Kafwaya calls for Ubuntu in late President Lungu’s Death
LUSAKA 16 August, 2025
Lunte Member of Parliament, Hon. Mutotwe L. Kafwaya, has called for deep national reflection in the wake of the controversy surrounding the death and burial arrangements of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, warning that government’s handling of the matter risks creating cultural and moral taboos never before seen in Zambia.
In a statement titled “The Taboos and the Need for Ubuntu in ECL’s Death and Burial”, Hon. Kafwaya said the standoff between the Lungu family and government over funeral arrangements highlights the absence of Ubuntu the African spirit of humanity, compassion, and dignity.
“In the death of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, Mama Esther Lungu lost a husband, his children lost a father, his siblings lost a brother, PF lost a party president, UPND lost a political foe, and Zambia lost a former president,” Hon. Kafwaya said.
“The immediate family, broader family, and the nation at large lost Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Never to return to this earth until glorification.”
Hon. Kafwaya questioned government’s position on what constitutes “honor” in death, arguing that the late president’s own wishes and those of his family must take precedence.
“We are informed by those who cared for him while he was sick that he gave a wish that in the event of his death, the current Zambian President must not come near his body or casket. His family has wishes too. To them, that is what honor means. But government believes a gun salute, a state funeral, and interment at Embassy Park is honor. This discrepancy is what has led us here,” Hon. Kafwaya explained.
The opposition MP accused government of hypocrisy, noting that President Lungu had been denied permission to travel for medical treatment in earlier attempts, was never visited by any Zambian official during his seven-month hospitalisation in South Africa, and yet was now the subject of state-driven funeral claims.
“Should honoring President Lungu be defined by his family, who cared for him and heard him speak on his deathbed? Or by government, which prevented him from seeking medical services in good time, never visited him in hospital, and was investigating him through DEC while he lay on a sickbed?” Hon. Kafwaya asked.
He condemned government’s decision to take the Lungu family to court to stop them from burying their husband and father, describing it as alien to African traditions.
“How can government take a widow and orphans to court in order to stop them from burying their deceased husband and father? This does not tie into Ubuntu. I do not see this coming from the north, south, east, or west. It is clearly alien to our human system,” Hon. Kafwaya said.
He also expressed shock at reports that government sought to identify the late president’s body to the exclusion of his family.
“Where has anyone ever seen body identification being done by someone who is not a relative? In which civilization or culture has such a thing ever occurred? Government even said they will comfortably bury President Lungu without his family if they chose to abscond. Is there a society on earth which finds such actions normal?” asked Hon. Kafwaya.
Comparing the controversy to biblical times, Hon. Kafwaya said “Even the dead body of the Lord Jesus Christ was given to His family and friends for burial purposes. The desperation being exhibited has never been seen on earth since the body of Moses.”
He concluded with a call for prayer both for the Lungu family.
The Lungu family has appealed a recent court ruling that gave the Zambian government authority over funeral arrangements. The matter is expected to return to the courts in the coming days.
Useless as usual from a dull person.
Where were you when ECL and PF Government insisted on going against the Kaunda family when they were told that even if the family wouldn’t attend his burial they were still going to go ahead with the burial at Embassy Park. I ask you: WAS THIS NORMAL IN THIS SOCIETY ON EARTH?? Since you seem to know nothing about this occurrence!
So what is Kafwaya’s proposal under the circumstances? Is he advocating for a private burial of the late President in a foreign country? Does he expect a state funeral in Zambia whose protocols should be dictated by the Lungu family?
Stupid MP.
Just shut the f…k, clearly, you have no clue what you are talking about.
What are you saying on the Lungu’s escalation to SA Concourt?
Look at the personal who is talking full of jealous
This man has done nothing in his constituency. He has nothing to show for the past 4 years. In Parliament this man has not added value to the lives of Zambians through his contribution.
So to justify his canditure he has to create a narrative to garner a voter base.
Ask him if elected what will he do? That he has not done in the past 4 years? Will Edgar Lungu be relevant to the lives of those that live in his constituency after 2026? This fixation on someone who has lived their life on earth doesnt have a clean slate on how he amassed what he is said to have bequethed his family. Hardly has a legacy that his worthy to write of. Bankrupcy is also not something one can speak glowingly about. If Lungu is dead. Let him get a dignified burial and focus on those that have yet to live. Prospects of the future of the Zambian youth that is what Kafywa should be focusing on.