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Citizens First leader, Harry Kalaba, has condemned the alleged forceful access to and movement of the mortal remains of late Sixth Republican President Edgar Lungu from a morgue in South Africa, calling it a moral outrage and a national embarrassment.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Lusaka, Kalaba described the act as heinous and a grave misrepresentation of Zambia’s values.
“It is with profound shock, sorrow, and great discomfort that I address the nation regarding the deeply troubling news of an alleged forceful access to and movement of the mortal remains of our late Sixth Republican President, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, from a morgue in South Africa,” Kalaba said.
He said the sanctity of the dead was a value held across all cultures, traditions, and faith, and that violating that trust was morally reprehensible.
“We place on record that the UPND government does not just owe the Zambian people an apology, but much more, it owes the South African government and its citizens an even bigger apology for the shame of dragging them into this embarrassing impasse to the point of having them cited for contempt in their own courts of law,” he said.
He said the matter was not merely criminal but a moral outrage of the highest order.
According to Kalaba, the situation had escalated beyond one individual’s alleged obsession with access to President Lungu’s mortal remains and was now straining relations between Zambia and the Republic of South Africa.
“What began as a national tragedy is fast becoming an international incident, and this should concern every Zambian,” he said.
Kalaba called it a dark and shameful day when the remains of a former Head of State can be subjected to such indignity.
He criticized the timing of the incident, noting that the President was hosting Bishops on the eve of a National Prayer Breakfast Day while the alleged desecration occurred.
“One cannot ignore the painful contradiction this presents. At a time when the nation is called to prayer, unity, and reverence, we are instead confronted with actions that reflect disorder, disrespect, and moral decay,” Kalaba said.
He said the issue was not merely political but spiritual, and called on Zambians to reflect deeply on what is unfolding.
“Now, more than ever, our nation must turn to prayer. We must humble ourselves, seek divine guidance, and stand united against forces that seek to erode our values, destroy human dignity, and obliterate our national identity,” Kalaba said.
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