SUPREME COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA YET TO DECIDE WHERE ECL WILL BE BURIED

SUPREME COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA YET TO DECIDE WHERE ECL WILL BE BURIED

Today, eight months ago, Zambia lost its sixth President Edgar Changwa Lungu(ECL), who is yet to be buried, as his remains, remain in a South African mortuary.

The delayed burial of the 68-year-old lawyer follows an impasse between Government and the Lungu family in relation to how the burial should be handled.

The family has made it clear that before Mr Lungu’s death, he indicated that in an event of his demise, his successor, Hakainde Hichilema, should not be anywhere near his body.

But the Government has insisted that Mr Lungu’s body needs to be flown back home from South Africa where he died, June 5, 2025, in readiness for burial, in Lusaka, where an open tomb is already dug for him at Embassy Park.

In line with precedent, President Hakainde Hichilema is likely to attend the burial if Mr Lungu’s remains are flown back home for interment.

For now, the country waits for South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal to determine a lawsuit by the Lungu family which is challenging that country’s High Court’s decision to allow the repatriation of Mr Lungu back home for burial.

So, what does the delayed burial say about who we are as a people-in terms of Christianity, culture-and how we resolve differences?

Did the Church and our elders, both in Zambia and region, let us down on this issue?