8 Months Since Former Zambian President Died, Still Not Buried

Lungu’s remains are still held in a South African funeral home, where he died on June 5, 2025 at age 68 following surgery-related complications linked to treatment for a narrowing of the esophagus. Zambian authorities sought to repatriate the body for a state funeral in Lusaka, consistent with protocol for former heads of state.

The conflict centers on Lungu’s reported directive to family members that President Hakainde Hichilema should not attend or come near his body. That instruction collided with the government’s insistence on full state honors. Courts have “repeatedly sided with Zambian authorities,” according to accounts presented to The Associated Press.

An Empty Tomb in Lusaka

In Lusaka, preparations for burial proceeded before objections from Lungu’s family became public. A coffin-size grave was dug at a designated cemetery site. Caretaker Allen Banda described the symbolism starkly, warning that a tomb without a corpse resembled digging “your own grave.”

The visual dissonance - an open grave without a burial - has unsettled many Zambians. Social norms and traditional beliefs emphasize prompt, dignified interment. Prolonged delays are widely regarded as culturally distressing, particularly for a former president.

Politics Meets Spiritual Belief

Religious leaders and scholars frame the dispute as extending beyond procedural disagreements. Bishop Anthony Kaluba said the conflict “has shifted from the physical, it has shifted from politics, and it is now a spiritual battle.”

Academic Chammah J. Kaunda characterized last words as a “vital force,” reflecting a worldview in which blessings or curses carry enduring significance.

Herbert Sinyangwe of WayLife Ministries reinforced that perception: “We believe in our culture that curses work.”

President Hichilema has publicly rejected interpretations rooted in traditional religion, stating that his Christian faith forbids belief in such practices.

Legal Escalation Across Borders

The standoff has triggered litigation in South Africa, where Lungu’s family initially sought a private funeral. Zambian authorities intervened, arguing that custody was required to conduct a state funeral. A South African court ruled in August that Zambia could take the remains home for burial.

Courtroom scenes underscored the emotional intensity. Bertha Lungu, the former president’s sister, reacted with visible distress, accusing authorities of ulterior motives.

Zambia’s attorney general Mulilo Kabesha said it was time to take the body home.

A Rivalry Decades in the Making

The burial dispute reflects a rivalry that defined Zambia’s electoral politics for nearly a decade. Lungu rose to the presidency after Michael Sata’s death in 2014. In the 2015 election, Lungu defeated Hichilema by fewer than 28,000 votes.

After Lungu’s 2016 reelection, Hichilema faced treason charges and spent four months in jail. In 2021, Hichilema defeated Lungu, who initially pledged retirement before reentering politics in 2023. Authorities later withdrew Lungu’s retirement benefits.

Legal pressures continued in 2024, when Lungu’s wife and daughter were arrested over fraud allegations tied to property acquisition. Travel restrictions complicated Lungu’s departure from Zambia before he eventually left for South Africa in early 2025.

Institutional Norms Under Scrutiny

Zambia’s reputation as a stable civilian democracy has long rested on constitutional transitions rather than military intervention. Yet the burial impasse highlights the friction between state protocol, family autonomy, judicial rulings, and cultural expectations.

Historian Sishuwa Sishuwa captured the duality: “Nearly everything done by the Lungu family so far seems to have been designed to deny Hichilema access to Lungu’s body.”

He added that Hichilema’s conduct suggests he will do “whatever it takes to secure access.”