The family of the late former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has reportedly demanded that his body lie in state at his residence, that church services be held in Ndola, Petauke, and Lusaka, and that they be consulted on the list of speakers—conditions which have led to a suspension of funeral and repatriation talks with the Zambian government.
These revelations were made by Patriotic Front (PF) Information and Publicity Chairperson Emmanuel Mwamba through a Facebook post, in which he outlined the unfolding dispute between the Lungu family and government representatives.
According to Mr. Mwamba, several meetings have taken place involving the late president’s family and government delegations, initially led by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mulambo Haimbe and later by Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa. However, despite multiple engagements, no consensus has been reached on the way forward.
Among the key demands, the family insists that Mr. Lungu—who had travelled to South Africa as a private citizen—should be returned in that capacity. They propose that the government only assume official responsibility for the body upon its arrival at either Kenneth Kaunda International Airport or Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport, depending on final arrangements.
Tensions are said to have escalated when the family objected to the presence of certain government officials during the discussions, further deepening the standoff. Mr. Mwamba claims this issue significantly contributed to the current impasse.
The government, on its part, has reportedly maintained that the body must be repatriated to Lusaka without delay and that it should assume full responsibility from the undertaker in South Africa through to the burial in Zambia.
Although government officials have expressed willingness to consider the family’s requests, Mr. Mwamba emphasized that they have made it clear such requests would not be automatically accepted.
As of now, neither the government nor the Lungu family has issued an official public statement confirming or denying the reported developments, leaving the status of the funeral arrangements in limbo.