Lungu funeral row continues as family says President Hichilema not welcome

The row over the funeral of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu shows no sign of letting up after his family announced on Friday that Lungu had left instructions that the current president, Hakainde Hichilema, should not be allowed “anywhere near his body.”

Lungu died in South Africa last week at the age of 68 from an undisclosed illness. He was president from 2015 to 2021 and had a long-standing rivalry with Hichilema, who defeated him in the 2021 election after trying and failing on five previous occasions.

Lungu’s party, the Patriotic Front (PF), claims that he had been barred from leaving the country to seek medical treatment for several years.  

The government has offered to repatriate Lungu’s body and hold a state funeral but his family and the PF have refused, accusing officials of trying to take over the ceremony.

Election row

Lungu became president in 2015 to complete the term of Michael Sata after he died in office. Lungu was elected to a full presidential term in 2016, beating current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.

Lungu had sought to challenge Hichilema in next year's presidential election but a court last year barred him from standing. The court ruled his time as president from 2015-2016 counted as a full term and said he had, therefore, served the maximum length of two terms.

Lungu alleged there was political interference in the court ruling. His wife and other family members have faced corruption allegations.

Lungu claimed last year that his movements were being monitored by police and he had effectively been placed under house arrest to restrict his return to politics. Police said it was standard to monitor former presidents for their safety.