By Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma
Thursday, 5th February, 2026
The attempt by State House to distance President Hakainde Hichilema from the delay in the burial of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu is not only unconvincing, but also deeply insulting to the intelligence of the Zambian people and profoundly disrespectful to a grieving family.
State House Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka has claimed that President Hichilema has no hand in the delay and that the situation is merely the result of an appeal filed by the Lungu family in a South African court. However, this narrative deliberately avoids the truth that many Zambians now clearly understand.
Let us confront the reality without fear or sugarcoating.
The nation is now aware that former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu left clear and explicit instructions regarding his funeral. He made it known that, in the event of his death, his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, should not be anywhere near his remains and should not preside over his funeral. These instructions were not made lightly. They were the final wishes of a former Head of State.
Instead of respecting those wishes and allowing the family to mourn in peace and dignity, President Hakainde Hichilema has chosen confrontation. Instead of compassion, the nation has witnessed litigation. Instead of humility in the face of death, we have seen the heavy hand of the State.
It was the government that took the Lungu family to court. It was the government that transformed a deeply personal moment of grief into a legal battle. Yet today, the nation is being asked to accept the claim that President Hichilema has no role in the delay.
That claim is not only misleading; it is an affront to the grieving family and an insult to every Zambian citizen who has been watching these events unfold.
The truth is painfully obvious. If President Hichilema had respected the expressed wishes of his predecessor and allowed the family to proceed according to those wishes, there would be no court case. There would be no appeals. There would be no delay.
However, because President Hichilema insists on presiding over the funeral and positioning himself as the chief mourner, the country now finds itself trapped in a bitter legal standoff with the family of a deceased former Head of State.
This is the uncomfortable truth that State House cannot erase with press statements.
Death should humble power. Funerals should unite a nation. Instead, the burial of Edgar Chagwa Lungu has become a painful spectacle of political control, legal intimidation, and unnecessary confrontation.
Many Zambians are now asking a question that State House refuses to address.
What exactly is it about the body of his predecessor that President Hakainde Hichilema is so determined to preside over?
Why must the President insist on inserting himself into a funeral where his presence was explicitly rejected by the deceased? Why must the State drag a grieving family into court simply to assert authority over a body that no longer belongs to politics, but to history and the dignity of death?
These are not unreasonable questions. They are questions being asked in homes, on the streets, and across the nation.
Leadership is measured not only by power but also by restraint, wisdom, and respect for the wishes of others. A confident leader does not force his presence where it is not wanted, especially in matters as sacred as death and mourning.
Instead of calming the nation, the government has chosen to criminalize voices of concern. The arrest and charging of Socialist Party leader Dr. Fred M’membe under the Cyber Crimes Act, simply for questioning the President’s role, sends a chilling message. It suggests that speaking uncomfortable truths about those in power is now treated as a crime.
But the Zambian people will not be bullied into silence.
No press statement can erase the sequence of events that brought us here. No attempt at narrative control can change the fact that the legal process delaying this burial began with the government’s own decision to go to court.
President Hakainde Hichilema must understand that leadership does not mean forcing authority over the dead. Leadership means knowing when to step back, when to respect the wishes of others, and when to allow a grieving family the dignity of closure.
The Zambian people are watching. History is watching.
No amount of public relations will erase the painful truth that a former President’s final wishes have been turned into a courtroom battle because the sitting President refuses to step back from the role of chief mourner.
The nation deserves honesty. The family deserves peace. And the memory of Edgar Chagwa Lungu deserves dignity free from political struggle.
Until President Hakainde Hichilema acknowledges the role his administration has played in this standoff, attempts to deny responsibility for the delay will continue to be met with anger, disbelief, and justified public criticism
