Lungu must be buried at Embassy Park, Hichilema insists
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has maintained that his predecessor Edgar Lungu must be buried at Embassy Park where the country’s other five late Heads of State are laid to rest.
Speaking during a Special Radio Interview on Radio Icengelo on the Copperbelt this morning, President Hichilema said the matter of where former presidents are buried was already settled through precedent during the burial impasse of the first President Kenneth Kaunda.
The Head of State stated that Embassy Park remains the official burial site for Zambia’s past presidents, adding that consistency must be upheld in honouring national leaders.
“Let’s respect the sixth president, let’s bury him where the other five are lying, it’s now precedent, it’s now law,” said Hichilema.
The President cited how Edgar Lungu himself made a firm decision during the burial of Kenneth Kaunda, despite resistance from some family members.
“I want to commend the sixth president, President Lungu for that decision, it was a right decision and we all followed as citizens, what’s different now?” he said.
The President further said that leadership comes with the responsibility to uphold the Constitution and serve all citizens equally.
“When you are a Head of State, you swear in to protect the Constitution and all citizens, those who like you and those who don’t,” he said.
This comes amid heightened public debate surrounding the handling of the late former Head of State’s remains, which have been the subject of prolonged legal proceedings in South Africa.
As of today, the Pretoria High Court has ordered the Zambian government to pay for a new mortuary where former president Edgar Lungu’s body will be kept until the legal dispute surrounding his remains is finally resolved.
Lungu, died June 5, last year in South Africa and is yet to be buried.
By George Musonda
Kalemba April 30, 2026