from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – THE withdrawal from the court case on the deadlock surrounding the burial of former president Edgar Lungu seemingly ends the saga and paves the way for the interment of the deceased leader.
However, the controversy is far from over, with the legacy of current president Hakainde Hichilema and his government tarnished. It gives credence to claims there was more to the head of state’s fixation with Lungu’s remains than fulfilling the tradition of burying fallen heads of state at a national shrine.
Serious accusations are swirling that Hichilema is practising occultism. A sticking point in the standoff between the family and Hichilema over the funeral of the late former president is the family’s alleged belief that items from Lungu’s body might be taken for ritual purposes by Hichilema if he is anywhere near the corpse or if it is left in the sole custody of the state.
There have been dramatic scenes in South Africa in recent days, where Lungu died while seeking medical attention on June 5.
The body was moved from Two Mountains to Tshwane Forensic Services in Pretoria, where a postmortem was conducted two days later. It was reportedly led by Shirley Jena Stuart, Chief Specialist and Head of Clinical Department at Gauteng Department of Health Forensic Pathology Services.
This followed the body being collected by diplomats from the Zambian High Commission, reportedly accompanied by South African police.
The outcome of the examination has not been disclosed.
Further fuelling the fallout is the fact that the postmortem was conducted in the absence of the family and in defiance of a previous court order that the remains must not be removed before the conclusion of the legal case that has been running for months in South Africa.
The defiance by the Zambian High Commission when ordered to return the body exacerbated tensions.
Days after it emerged the government had conducted its own postmortem, it has also emerged that it would no longer be interested in being part of the funeral, which was a demand earlier advanced by the deceased’s family.
By withdrawing its legal challenge, the government has conceded that the decision on the burial should be the family’s.
The government ordered the Attorney General, Mulilo Kabesha, to withdraw the state’s case.
The timing of both the pledge by Hichilema and the withdrawal from the legal case is suspicious.
“At this stage, the decision regarding the final disposition of Mr Lungu’s remains should be left to his family,” reads a letter signed by Christopher Mundia, Special Assistant to the President on Legal Affairs.
It is addressed to Kabesha, who last year made a successful last-minute appeal in the South African courts, stopping Lungu’s burial in that country.
The letter noted it was “regrettable” that the burial could not proceed earlier.
“However, given that the key objective of conducting the postmortem has now been achieved, it is appropriate that we move to conclusively resolve this matter.”
Government critics scrutinised the timing.
“They do not need to be present at the burial because they got what they wanted in the (Pretoria) laboratory. They fought for ten months not to honour a predecessor, but to gain physical access to his remains,” said Thandiwe Ngoma.
She dismissed Hichilema’s announcement that he wanted a dignified funeral for his predecessor, who was his main rival.
“Zambians are not gullible. When a leader appears more interested in a dead man’s anatomy than his legacy, the motives demand scrutiny,” Ngoma said.
Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa, a historian, academic and public commentator, said since Hichilema’s election in 2021, the president had conducted himself in several ways that have fed public perception that he believes in the supernatural.
He noted that Hichilema had declined to stay in State House, the official residence of all his predecessors. This is reportedly linked to witchcraft beliefs. Thus, he commutes from his home to State House daily.
In December 2024, two individuals were arrested and prosecuted on charges of attempting to assassinate the president through supernatural means.
Sishuwa said Hichilema’s insistence that he would preside over Lungu’s funeral, even when the deceased’s family declined, was “as incriminating as it is bizarre and against African culture.”
“Such conduct will only lend credence to general perceptions that Hichilema believes in superstition, has a personal interest in the funeral, and probably considers any failure to access the corpse of his predecessor as an existential threat to his own life.”
It remains unclear if the Lungu family will repatriate the remains for burial in Zambia or revive previous plans to inter him in South Africa.
On Monday, some Lungu family members, supporters, politicians and members of the public attended a memorial service for Lungu at the Praise Christian Centre in Lusaka.
On Tuesday, Zambia marks the annual Kenneth Kaunda Day, in memory of the first president, born on April 28, 1924.
“As we commemorate this day, let us rise above division, embrace peace and serve one another with humility, care and purpose. Together, let us continue to build a stronger, more united and just Zambia for all,” Hichilema appealed.
– CAJ News