The burial of former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has taken a dramatic legal turn, as his family challenges what they call “political persecution in death” by the Zambian government. A court case now looms in Pretoria, launched just hours before a scheduled funeral service.
Family spokesperson Makebi Zulu did not mince his words:
“This is an opportunity to tell the story. If it calls for us to bury him here in South Africa for that truth to be told, so be it. But we will not allow a false narrative to be crafted over his coffin.”
Mr. Zulu said the government’s insistence on controlling the funeral process was not about national respect, but rather about “public relations and image laundering.”
“They want to give the international community the perception that they treated him well. But the truth is they abandoned him. They stripped him of his benefits. They refused him medical help. And now they want to fly his body back in a jet they never sent while he was alive.”
The family claims President Lungu was even denied funds for medical treatment in 2023, despite being entitled to support as a former head of state.
“President Hakainde Hichilema’s government said there were no funds. When Lungu offered to pay, they said no. A month later, all his entitlements were taken away. And now they want to select which privileges apply to him posthumously. It’s absurd and immoral.”
