WE BLOCKED LUNGU FROM TRAVELING OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY-AG TELLS COURT

WE BLOCKED LUNGU FROM TRAVELING OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY-AG TELLS COURT

By Zambian Eye

The Government of the Republic of Zambia has openly admitted before the High Court of South Africa that it deliberately blocked the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu from attending both the prestigious World Peace Summit in September 2023 and a scheduled church service on 9th September 2023, citing fears that the former Head of State was using these platforms for political purposes.

The stunning admission is contained in official court documents filed under Case Number 2025-096565 in the Gauteng Division, Pretoria. Zambia’s Attorney General, Mulilo Kabesha, on behalf of the Zambian Government, openly stated under oath:

“It is correct that the late President was prevented from attending the World Peace Summit during September 2023 and a church service on 9 September 2023. This was because according to information available to the Applicant, the late President Lungu planned to use these events to further a political agenda.”

Further defending this action, the Attorney General argued that under Zambian law, specifically the Benefits of Former Presidents Act, President Lungu was prohibited from engaging in political activities as a condition for receiving his retirement benefits.

“As a former President and beneficiary in terms of the Benefits Act, the late President Lungu had no right to engage into political activities and for this reason, he was prevented from doing so” Kabesha Emphasized.

This confession has stunned observers, confirming what Late President Lungu’s supporters and the broader Zambian population have long been saying that the Hakainde Hichilema-led administration was actively working to isolate and neutralize the former President’s influence, even restricting his personal movements beyond Zambian borders.

The legal proceedings arise from a complex and high-stakes case brought before the South African courts by the Government of Zambia against former President Lungu’s widow, Esther Lungu, and other family members — Bertha, Tasila, Dalitso, and Chiyeso Lungu as well as family spokesperson Makebi Zulu, funeral company Two Mountains Burial Services, and South Africa’s own Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.

At the heart of the case are the fraught circumstances surrounding the repatriation and burial of President Lungu’s body. However, this latest affidavit has broadened the scope of public concern, touching on fundamental issues of governance, civil liberties, and Zambia’s adherence to democratic norms.

In the history of Zambia this is unprecedented. A government admitting in open court, and in a foreign jurisdiction no less, that it stopped a former President from attending a Peace summit because of politics? It paints a worrying picture of Zambia’s commitment to both democracy and freedom of expression.

Citizens are seeing this as a vindication of claims that Mr Hichilema’s administration has been systematically using the law and state power to target the Lungu family, amid a broader crackdown on opposition voices.

This explosive admission has opened a fresh chapter in the contentious posthumous legacy of President Edgar Lungu and intensified scrutiny on the current Zambian government’s respect for the rights and wishes of former leaders and political opponents.

This revelation will backfire spectacularly on Mr Hichilema’s government. Zambians are now asking if a former President could be subjected to such state control, what protections exist for ordinary citizens?