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, 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.
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.
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“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.
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.
Lungu’s wife, Esther Lungu, and their children have faced various corruption charges. She has pleaded not guilty to charges of stealing cars.
Last year, Zambia’s former first lady, Esther Lungu, and her daughter, Chiyeso Katete, were arrested on allegations of possession of properties suspected to be proceeds of crime.
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