royal Kingdom with Mthetho Ngcukayithobi of the Progressive Forces of South Africa at a media briefing on former president of Zambia Edgar Lungu. Image: Jonisayi Maromo/IOL Mthunzi Luthuli from the Progressive Civics Congress also added his voice, saying Lungu should be buried amongst his people, particularly in the designated area reserved for leaders. "It cannot be that people come from foreign countries to bury their presidents here in South Africa," he said. Last month, IOL reported that the High Court in Pretoria had unexpectedly halted the family's plans to bury the former president in South Africa. The court ruling was delivered just moments before a private ceremony was set to commence on Wednesday. The court ruled that a full hearing on the merits of the case will take place on 4 August. IOL News
IOL News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Diplomatic tensions mount as Zambia and Lungu's family clash over burial in South Africa
Former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu's death has triggered a bitter dispute between his family and the Zambian government led by President Hakainde Hichilema. Image: File A diplomatic and legal impasse over the burial of former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has sparked tensions between Lusaka and Pretoria, exposing deep political rifts and challenging cross-border legal norms. On Wednesday, moments before a private burial ceremony was set to begin at Johannesburg's Cathedral of Christ the King, the High Court in Pretoria issued an emergency order halting the proceedings. The decision followed a petition filed by Zambian Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, who argued that Lungu, as a former head of state, must be accorded a full state funeral in Zambia. Lungu, 68, died earlier this month in South Africa while receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness. His death has since triggered a bitter dispute between his family and the Zambian government led by President Hakainde Hichilema. At the heart of the standoff is a fundamental disagreement: Lungu's family insists that one of his final wishes was to be buried privately, away from the political theatre of Lusaka, and without the involvement of his successor and long-time rival, Hichilema. In contrast, the Zambian government maintains that, as a former president, Lungu must be buried on Zambian soil with full military honours — and with the current head of state presiding. While the Zambian state prepared for a formal reception of Lungu's remains in Lusaka, complete with military honours and a public funeral, the family quietly made arrangements for a private burial in South Africa. The Pretoria court's ruling has now placed the funeral in limbo, pending a full hearing scheduled for August 4. South African officials have found themselves caught in the middle of the high-stakes diplomatic and legal standoff. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has declined to comment publicly but confirmed it is engaging both parties to ensure compliance with South African law. 'We recognise the sensitive nature of this matter,' a DIRCO spokesperson said. 'We are working closely with the Zambian authorities and the family to support a peaceful resolution.' Zambian Foreign Affairs Minister Mulambo Haimbe addressed the issue during a live interview in South Africa, calling for cooler heads to prevail. 'This situation is regrettable,' Haimbe said. 'We must honour our former president with dignity, but also uphold the rule of law and the unity of our nation.' Observers say the dispute is as much about legacy as it is about politics. Lungu and Hichilema's acrimonious relationship dates back years. After losing the 2016 presidential election to Lungu, Hichilema was arrested and charged with treason — a move widely viewed as politically motivated. After defeating Lungu in the 2021 polls, Hichilema accused his predecessor of corruption and abuse of power, deepening their political enmity. Lungu's body remains in South Africa, a symbol of unresolved wounds in Zambia's democratic journey.
IOL News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Zambia: Burying Edgar Lungu in South Africa denies Zambians the chance to pay their last respects
The body of former Zambian president Edgar Chagwa Lungu remains in South Africa amid a court wrangle. Image: File The government of the Republic of Zambia says it will abide by the ruling of South African courts in the tense standoff over the burial of the mortal remains of the country's former president, Edgar Chagwa Lungu. One of Africa's deepest episodes of political rivalry and animosity is playing out before South African courts, with Lungu's family saying one of the former president's dying wishes was that his successor and political nemesis, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, should not go anywhere near his body. However, state funeral arrangements made in Zambia, in anticipation of receiving the former president's mortal remains in Lilongwe, had Hichilema at the center, as the commander-in-chief of the Zambian Defence Forces. The Zambian government had planned State funeral arrangements in Zambia, in anticipation of receiving the former president's mortal remains in Lilongwe, with Hichilema at the center of the ceremony. Earlier this week, IOL reported that the High Court in Pretoria had unexpectedly halted plans by the family to bury the former president in South Africa. The court ruling was delivered just moments before a private ceremony was set to commence on Wednesday. The court ruled that a full hearing on the merits of the case will take place on 4 August. The Pretoria court's decision marked another development in the ongoing heated dispute between Lungu's family and the Zambian government over the former head of State's final resting place. Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died earlier this month in South Africa, where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness. He was 68. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Lungu's family insisted on being part of the funeral arrangements, including the repatriation of Lungu's body to Zambia from South Africa. However, the Zambian government sought full control of Lungu's funeral arrangements. Feeling excluded from the funeral arrangements, Lungu's family began to shift their plans towards a burial in South Africa, igniting a bitter confrontation with the Zambian government led by Hichilema. On Thursday night, Zambia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe, told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that the impasse between the family of Lungu and the Zambian government must be resolved. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. 'I think we need to be very clear on what the intention of government is. It is not necessarily that we want to stop this process (of burying Lungu in South Africa). We need to have the impasse, the standoff resolved, one way or the other. One of those ways is through a court of competent jurisdiction, which is what has been done now,' said Haimbe. He said given the impasse, a neutral arbiter can reflect on the contentions and determine what the outcome ought to be. 'In the event that the court then says that the law and the positions put forward by the party are such that the burial should take place in Zambia, it should be respected by all stakeholders. Likewise, if the court arrives at a decision that South Africa would be the burial place, then we would have discharged our duty to the people of Zambia who want us to ensure that all these matters are dealt with.' 'We as the government of Zambia will respect the decision of the court,' he said. Haimbe said if the burial is done in South Africa, foreign dignitaries who would like to attend the ceremony and pay their last respect would be denied the opportunity. 'It is not a matter of the interests of President Hakainde Hichilema as has been posited by some of our colleagues out there, nor is it a matter only of government as an institution, but the wider interests of the people of the Republic of Zambia, and there are also many practical aspects to it. 'Will the majority of Zambians be able to pay their last respects to their former president in the event that he is buried in the wonderful country of South Africa? Obviously, that is not going to be possible,' he said. Hichilema, commonly known as HH, convincingly defeated Lungu in the 2021 elections, winning by a landslide of over a million votes. The tightly-contested polls were Hichilema's sixth attempt at winning the presidency in Lusaka. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema. Image: File Photo: AFP Before occupying the State House of Zambia, in 2017, Hichilema was arrested and spent around 100 days in prison fighting charges of 'treason' after his convoy did not give way to Lungu's presidential motorcade. Hichilema, who was at the time an opposition leader, was also accused of plotting to overthrow the government, and putting then president Lungu's life at risk. Amid international outcry and protests, the charges were later dropped and Hichilema was released from prison in August 2017 in an apparent deal negotiated by the Commonwealth. The rivalry has continued to escalate after Hichilema took power, with Lungu accusing his successor of targeting him and in effect placing him under house arrest. When Lungu lost the presidency to Hichilema in 2021, he announced his retirement from active politics. However, in 2023, in a dramatic move, Lungu announced that he was returning to active politics. In response, the government of Zambia led by Hichilema withdrew retirement benefits and privileges from the former president. Political analysts were anticipating a bruising encounter between Hichilema and Lungu in the upcoming 2026 presidential race. The Star reported that Lungu, who ruled Zambia from 2015 to 2021, had faced a string of legal investigations and political isolation after leaving office. In recent months, those close to him reported growing stress and health concerns, raising questions about possible poisoning.
The Star
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Edgar Lungu's death sparks outcry, allegations of poisoning and political suppression
Former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has died at the age of 68, with his final days clouded by political tension, medical struggles, and serious allegations of state-sponsored persecution. Lungu passed away on Thursday in a South African hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness. However, the official silence on the cause of death and mounting accusations from his political allies have sparked a storm of controversy, including claims that the former head of state may have been poisoned to prevent him from contesting the 2026 presidential elections. Lungu, who served as Zambia's sixth president from 2015 to 2021, had announced a political comeback in late 2023 after years of relative quiet following his electoral defeat to current President Hakainde Hichilema (popularly known as HH). But what began as a bid to return to the ballot box quickly turned into a contentious and, some claim, dangerous standoff with the ruling administration. A Contested Comeback Lungu's return to politics was met with immediate resistance from the Hichilema-led government. In December 2024, the Constitutional Court ruled that Lungu was ineligible to contest again, arguing that his first, partial term from 2015 to 2016 counted as a full term under Zambia's constitutional two-term limit. Lungu's legal team and supporters decried the judgment as politically motivated, pointing to his widespread popularity among grassroots voters and within opposition coalitions as a threat to the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND). But critics say the court ruling was just the beginning of a broader campaign to shut Lungu out of national politics. Stripped of Protection and Benefits Soon after his political re-entry, Lungu was stripped of all retirement benefits typically afforded to former heads of state. These included state-provided security, official transportation, medical support, and diplomatic privileges. The government justified the move by citing a legal provision that bars retired presidents from engaging in politics if they wish to retain those benefits. While technically legal, the action had far-reaching consequences for Lungu's safety and well-being. Without state protection, his movements were left exposed. More alarmingly, his access to healthcare, particularly urgent specialist treatment, was severely limited. Sources within the Patriotic Front (PF), Lungu's party, say repeated requests for travel permits to receive medical care abroad were delayed or denied. 'He was denied not only political freedom but medical care too,' said a senior PF official. 'When it became clear that he needed to leave for urgent treatment, the government stalled. That decision may have cost him his life.' Allegations of Poisoning With the cause of Lungu's death yet to be officially confirmed, speculation is growing that he may have been deliberately poisoned. Though no forensic evidence has been made public, the PF is calling for an independent international investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. His daughter, Tasila Lungu-Mwansa, confirmed in a public statement that her father had been unwell for weeks and had travelled to South Africa under medical supervision. However, she also alluded to the family's belief that his condition may have been the result of "external interference" — a veiled reference to suspected foul play. PF leaders have taken a more direct stance. 'This was not a natural death,' said Brian Mundubile, a close ally of Lungu. 'We believe this was orchestrated to eliminate him politically and permanently.' Restricted Movement and Surveillance Beyond the courtroom and hospital bed, Lungu's daily life was increasingly policed. Police were reportedly stationed outside his home, monitoring his activities and restricting public engagements. Even routine morning jogs and Sunday church services were flagged as political activity and discouraged or blocked by law enforcement. 'It was humiliation, plain and simple,' said one family confidant. 'He was a former president being treated like a common criminal just for exercising and praying.' Human rights activists and opposition figures have condemned the government's treatment of Lungu as not only unconstitutional but dangerous for Zambia's democratic fabric. 'What happened to President Lungu sets a dangerous precedent,' said a representative of the Zambia Human Rights Commission. 'If a former president can be silenced this way, what protection exists for the ordinary citizen?'
