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The family of Zambia’s late former President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has accused the Government of Zambia of undermining mediation efforts and engaging in clandestine activities that have frustrated progress toward his burial, four months after his death on 5 June, 2025 in South Africa.
In a statement issued in Johannesburg, family spokesperson, Makebi Zulu, said the family was deeply concerned by actions taken by the Government that had eroded trust in the agreed mediation process and raised further questions surrounding the late president’s death.
“We have continued to engage the Government of Zambia in good faith, but what we have witnessed instead are clandestine actions intended to frustrate the process,” said Mr. Zulu.
He stated: “The family is also concerned about emerging reports and claims suggesting that the late President Lungu may have been murdered. These matters warrant transparent investigation and respect for due process.”
According to the family, on 23 September 2025, the Government of Zambia allegedly engaged a private investigator who, accompanied by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), made an unannounced visit to the morgue where the late president’s remains are being kept.
The visit, which the family says was conducted without its knowledge or consent, was reportedly to “inquire about the whereabouts of a body in connection with a case of alleged poisoning involving the President.”
Zulu said the incident violated mediation agreements that were meant to rebuild trust between the parties following earlier disputes over the government’s handling of funeral arrangements.
“While the family has been acting in good faith, the Government has, in the background, been carrying out clandestine activities that only serve to undermine the process and represent a futile bid to access the body for unknown reasons,” he stated.
The family also cited a 29 September 2025 report by a group calling itself Progressive Forces of South Africa, which filed a complaint with South African authorities alleging that President Lungu had been murdered.
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The statement noted that this was the same organisation that had previously disparaged the Lungu family and protested in support of the Zambian Government at the Pretoria High Court.
Zulu further condemned what he described as “sustained and malicious attacks” on Archbishop Alick Banda, the family’s chosen mediator, saying that individuals linked to the Government had launched scathing personal attacks that “brought the Archbishop’s name into public ridicule and odium.”
“Such actions have resulted in the stalling of progress to formally commence talks,” Zulu said.
He added: “They seriously erode the trust that is essential to the success of this process and raise questions about the sincerity and coordination of efforts by those involved.”
Despite the tensions, the family reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the late former president is laid to rest “in a manner that honours his dignity and wishes.”
“We remain indebted to the many Zambians and well-wishers who have stood with the family through prayers and solidarity.
“As we seek closure to what has been a very difficult period, we continue to pray to God Almighty and remain hopeful that this darkest hour will pass soon,” Zulu said.
The family’s latest statement comes amid a protracted legal battle over the burial of the late former President, which recently suffered another setback following a ruling by the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
On September 16, 2025, a panel of three judges led by Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba dismissed the family’s application for leave to appeal against an earlier judgment that allowed the Zambian Government to repatriate Mr. Lungu’s body for a state funeral and burial in Zambia.
The court held that there were no reasonable prospects of success in the family’s attempt to overturn the August 8 decision in favour of the Zambian Government.
Represented by Senior Counsel Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, the family had argued that, as heirs, they held exclusive burial rights under common law and constitutional protection.
They further contended that since the dispute was being litigated in South Africa, where the remains lie, South African law should apply instead of Zambian law.
The family also cited a prior agreement, known as FAA7, which they said mandated that repatriation of the late president’s body be handled privately by the family rather than by the state.
However, the judges dismissed each of these claims. They found that Zambia’s Attorney-General, Mulilo Kabesha, was competent to present Zambian law before the court and affirmed that Mr. Lungu, as a former head of state, remained entitled to burial benefits at state expense, despite having lost some privileges during his lifetime.
This court decision, coupled with the ongoing mediation tensions, has deepened the standoff between the family and the Zambian Government, further delaying the burial of the country’s sixth president.
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