A RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA’S STATEMENT ON ECL’S UNTIMELY DEMISE
By Sean Tembo – PeP President & TONSE ALLIANCE Spokesperson
1. If l was given an opportunity to describe in one word, President Hakainde Hichilema’s last evening’s address to the nation, regarding late former President Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s funeral, l would say “deficient’.
2. The President’s speech was deficient, not because it came 7 days late. Not because it lacked empathy. Not because it appeared prerecorded and ended abruptly. Not because it was delivered an hour later than scheduled. No.
3. President Hakainde Hichilema’s speech was deficient because it failed to give the way forward regarding the current empasse between ECL’s family and the Government of Zambia. Before we get caught in a long-winded debate regarding this deadlock, it is important to outline a few facts.
4. It is a fact that Government had announced that the remains of the late former President Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu will be in Zambia, from South Africa, on Wednesday, 11th June 2025. It is a fact that the remains are not yet in Zambia because Government and the ECL family have not been able to agree on the modalities of the funeral.
5. It is a fact that the ECL family is willing to get the late former President a state funeral, but would like to retain control of the funeral program in terms of where the church services are held (Catholic Parishes in Ndola, Lusaka and Petauke), who speaks at the funeral and who is not allowed to attend (President Hakainde Hichilema). These are the main demands of the ECL family. The question is; are these demands unreasonable, to the extent that they should be a basis for an empasse between ECL’s family and the Government?
6. Country men and women, it is also a fact that President Hakainde Hichilema is the Head of State. The same State that currently has an empasse with ECL’s family. So when he had an opportunity to address the nation last evening, President Hakainde Hichilema had a duty and obligation to address the elephant in the room, which is the empasse between is Government and the ECL family.
7. When some of us decided to tune in to ZNBC and watch the President’s address to the nation, we did so with the expectation that at the end of the said address, the deadlock between ECL’s family and President Hakainde Hichilema’s Government would be resolved. That President Hakainde Hichilema would tell the nation, the position of his Government on the three key demands of the ECL family.
8. It was our expectation that President Hakainde Hichilema would end his address to the nation by allaying our anxiety and telling us a tentative date when ECL’s body would arrive in the country, tentative date for funeral, as well as possible extension to the national mourning period, which expires tomorrow. But alas, the President’s address to the nation ended without addressing any of the issues that have brought about this deadlock, except for threats against those of us who are willing and capable of challenging his unreasonable behavior and the unreasonable behavior of his Government.
9. At this point, it is important to ask a few direct questions to President Hakainde Hichilema, vis-a-vis the demands of ECL’s family. Firstly, since the ECL family donot want HH to attend ECL’s funeral, what is so difficult with HH accepting to stay away from ECL’s funeral? President Hakainde Hichilema’s silence about this demand by the family, means that he does not agree with it. So the question is why? Why is it so important to HH to see ECL’s body?
10. Secondly, the family has demanded that they will privately repatriate ECL’s body from South Africa, and only hand it over to the State at the port of entry, or simply put, at the airport. The question to President Hakainde Hichilema is; what is wrong with that demand? Why is Government insisting to take possession of ECL’s body in South Africa? Why is it so important to Government that they should have a private moment with ECL’s body between the time that it is collected from the South African hospital mortuary and where it will lie in state in Zambia? Why?
11. Thirdly, the ECL family has demanded that it must have control of the funeral program. More specifically, which churches the church service is held, who speaks at such church service, in what order, etcetera. The question to President Hakainde Hichilema is; what is so difficult with agreeing to this family demand, such that it should be a basis for this protracted deadlock? Why does President Hakainde Hichilema feel entitled to take over the entire program of ECL’s funeral, in the same manner and fashion that he took over Hon Edith Nawakwi’s funeral, despite perpetually harassing Nawakwi throughout her life, with Police raids and court cases?
12. To properly understand the basis of ECL family’s demands, it is important to dwell a little bit on the background of ECL’s illness, and the behavior of President Hakainde Hichilema’s Government during this period. For me, as a close personal friend of the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, l know for sure that it was not the withdrawal of his benefits as a former Head of State that pained him. If anything, ECL did not care about that, and l also believe that his family equally did not care about that.
13. What pained ECL the most was the restriction of his movements by President Hakainde Hichilema’s Government. Specifically his being prevented from seeking medical attention on three different occasions starting from 2022. At one point, President Hakainde Hichilema’s Government agents pulled ECL out of a South African bound flight like a common criminal, despite his pleas that he needed to seek medical attention. ECL challenged these wanton actions of President Hakainde Hichilema and his Government, in the Lusaka High Court, but the case did not go anywhere. The records are there. And yet, when all this harassment was happening, ECL still had his immunity and was not on house arrest. So the question is; on what legal basis did President Hakainde Hichilema and his Government restrict ECL’s movements, other than abuse of power?
14. Even for the late former Republican President Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu to find himself in South Africa, he had to literally sneak out. He booked his flight merely two hours before boarding time, and timed it in such a way as to coincide with the arrival at the airport of the United Nations Special Rapateur for Freedom of Speech, Dr. Ireen Khan. He literally sneaked out of his own country like a fugitive, in order to try and save his own life by seeking medical treatment in South Africa. Then today, President Hakainde Hichilema and his Government must claim that they need ECL’s body because he was a statesman? APresident, tapapata pulizi, musatichimwise ise.
15. During one of the various telephone conversations that I had with ECL during his medical stay in South Africa, he mentioned to me that the doctors had told him that he was two years too late for his cancer treatment. When ECL told me that, tears drowned my face and l could not control my voice anymore because it dawned on me that, had President Hakainde Hichilema allowed him to leave the country to seek medical attention, when he first attempted to do so about 3 years ago, ECL’s cancer would have been successfully treated. Therefore, there is no doubt in my mind that President Hakainde Hichilema and his Government significantly contributed to the death of late former President Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu. That’s a fact.
16. But the important question that is lingering on the minds of the Zambian people is; what’s the way forward? Yes, mistakes were made and a life was unnecessarily lost, but how do we move forward from here? Well, different people will have different viewpoints on how best to move forward, and l respect that. My view however, is that the only way we can move forward is if President Hakainde Hichilema and his Government abandon their arrogant attitude and embrace humility and grace.
17. Let President Hakainde Hichilema respect and honor the wishes of ECL’s family. Let Government give the late former President a state funeral, without hijacking the funeral program. It is worth noting that President Edgar Chagwa Lungu is entitled to a state funeral. So by giving him a state funeral, President Hakainde Hichilema is not doing us a favor here, no. The state funeral will be funded by taxpayers money, and not from HH’s personal pocket. As the family has demanded, let HH stay away from the funeral. Let the family repatriate ECL’s body until the airport, where the state can take over. Let church services be held in Ndola, Lusaka and Petauke, as demanded by the family.
18. The question that the Zambian people should ask themselves is whether the demands made by ECL’s family above, are so unreasonable that they should warrant the current national deadlock? Or put differently, is the current national deadlock necessary, under the circumstances? My considered view is that it is not. Lastly, allow me to address President Hakainde Hichilema directly. Mr President sir, you tormented your older brother in life. Please, do not continue to torment him in his death. Simply agree to the demands of his family, and allow your elder brother to be mourned in a dignified way. I thank you, Mr President sir 😢🙏🏽
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SET 13.06.2025
I agree with Sean. The demands from the family are reasonable.
The problem is that Hakainde likes to have his own way prevail every time. As ECL used to say, and I quote, “The problem with ubwa icunsu is that alitemwa uku chimfyana.” End of quote. This is not the right time for arm wrestling. Surely which Church do you want to host the event? SDA? Awe, let the family take him to Catholic Church. And just stay away from the funeral. You can watch it on TV like you did the funeral of our beloved KK. Your presence there is not welcome at all.
If only you had allowed ECL to travel earlier, he would still be with us. If only you had allowed Nawakwi to travel, she would still be with us.
Reject tribalism, corruption and oppression.
VOTE FOR CHANGE IN 2026.
Hatred for the man will give you a heart attack.He cares less what civilians like you are trying to do, which is undermining authority and the government of the day. Lungu was a Chief commander of the armed forces and he should be buried as such.Thats protocol before you talk about what the constitution says. The president is the current chief of the armed forces and his presence at the funeral should not be questioned, its protocol whether you like it or not. Keep your evil hearts and nonsense away from this funeral we don’t need politics of envy by tribalist like you and Sean Tembo
A point of correction: HH was at KK’s funeral when ECL was still President, 17thJune, 2021, amongst other leaders of the opposition.
Whether Somebody attends or does not attend a Funeral of Somebody, it is irrelevant, nothing will change: The Hatred will always be there, it is a Constant
Only if people choose to hate. Hatred shouldn’t go on and be considered to be justified in keeping it going as if it is a good thing. It is not. Don’t go if you choose not to because you hated the person when they were alive. However, if we are calling ourselves a “peaceful and Christian nation”, then do the right thing according to your spirit and conscious. If hatred continues even in death, that is just sheer evil.
There is a reason Sean got zeros….I leave there
As long as it is a state funeral regarding the former president, it must be dignified and be presided over by the republican president, the commander of the armed forces. Do you want to overtake, overthrow the president situationally, temporarily? We can’t allow that to hay in Zambia. Otherwise it may mean the beginning of another culture.