The Editor Zambia
The prolonged burial saga surrounding former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has become one of the most unfortunate political spectacles in Zambia’s recent history.
What should have been a solemn period of mourning, reflection, and national unity instead descended into months of unnecessary drama, legal wrangling, and public grandstanding. 
Now, with the Zambian government executing the August 2025 Gauteng High Court judgment in Pretoria that permits the repatriation of Lungu’s remains for a State funeral and burial, the truth is becoming harder to ignore: much of this crisis was avoidable.
At the centre of the confusion, has been the Lungu family and their legal representative and spokesperson, Makebi Zulu, who consistently portrayed the matter as a struggle against an overreaching State.
Yet the latest developments show a different reality. The family’s appeal bid in South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal lapsed after they failed to meet agreed deadlines set together with the Zambian government under an expedited timetable approved by the court of law.
This legal misstep exposes Makebi Zulu not just as an incompetent lawyer contrary to what he has been portraying himself but as a selfish individual trying to capitalise on Lungu’s death.
For months, Zulu held press conferences, issued dramatic statements, and sought to paint the government as the villain. But in the end, when it mattered most, the appeal was not properly pursued.
Having failed to meet the legal threshold, attempts to shift blame onto government now ring hollow.
The public deserves honesty because the whole circus has never been a straightforward case of State versus family but a theatre of politics where the legal process was often overshadowed by emotional rhetoric.
The government’s position remained largely consistent throughout since tradition demands that former presidents are accorded State funerals.
They are buried in Zambia with dignity befitting the office they once held. Such matters are not merely private family affairs but issues of national protocol and historical significance.
No serious nation allows the burial of a former Head of State to drift indefinitely in uncertainty.
Yet for months, Zambia watched as the remains of a former president stayed in a foreign country while legal clowns attempted to make capital of it.
Some opposition voices, including Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe, even tried to frame the matter as proof of government insensitivity.
But that argument ignored the obvious. If the legal processes had been handled efficiently and without political dramatics, the country would likely have reached closure long ago.
What many citizens found troubling was how mourning appeared to become a campaign platform.
Every delay generated another statement.
Every court process became another headline. Every setback was blamed on President Hakainde Hichilema and his administration, regardless of the facts.
This pattern exposed a deeper political agenda. Rather than seeking a dignified resolution, some actors appeared determined to weaponise grief for partisan gain. That was unfair to the nation, unfair to the office Lungu once held, and unfair to the memory of the deceased himself.
The most regrettable casualty has been national dignity. Zambia prides itself on peace, civility, and orderly transitions. But the burial of a former president became a months-long standoff marked by bitterness and spectacle.
The courts have now spoken through process. The appeal lapsed. The original judgment stands.
The government has moved to execute that ruling and begin the repatriation process.
This should mark the end of excuses.
The Lungu family should understand that grief should not override lawful procedure forever because there comes a point where national interest, precedent, and dignity must prevail.
Makebi Zulu, too, must accept responsibility since lawyers are judged not by microphones and press statements but by filings, deadlines, and results. On that score, the outcome speaks for itself.
Zambians are tired of the noise. They want closure. They want the former president buried with respect. They want the country to move forward.
This moment should never have become a political circus in the first place because it should have been handled quietly, respectfully, and efficiently from the beginning.
Former President Edgar Lungu served the Republic as Head of State, meaning whatever one’s political views, that office deserves honour in death.
Now that the legal dust has settled, Zambia won’t entertain more theatrics from the Makebi Zulus of this world. Let the remains return home. Let the burial proceed with dignity. Let the family mourn in peace.
And let Zambia close this painful chapter at last.
