CHURCH CALLS FOR DIALOGUE BETWEEN GOVT AND LUNGU FAMILY AFTER COURT RULING ON BURIAL
Joseph Kaputula & Elesani Phiri
The Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia -EFZ- has appealed to government and the family of late former President Edgar Lungu to resolve their differences and accord him a dignified burial.
The appeal follows the South Africa Supreme Court of Appeal’s decision to set aside an August 2025 High Court order for Mr. Lungu’s repatriation after it ruled that government failed to establish a legal right, under common law or contract, to override the family’s burial decision.
EFZ Executive Director Bishop Allan Kasungami said Mr. Lungu should be buried in Zambia to allow many citizens an opportunity to give him a dignified send-off.
In an interview with Phoenix News, Bishop Kasungami emphasized that Mr. Lungu was not just a husband or father, but a President to all Zambians and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and therefore deserves a dignified send-off.
Meanwhile, Council of Churches in Zambia -CCZ- Board President Reverend Ackson Banda maintained that the church will not observe Mr. Lungu’s future memorials until his remains are buried in his homeland.
Reverend Banda told Phoenix News that Mr. Lungu deserves a befitting burial in Zambia, not in a foreign country especially that he remains a former Head of State.
PHOENIX NEWS
Awe please, we are TIRED of ICITUMBI Stories, the LUNGU`s and MALUKULA already decided that citizens will NOT have an opportunity to give him a dignified send-off.
REMEMBER: They were about to bury him in SA before the government intervened, which makes it so important for them to change their mind and want to burry in Zambia.
LET them BURY in SA in line with the judgement. ZAMBIANS are moving on, so there shouldn’t be any further discussion.