LUNGU FAMILY: GOVERNMENT CANNOT TREAT A PRESIDENT AS A TROPHY
By Brian Matambo – 27 August 2025
The widow and children of Zambia’s late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu have vowed not to surrender his dignity to a government they accuse of persecuting him in life and mocking him in death.
Speaking from South Africa in an exclusive interview with Diamond TV, family lawyer and former Eastern Province Minister Hon. Makebi Zulu blasted the High Court ruling that handed control of the burial to the state.
“That judgment suggested that a president is a government trophy, with the family reduced to mere spectators. We reject that notion completely,” Zulu declared.
He confirmed that Cabinet Secretary Patrick Kangwa has reached out, but stressed that no real talks have begun and trust remains shattered. “Government propaganda against the family continues,” he said, adding that any true negotiation must first recognize the family’s rights and stop the public attacks.
Zulu reminded Zambians that the same administration which stripped Lungu of his retirement benefits, restricted his travel, and harassed his family, now insists on celebrating him in death.
“You cannot dishonor a man while alive and then pretend to honor him once he is gone. That is hypocrisy of the highest order,” he said.
For the Lungu family, the conditions are clear: any send-off must be defined by the family’s wishes, not by government spin. Anything less, Zulu warned, will not be acceptable.
As Zambia watches the legal battle move to higher courts, the case is no longer about funeral protocol alone. It has become a test of whether the state respects family rights, whether it will stop persecuting those tied to Edgar Lungu, and whether President Hakainde Hichilema’s government is willing to offer true dignity instead of hollow ceremony.
If your brother killed someone with gun I can agree with you your family is hard hearted, government can not stop anyone to comment on social media.
Go to court complain get a judgement and live by it, this idea of wailing on social media should come end we are tired.
Just face reality and speak the truth. Objectivity is better than pretence and trickery just because you want to continue to be relevant. We all know that no one stripped ECL off his retirement benefits. ECL chose to forego those benefits and we heard him say it publicly. Why are you misleading people? Fight for the living, let the dead rest.
The last paragraph, was it a quotation or the writer’s thoughts? Either way, are they saying this case is tied to cases in court by say Mama Easter and children? Asking people to account for their wealth amount to persecution? We won’t go anywhere with this and this stance of saying unless….is that negotiation?
And citizens must stop commenting? The govt can only stop those under it but we are all grieved here. If I had money, I was going to take you to court. Whether the man was treated way you are claiming, we were not part there of and we want, as citizens he chewed money from in taxes, to mourn and burry him as a leader. You are being selfish. All the same, it is Zambia platform that gave him even a chance to create wealth he was throwing just like that at anyone, it is Zambia that gave him money and platform as a head of state to acquire property abroad and it is that former head of state you are crying about. We as Zambians, also need him here and you are being fair to demand what you are going. You are out of order
Whenever we hear Makebi say how government mistreated Lungu this is a blatant lie. It was Lungu himself who chose to steal from the government i.e. look at the villa he has in South Africa built on land befitting Billionaires with150 modern vehicles each costing K4 Million kwacha. If government gets that villa to the Zambian people, is that harassment? He chose to steal by himself. Lungu chose to go jogging with party cadres on busy roads, knowing that it is an offence. One wonders why he could not book a stadium for jogging but decided to be doing it on the roads. If Police clear him off the road is that harassment? One day Makebi should testify in court how government mistreated Lungu if he will not be arrested.
Where you are staying Makebi ku South Africa tekumwenu. Even South Africans i think are even wondering what type of people and lawyer this Makebi is. What i know is that the Lungu group or family including you Makebi is from Eastern Province of Zambia why mwaikatilila icitumbi kwabene, we don’t know. Or is it because of big wrongs you did which is very wrong? But with this dulness of yours ifingi filesokoloka nomba. Mukadabwa saana.
My appeal to the Zambian government is that, whatever the situation if there are any negotiations, let all the cases which are in the courts in Zambia and those under investigations for Esther Nyawa Tembo Lungu, Tasila Mwansa Lungu, Chiyeso and Daliso should not be part of those negotiations. AIKONA. Imilandu bapangile should continue because they have to be concluded to thw latter. No need tp spare these crooked thieves. aweeee. Aikona. They have to pay for their wrongs. Epela.
And for TADILA even the one foe Mukula where they sued News diggers and thay NGO should resume. I know there three in thay case. Lubinda, Jean and Tasila.
Where you are, kwabene nabena Soutj infact they don t even want crooks like you.
Fikomfwinka. NIPANO TULI
Where you are staying Makebi ku South Africa tekumwenu. Even South Africans i think are even wondering what type of people and lawyer this Makebi is. What i know is that the Lungu group or family including you Makebi is from Eastern Province of Zambia why mwaikatilila icitumbi kwabene, we don’t know. Or is it because of big wrongs you did which is very wrong? But with this dulness of yours ifingi filesokoloka nomba. Mukadabwa saana.
My appeal to the Zambian government is that, whatever the situation if there are any negotiations, let all the cases which are in the courts in Zambia and those under investigations for Esther Nyawa Tembo Lungu, Tasila Mwansa Lungu, Chiyeso and Daliso should not be part of those negotiations. AIKONA. Imilandu bapangile should continue because they have to be concluded to thw latter. No need tp spare these crooked thieves. aweeee. Aikona. They have to pay for their wrongs. Epela.
And for TASILA even the one for Mukula where they sued News diggers and that NGO should resume. I know there were or are three in that very case. Lubinda, Jean and Tasila.
Where you are, kwabene nabena South infact they don t even want crooks likeyou in their Country.
Fikomfwinka. NIPANO TULI
This is so boring. Don’t we have something better to occupy our minds?
President HH never arrested ECL but how many times did ECL arrest HH. Even with overwhelming evidence of corruption HH never arrested ECL
But government can treat lungu as the most corrupt chikala in Zambian politics
Am so dissatisfied with the Lungu family stance as expressed by their lawyer. Surely you have gone that far to trade your father in death for court cases? You’re not guilty until proven. Clear your selves in courts of law after burring your father please. I for one will not accept govt to succumb to this.
I am sorry, but we need to call stupidity out when it rears its head. Makubi is entitled to be a family lawyer for the Lungu family, but he is required to act with integrity and morality without making any public statements. He can’t accept to be a family lawyer and family spokesman. This is something that went wrong under Lungu. If you check the behaviour of Nakachinda and the conduct of Makebi, it shows that Lungu went and picked the most arrogant and useless and appointed them to positions that required wisdom, integrity and morality, but these were not the required criteria for Lungu. I am sure everyone knows that Tasila works for the government as a law marker. As it stands now, for past 2+ months Tasila been receiving her pay from Zambian government ( Tax payers) while fighting the government and issuing all sorts derogatory statements against her employer through the so called family spokesman. This is immoral, double standards and serving with hidden interest. The family should have advised the so called family spokesman to tame it down or Tasila taking a personal stand and resign from parliament. Tasila actions shows us that an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The entire conduct of this family will being regrettable has shown the light on how stupid and corrupt and PF/ opposition leaders are. They don’t lack only substance, but everything that anyone running for public office from Councillor, headman and MP. This issue needs to be revisted after burial. Makebi & Tasila need to answer for there actions. How can she and PF (Tonse) make the the president accountable when they are in the forefront of breaking the law???