MATERO MP URGES “WIN–WIN” APPROACH IN PRETORIA ECL RULING DISPUTE

MATERO MP URGES “WIN–WIN” APPROACH IN PRETORIA ECL RULING DISPUTE

Lusaka… Saturday August 9, 2025

MATERO Member of Parliament, Hon. Miles Bwalya Sampa, has called for a compromise between the government and the family of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, following the recent Pretoria court ruling over the burial location of the late leader.

In a statement, Mr. Sampa said that the outcome so far had been a “lose-lose” for the nation, echoing sentiments expressed by SC Sakwiba Sikota.

He claimed that his inbox had been flooded with messages from international contacts and fellow parliamentarians, some of whom had mocked Zambia over what they described as a national embarrassment.

According to the MP, the dispute was less about the burial location itself and more about who should or should not attend the funeral.

He stated that the family’s reluctance to bury the former president in Zambia stemmed from their inability to secure assurances that certain individuals, specifically President Hakainde Hichilema would not view the body.

Mr. Sampa said such conditions were not unusual in African funeral traditions, citing the example of Zimbabwe’s Grace Mugabe, who had insisted that her late husband be buried at their farm instead of Heroes Park.

He recommended that President Hichilema agree not to attend the funeral or view the body, suggesting that the Vice President or other senior ministers could represent him.

In his view, this would allow the burial to take place in Zambia’s Embassy Park, as desired by the government, while also respecting the family’s wishes a “win-win” outcome.

Mr. Sampa warned that without such a compromise, the matter could drag on for months or even over a year through appeals, keeping the country “idling” and attracting ridicule across Africa.

He argued that the current impasse reflected poorly on the President, the government, and the nation as a whole.

“The back stops with the President of the day,” he said, adding that both ordinary citizens and leaders in the Southern African Development Community were laughing at Zambia’s inability to resolve the issue.

SE