WHAT WILL PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA SAY ON THE FIRST MEMORIAL DAY OF EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU?
By Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma
As the first memorial day of Zambia’s 6th Republican President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, approaches, a painful and troubling question confronts the conscience of the nation. President Lungu passed away on 5th June, 2025 in South Africa, a moment that plunged many Zambians into grief and reflection over the life of a man who once carried the highest office in the land.
Yet as this solemn anniversary draws near, another troubling reality remains. What will President Hakainde Hichilema say on that day if the body of the former Head of State is still lying in a mortuary in South Africa?
What explanation will be given to the people of Zambia if a man who once led this nation cannot even be laid to rest in dignity because of a dispute over who must preside over his funeral?
Mr. President, the nation is watching. And the nation is asking.
Why must the body of Edgar Chagwa Lungu remain in a mortuary while his widow, Madam Esther Lungu, and his family continue to grieve without closure?
Why is it so important for you to preside over his funeral when the family says the deceased himself made it clear that this should not happen?
Why has a grieving family been dragged to court simply for trying to respect the final wishes of their husband, father, and loved one?
What kind of leadership takes a widow to court while her husband’s body still lies in a mortuary?
These are not small questions. These are questions that go to the very heart of our humanity as a nation.
In African culture, death is sacred. The final wishes of the deceased are treated with the deepest respect. The burial of the dead is not a political event. It is a sacred moment of dignity, closure, and peace for the family and for the nation.
Yet today Zambia faces an unimaginable reality: a former President who died on 5th June, 2025, far from home in South Africa, remains unburied while power struggles overshadow the sacred duty of laying the dead to rest.
Mr. President, what will you say when the first memorial day comes?
Will you stand before the nation and speak about unity while the body of Edgar Chagwa Lungu still lies in a foreign mortuary?
Will you speak about reconciliation while the family continues to fight legal battles simply to honor the wishes of their loved one?
Will you ask the nation to remember the former President with dignity while his own final wishes remain contested?
Or will you finally answer the question that so many Zambians are asking in frustration and disbelief:
Why is it so difficult to simply allow a family to bury their loved one according to his wishes?
Edgar Chagwa Lungu was not just a politician. He was a husband, a father, and a citizen of Zambia. He was a man who once carried the responsibilities of the highest office in the land.
Regardless of political differences, the dignity of death must never be turned into a battlefield for power.
Mr. President, this moment calls not for authority, but for compassion. Not for control, but for humility. Not for legal battles, but for humanity.
The people of Zambia will remember what happens here.
They will remember whether the nation allowed its former leader to rest in peace—or whether power stood in the way of dignity.
And as that first memorial day approaches, one question will continue to echo across the nation:
Mr. President, what will you say about Edgar Chagwa Lungu if his body is still lying in a mortuary?