Zambian leader “holds hostage” remains of political opponent

A scandal has erupted in Zambia over the body of former President Edgar Lungu, which has remained unburied for almost a year after the current head of state decided to forcibly take the remains from the widow, Big Country reports.

Edgar Lungu passed away on June 5, 2025, at the age of 68 after an incurable illness. The politician’s family had planned to carry out the burial independently. However, President Hakainde Hichilema, who was a sworn enemy of Lungu during his lifetime, stated that his predecessor deserved a state funeral. According to the deceased’s family, Lungu had made them promise before his death that Hichilema would not be allowed near his body, let alone organise the funeral.

The body of the former president has already been moved from a private mortuary in Pretoria to a state facility in South Africa, which caused outrage among relatives. A South African court, having considered an emergency petition, ordered the body to be returned to the mortuary, but only temporarily. Lungu’s widow insists that the burial should be private and refuses a public ceremony. Nevertheless, the date for handing over the remains to the state has already been set for May 21.

Thus, it can be said that Hichilema has posthumously taken his predecessor “hostage” and taken revenge on him, turning him into an instrument of political struggle.

By Vugar Khalilov