REBUTTAL TO REV. SUMAILI—THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DELAY AND THE FAMILY’S LEGAL FIGHT
Dear Editor,
Rev. Godfridah Sumaili has once again taken to the media to spread misinformation about the delayed burial of Mr. Edgar Lungu. She blames the UPND government and claims a decline in national values. But the facts tell a very different story—one of a family engaged in a determined legal battle to keep Mr. Lungu’s body in South Africa, against multiple court rulings.
Let me present the facts that Rev. Sumaili conveniently omits.
THE REAL CAUSE OF THE DELAY: THE FAMILY’S APPEALS, NOT SAPS
First, let us correct the record. The eight-month delay in burying Mr. Edgar Lungu has nothing to do with the South African Police Service investigation, which is a development from just this week .
The delay is entirely the result of relentless legal appeals by the Lungu family to block the repatriation of the body to Zambia .
Timeline of facts:
August 8, 2025:
The Pretoria High Court ruled in favor of the Zambian government, ordering that Mr. Lungu’s body be handed over for repatriation and burial with full state honors in Zambia.
August 26, 2025:
The family’s attempt to appeal directly to the Constitutional Court failed.
September 16, 2025:
Their application for leave to appeal was dismissed.
December 23, 2025:
The Supreme Court of Appeal granted them leave to appeal but the family took no action for nearly two months.
February 9, 2026:
The family finally filed their appeal just one day after Zambia’s Economic and Financial Crimes Court ordered the forfeiture of 79 vehicles and 23 properties linked to the family.
February 11, 2026:
Lawyers confirm SAPS issued subpoenas for a poisoning investigation this is a new development, not the cause of the eight-month delay.
February 16, 2026:
The Constitutional Court rejected the family’s application for a direct appeal .
As of today, the family has an active appeal pending before the Supreme Court of Appeal . That is why the body remains in South Africa.
POINT-BY-POINT REBUTTAL TO REV. SUMAILI
SUMAILI’S CLAIM: “Zambia has failed to make progress in upholding national values during four years of UPND.”
REBUTTAL:
What national value is more important than respect for the rule of law? The UPND government has done exactly what a law-abiding nation should do—it has pursued legal channels through South African courts to secure the dignified return of a former president.
The government obtained a court order in June 2025 stopping a rushed burial . It won a full High Court judgment in August 2025 . It has respected every court process since.
If Rev. Sumaili wants to see a decline in values, she should look at a family that has ignored court timelines, filed appeals only when assets were seized, and used every legal tactic to avoid repatriation .
SUMAILI’S CLAIM:
“Adherence to morality would require President Hichilema to respect the wishes of the family.”
REBUTTAL:
Morality cuts both ways. Let us examine the family’s “wishes”:
They initially planned to bury Mr. Lungu in South Africa, claiming he did not want President Hichilema near his body.
The court rejected this, finding no credible evidence to support such claims.
The family has used the courts to delay, not to seek truth.
But here is the critical question Rev. Sumaili refuses to ask:
If the family is so certain about the cause of death and so opposed to the government’s involvement, why have they not provided any documentary evidence of Mr. Lungu’s remains?
No photo. No DNA confirmation. No independent postmortem report shared with the Zambian public. The family asks the nation to believe them on faith alone.
SUMAILI’S CLAIM:
“The delay exposes declining standards in governance and constitutionalism.”
REBUTTAL:
Let us examine the family’s own actions against constitutional standards:
Courts have consistently ruled in favor of the Zambian government.
The family was granted leave to appeal in December but only acted in February—after asset seizures.
The Constitutional Court has now rejected their direct appeal.
Yet the family continues to fight, through the Supreme Court of Appeal, to keep the body in South Africa .
Who is undermining constitutionalism? A government respecting court processes, or a family using every legal mechanism to defy multiple court rulings?
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: WHY SOUTH AFRICA?
Rev. Sumaili avoids the most uncomfortable question of all: Why was Mr. Lungu in South Africa in the first place?
Let us state the facts that the PF does not want discussed:
Mr. Lungu was safe and healthy in Zambia. He was jogging with citizens. He was not hospitalized. He was under no threat from the UPND government.
The PF pressured him to return to politics. Selfish party officials, desperate to use his name for fundraising and political relevance, pushed him to “bounce back.”
He traveled to South Africa under questionable circumstances. Reports indicate he used a false name and false passport to move in and out of South Africa for six months.
The PF leadership sent him into a situation where he was vulnerable. President Hichilema kept him safe in Zambia. The PF sent him abroad under false pretenses.
If Mr. Lungu is truly dead, the responsibility lies with those who pushed him to leave a country where he was safe.
THE SAPS INVESTIGATION: A RED HERRING
Rev. Sumaili and her PF colleagues are now seizing on the SAPS poisoning investigation to shift blame. But note the facts:
The investigation began less than a week ago.
The family denies the poisoning allegations and says they are “unfounded and unsupported by credible evidence”.
The family has complied with subpoenas but insists the body must remain with the funeral home pending their appeal.
There are two High Court orders directing that the body remain with Two Mountains Funeral Services until legal proceedings are finalized .
The investigation does not explain eight months of delay. The family’s legal appeals do.
THE TIMING THAT EXPOSES THE TRUTH
Perhaps the most telling detail comes from the AllAfrica report: the family finally filed their Supreme Court appeal on February 9, 2026—one day after Zambia’s Economic and Financial Crimes Court ordered the forfeiture of 79 vehicles and 23 properties, including a filling station and luxury apartments allegedly gifted to Mr. Lungu’s son .
As the report notes:
“For months after being granted leave to appeal in December, the family took no action. The sudden filing now comes only after the EFCC’s sweeping forfeiture order” .
This is not a family fighting for dignity. This is a family using a former president’s body as legal leverage while their financial empire crumbles.
CONCLUSION:
THE PF’S GUILTY CONSCIENCE
Rev. Sumaili’s statement is not about national values. It is about deflection.
The PF leadership knows that their greed and selfishness put Mr. Lungu in harm’s way. They forced him to leave a country where he was safe. They sent him abroad under false pretenses. And now, when questions arise and courts rule against them, they blame the UPND.
But the courts have spoken—repeatedly. The Pretoria High Court ruled in August 2025. The Constitutional Court rejected the family’s direct appeal just days ago . The only remaining legal hurdle is the family’s Supreme Court appeal.
If Rev. Sumaili truly wants Mr. Lungu buried with dignity, she should urge the family to:
Withdraw their endless appeals
Allow the body to be repatriated as courts have ordered
Cooperate with any investigations so the truth can emerge
Instead, she joins a campaign of disinformation designed to hide the truth: that the family’s legal strategy, not the Zambian government, is keeping Mr. Lungu from his final rest.
The truth will set us free—but only if we have the courage to seek it.
-ZWD