LUBINDA URGES FAMILY TO PROCEED WITH LUNGU BURIAL
Former minister Given Lubinda has called on ex-president Edgar Lungu’s family to allow him to be buried, following reports that President Hakainde Hichilema will not attend the funeral.
Today, 5 June 2026, marks one year since Lungu died in South Africa after an undisclosed illness. He remains unburied amid a legal dispute between his family and government over his final resting place.
Lubinda argued there was no longer any purpose in continuing the court cases, saying the central issue, the President’s attendance, had fallen away after Hichilema indicated he would not attend. He described the year-long delay as unprecedented and deeply sad.
Separately, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) said no affiliates or member churches should organise or take part in proposed nationwide memorial activities. Executive Director Allan Kasung’ami said such observances were premature before burial, and took exception to events presented as church-endorsed without proper consultation.
The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) also clarified it was neither participating in nor endorsing the proposed memorials. General Secretary Reverend Canon James Phiri said the nation’s priority should be a dignified and mutually agreeable resolution to the outstanding burial matters.