Patriotic Front secretary-general Raphael Nakacinda has condemned the Zambian government’s handling of the death and funeral arrangements of former head of state Edgar Lungu.
Nakacinda, who has been closely involved with the family after the former president’s death in South Africa, said on Sunday that the Zambian government’s handling of the situation lacked sensitivity and proper consultation, leaving the family feeling disrespected.
Lungu died aged 68 on Thursday morning at a medical centre in Pretoria, where he had been receiving specialised treatment, the political party said in a statement.
This is six months after his attempt to return to politics was thwarted by a court ruling that he could not run for office again.
Lungu suffered from a rare disorder that caused a narrowing of the food pipe, for which he had been treated in South Africa before. Shortly after he took office in 2015 he fell ill and underwent a procedure in South Africa, which the presidency said at the time was not available in Zambia.
“In an unprecedented manner, it was a Facebook post sending a message of condolences from the head of state over the death of a former head of state,” Nakacinda said.
He said the family was not formally notified in the customary way or consulted before key decisions were announced.
Nakacinda explained that the family was contacted through their lawyer by a government official who said a permanent secretary would be sent to engage them in South Africa. However, when the delegation arrived, it was led by the foreign affairs minister, a figure the family found controversial due to his past comments about the late president.
“It was a mockery to the family. It demonstrated a lack of sensitivity to the optics around what had transpired,” said Nakacinda.
Nakacinda has accused the Zambian government of tormenting the former president by allegedly harassing his family and refusing him medical attention. The government allegedly restricted Lungu's social and religious movements, making him a prisoner in his own country.
The president had to flee like a fugitive.
— Raphael Nakacinda, Patriotic Front secretary-general
“The president had to flee like a fugitive,” he said.
Nakacinda said the family was stunned when the delegation proposed to repatriate the body just one day after arrival, “without first discussing medical treatment history, funeral preferences or logistics with the family.”
Despite this, he added, the family showed “a high level of nobility”, choosing to remain open to engagement with government representatives.
The family, supported by close friends, had intended to repatriate the former president’s remains privately, in accordance with his wishes.
While they acknowledged the role of government in managing diplomatic protocols for incoming dignitaries, including sitting and former presidents from across Africa, he said the family wished to handle the funeral procession itself.
“That was his wish,” he said.
According to Nakacinda, tensions escalated when government officials insisted on taking control of the repatriation of the body from South Africa and determining the mourning period before the remains had even arrived in Zambia.
He said the family found this position unacceptable.
“Despite the lack of consensus, the government went ahead and declared seven days of national mourning starting June 8, and announced that the body would arrive in Zambia on Wednesday,” he said.
Nakacinda said this move further frustrated the family, as it limited the time for public mourning and funeral rites.
“For now, we don’t have a concrete position, save for the government trying to bulldoze the process. The family feels disregarded, and what should be a dignified farewell has become a source of pain and tension.”
Lungu was head of state of the Southern African country between 2015 and 2021 when he lost an election to President Hakainde Hichilema.
Lungu was born on November 11 1956, in Ndola in the Zambian copper belt. A lawyer by training, he served as justice and defence minister under former president Michael Sata before taking over the presidency when Sata died in 2015. After taking office, Lungu embarked on legislative reforms which were seen as progressive, including amending the constitution to reduce the power of the president.
He won a presidential election in 2016 that gave him a five-year term in office. But shortly before it ended he tried and failed to reverse the constitutional changes he had made.
President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his condolences toLungu’s family, to the Zambian nation and government.
“As regional compatriots, South Africans are standing by the people of Zambia in this difficult moment. We have had the duty and privilege in recent weeks to care for a leader from our region whom we embraced as a brother and friend. We therefore share the grief and loss experienced at this time by the Lungu family, as well as the Zambian nation,” he said.
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