It has has been confirmed that the late Edgar Chagwa Lungu, former President of the Republic of Zambia, will be laid to rest in South Africa, with his family opting for a private ceremony, as officially announced. Image: DW Africa.
Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 until his electoral defeat in 2021, died on 5 June 2025 at the age of 68. He passed away in a Pretoria hospital while undergoing treatment for heart complications after surgery. A 16-day national mourning period is currently underway in Zambia. The initial funeral programme, agreed upon by both the family and the government, included plans to return his remains to Lusaka on Wednesday, with President Hakainde Hichilema scheduled to receive the body at the airport. It would then have lain in state ahead of a public funeral set for 22 June and a burial the next day.
But on Wednesday morning, those plans were abruptly halted. “Sadly so, the mortal remains of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu will not return today,” said family spokesperson Makebi Zulu during a media briefing in South Africa. Zulu said the family had lost trust in the government’s commitment to previously agreed terms, accusing it of unilaterally releasing a funeral programme without their input. Zulu, speaking alongside Lungu’s immediate family, also revealed that the former president had left specific instructions before his death, including that President Hichilema, his long-standing political rival, not be involved in the funeral. That condition was later softened following negotiations, which allowed Hichilema to attend the state ceremony.
Despite that compromise, tensions resurfaced. “The family finds it very difficult to believe that the government will stick to their end of the agreement,” Zulu said. In response, Zambia’s government issued a statement expressing its willingness to continue talks with the family “until an amicable resolution is achieved.” It also reiterated the state’s desire to honour Lungu in a manner befitting his office.
Lungu’s former party, the Patriotic Front, has backed the family’s stance, accusing the government of trying to politicise the funeral. Lungu stepped down after losing the 2021 election to Hichilema but remained active in Zambian politics.
Though he sought a comeback, Zambia’s Constitutional Court ruled last year that he had already served two terms, disqualifying him from running again. Even out of office, Lungu remained a polarising figure, critical of his successor and claiming state harassment, including travel restrictions. The government denied those claims. For now, the family says it’s sticking to its plan of a quiet farewell in Johannesburg, far from the political rows back home.
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