HAKAINDE HICHILEMA CAN STILL RECONCILE WITH ECL IN MAKEBI ZULU: LET US FIND A PEACEFUL WAY TO LAY PRESIDENT EDGAR LUNGU TO REST
By Harry Henry Lungu
Let us talk about this matter with open hearts, compassion and a genuine desire for peace. Reconciliation is still possible. There is still room for dialogue, understanding and a peaceful solution. The way forward is here in Zambia, among us as Zambians. We must find it together.
President Hakainde Hichilema has the opportunity to take a historic step towards healing the nation. He can choose forgiveness, but an important question remains: are the grievances involved his alone to forgive? The struggle was not his alone, and neither are the emotions surrounding this matter. Many party members and ordinary citizens were affected by the political rivalry, and their feelings cannot simply be ignored.
On the other side are more than 1.8 million people who continue to stand firmly behind the legacy of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, alongside many other Zambians who believe that his treatment was unjust and that questions surrounding his political journey deserve answers. They stand against another large group of citizens who supported President Hichilema and believe in his leadership.
These are deeply divided positions, but surely they do not have to become a permanent national wound. What appears complicated can still be resolved if those involved are willing to put the interests of Zambia above personal and political differences.
We cannot discuss reconciliation honestly without looking at the history between the two leaders. During the previous political era, Hakainde Hichilema faced treason charges and spent time in detention. He maintained that he had committed no offence. Today, members of the opposition, including Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu, face serious charges that they have denied. Their cases must be handled through the courts, with respect for due process and the presumption of innocence.
The political circumstances are different, but the lesson remains the same: Zambia must never allow political rivalry to become a cycle of resentment, retaliation and suffering.
Did the reconciliation between President Hakainde Hichilema and President Edgar Lungu ever go deep enough?
Did their discussions genuinely resolve their differences, or did they primarily concern political competition and the peaceful transfer of power? Why did the hostility appear to continue even after Edgar Lungu announced his retirement from active politics?
These are difficult questions, but asking them does not mean taking sides. It means trying to understand how a country that has enjoyed a reputation for peace can prevent political disagreements from becoming wounds that remain open for generations.
Whatever the answers may be, this is not the time to reopen old wounds merely to assign blame. It is time to ask what can still be done to heal them.
Today, President Hakainde Hichilema is alive and serving as Head of State, while the late former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu remains at the centre of a painful national dispute over his final resting place. His family, supporters and many citizens want him to be laid to rest with dignity. Others have concerns involving national protocol, the office of the President and the role of the Commander-in-Chief.
We must recognise the humanity in this situation. Behind the political arguments is a family grieving its loved one, supporters mourning a leader they admired, and a nation watching a painful chapter unfold.
A burial should be an occasion for mourning, dignity and the beginning of healing, not another battleground for political confrontation.
The late President cannot speak for himself today. But his life, his legacy and the circumstances surrounding his final resting place continue to speak to the conscience of the nation. We must be careful not to turn his burial into a contest over who has greater political power.
SO, WHAT IS THE WAY FORWARD?
I believe that the door to reconciliation should remain open.
President Hakainde Hichilema and representatives of the Lungu family should be given an opportunity to engage in a sincere, respectful and private dialogue. Such a meeting should not be about humiliating anyone, forcing anyone to surrender or declaring one side the winner.
It should be about finding common ground.
An apology, where sincerely offered and accepted, can be a powerful beginning. If either side believes it was wronged, there should be room to acknowledge that pain. President Hichilema and the late President Lungu had their differences, and there may be grievances that still require honest reflection. The aim should not be to impose blame without hearing both sides, but to create space for healing.
The family should be heard with compassion. The concerns of the State should be explained clearly and respectfully. Traditional leaders, church leaders and other trusted, neutral Zambians could help facilitate an agreement that respects the law, national protocol, the dignity of the deceased and the wishes of the family as far as reasonably possible.
Any final arrangement should be clearly communicated to the nation so that speculation and misinformation do not deepen the divisions.
If a peaceful and mutually acceptable solution can be reached, the burial should proceed with dignity, and all parties should be encouraged to treat the occasion as a moment of national mourning rather than political victory.
The President has an opportunity to demonstrate leadership through compassion. Equally, those representing the late President have an opportunity to approach the matter with openness, patience and a genuine willingness to reach an agreement.
Leadership is not measured only by the ability to stand firm. Sometimes, it is measured by the courage to listen, the wisdom to compromise and the humility to extend a hand when the nation needs healing.
ECL-MAKEBI ZULU, THE LUNGU FAMILY AND STATE HOUSE MUST FIND A TABLE FOR PEACE.
Makebi Zulu has become one of the prominent voices associated with the late President’s legacy. He and other representatives of the family and those speaking for the State should be willing to sit down and engage constructively.
This is not about declaring Makebi Zulu to be Edgar Lungu, nor is it about treating the legal cases against any individual as already decided. It is about recognising that the people representing the late President’s interests and the government must find a way to communicate beyond public statements and political disagreements.
As a nation, we cannot allow this matter to drag on indefinitely while emotions continue to rise. The consequences of prolonged division will be felt not only by today’s politicians but also by future generations.
There is a Bemba saying: “Wapyana ishina eupanoko.” In matters of inheritance, a name can carry both honour and responsibility. Those who carry forward the name and legacy of a departed leader must also carry the responsibility of seeking peace.
We must remember that the President is the Head of State, but the nation belongs to all its citizens. Government authority and national protocol matter, just as family dignity, compassion and respect for the dead matter.
Neither side should be made to feel that reconciliation requires the destruction of its dignity. A genuine agreement must allow all parties to step back from confrontation without feeling defeated.
ZAMBIA MUST COME FIRST.
I appeal to President Hakainde Hichilema, the Lungu family, Makebi Zulu, political leaders, traditional leaders, the Church and every concerned Zambian: let us make peace possible.
Let us lower our voices, open our hearts and give dialogue a chance. Let us not turn grief into another political campaign or allow the burial of a former Head of State to become a lasting symbol of national division.
History will remember how we handled this moment. It will remember whether we chose confrontation or compassion, bitterness or understanding, division or unity.
President Edgar Chagwa Lungu deserves to be remembered with dignity. His family deserves to grieve with dignity. President Hakainde Hichilema deserves the opportunity to exercise leadership in a way that protects national peace. And the people of Zambia deserve closure.
The question is no longer simply who is right or who is wrong. The question is whether we can find a peaceful way forward that allows the nation to heal.
We can disagree politically and still be one people. We can demand accountability and still practise compassion. We can defend our positions without allowing our differences to destroy the peace we share.
Let the men and women involved find a table, let the honest conversations begin, and let Zambia be bigger than any individual or political party.
May wisdom guide our leaders, comfort the bereaved, and help our nation find a peaceful path towards reconciliation.
Zambia first. Peace first. Humanity first.
By Harry Henry Lungu
Reconcile with criminals who are plotting to kill HH? Let the criminal suspects reconcile with the courts of law.
As for late ECL, the burial is in family hands. Court decided.
Makebi is spokes person not family member… If you said Esther should reconcile with HH, that can be debated… Makebi is a criminal who thought the spirit of ECL can take him to state house…
Im lost. The Lungus won a court case to bury. Why haven’t they buried? Why are dragging the President in this again??
same question also me have sure, sure
First and foremost, Hakainde never differed with Lungu on any matter, he just defeated Lungu through the ballot, does he need or did he need a reconciliation for that? When Lungu died, Hakainde did everything possible on his part to bring the remains of Lungu back home and give him a dignified state funeral befitting a former head of State, unfortunately the PF guys brought in politics claiming that the late Lungu left instructions saying that Hakainde should not come or be seen anywhere near his coffin. So it’s Lungu’s family and PF who didn’t want HH but HH was more than ready to bury his predecessor with a dignified burial. To start with, the grave was made at Embassy Park and to date, it’s still there yawning, but the family refused. On several occasions, HH sent a government delegation to South Africa to resolve the matter with the family and Makebi Zulu, but to no avail. Hakainde and his government went further by allowing the Attorney General to take the matter to a South African Court. And when the judgment went in favor of the Zambia government, before even coming out, very big insults were hurled at HH inside the Court. And instead of allowing the body of the late Lungu to be brought home for a State funeral and burial, the family entirely refused, instead, they opted for an appeal and finally won the case. The Zambian government didn’t want any further arguments, it politely allowed the family to honour the wishes of the late and bury the body wherever they wanted but the family never took any action, they went quiet. To our surprise, during campaigns, we heard the Tonse guys telling the people that when they form government in few weeks’ time, they would bring back the body of late Lungu and give it a dignified burial. Unfortunately, they never formed the government because they lost the elections. And now because they have come to the end of the road, they want reconciliation, honestly speaking, is that not just abusing the President? In my opinion, the time for reconciliation was already missed and is long gone. And had the same people won the election, they wouldn’t even have talked of any reconciliation with anyone. May be what we need now, is the family to come out in open, show remorse and apologize to HH and his government for whatever had happened in the past. From there a new chapter can be opened and HH and his government can be allowed to officially do what they were supposed to do. It’s also better to follow what our constitution tells us than following political emotions and politics.
The mandate given to HH by the 3mil people, is to DEVELOP ZAMBIA and IMPROVE PEOPLES LIVES through reduction in Cost of living.
That is his mandate, plain and simple !!
Ifyo ifya reconciliation and purpoted peace, fyenu ifyo imwe ba 1.8mil.
Stop bothering HH nechitumbi chenu, you won the case, and Makebi told the nation, the Lungu’s were consulting on date of burial and place of burial. Todate, there has never been any update.
So, if you want anything to do with Lungu’s burial, please ask Makebi and ba Esther.
Its not HH who should seek reconciliation, its You ba PF, who should be in forefront, not HH.
Lungu died nechikonko, that why he did not want HH near his body. So why should the hated start reconciliation, it should Lungu in his fridge who should initiate.