Open Letter to President Hakainde Hichilema
Let Your Predecessor Rest in Peace
Mr. President,
I write to you not as a political opponent, but as a citizen troubled by a matter of conscience, dignity, and humanity.
Former Sixth Republican President Edgar Chagwa Lungu remains unburied, a reality that has caused deep pain to his family and growing concern among citizens at home and abroad. According to his family, this delay is not due to hesitation or indecision, but because they are seeking to honour his final wishes regarding the conduct of his funeral—wishes that your office appears to have chosen not to respect.
The family has made it clear, publicly and repeatedly, that the late President did not want you to preside over his funeral or be anywhere near his remains. This position has been stated without ambiguity. It is not an act of defiance, but a deeply personal request, grounded in cultural, familial, and personal dignity.
Mr. President, why is this not enough?
Why must the State appear to be in conflict with a grieving family over a body they lawfully and morally own? Why has this matter dragged on for months, prolonging grief, deepening national pain, and attracting uncomfortable international attention to Zambia at a time when compassion and unity are most needed?
What public good is achieved by insisting on presiding over a funeral where your presence is explicitly rejected? What moral authority is strengthened by compelling compliance in a moment that should be governed by empathy and restraint? Leadership is not demonstrated through compulsion. It is demonstrated through humility, restraint, and respect for human dignity, especially in death.
International human rights principles recognize the right of families to bury their dead in accordance with their wishes, beliefs, and cultural practices. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 16) emphasizes the importance of family, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Articles 18 and 27) protects freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and cultural expression. Prolonged interference with these rights undermines not only the dignity of the deceased and his family but also Zambia’s commitment to human rights.
Mr. President, this moment transcends politics, protocol, and office. It speaks to the values we claim as a nation and the example we set for future generations. True power is shown not in insistence, but in knowing when to step back.
I therefore urge you, respectfully and earnestly, to respect the family’s wishes, to withdraw the legal action that continues to delay burial, and to allow the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to be laid to rest with dignity and peace, in line with international human rights standards and Zambia’s own cultural and legal traditions.
Sincerely,
Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma
Useless open letters every day
Now turning into an attention seeker, why writing to the same person you don’t want to be near Lungu’s body? Has he got any authority over that body? Did Lungu even know that he was going die or you are just making a story.
According to my understanding and to what I have heard the president is not interested on presiding over the funeral of ECL l wish if the president can come out and say something over this lie people keep on repeating saying.
Leave our HH alone . He is innocent. Mama Esther and the family know what they are upto we are praying for HH he is going to through next year and lungu ‘s family will continue appealing. Stealing Zambian ‘s money and living in luxury whilst us we are suffering is not good . They will continue wandering with at corpse if it still there or maybe he is alive and listening what is going on . No sympathy anymore