To Resolve Impasse on Burial of Zambia’s Immediate Former President, Church Leaders Call for “sincere” Dialogue

Lusaka, 25 August, 2025 / 3:31 PM

Church leaders in Zambia have urged the government to initiate “immediate and sincere” dialogue to resolve the impasse surrounding the burial of the country’s immediate former President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, who passed on July 5.

In an August 23 statement, Zambia’s church leaders, who include representatives of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) say the discussions should be conducted “in a manner that respects the dignity of the high office he (late President Lungu) once held as well as the wishes of his family.”

The church leaders express the hope that the burial of former President Lungu will be held in “an atmosphere of peace, unity, and respect, befitting both his service to the nation and the values we hold as a people.”

“In this regard, we appeal to all Zambians, regardless of political or social affiliation, to refrain from issuing provocative or demeaning statements on this sensitive matter,” they say. 

In the statement that the ZCCB Secretary General, Fr. Francis Mukosa, CCZ General Secretary Rev. Emmanuel Chikoya and EFZ Executive Secretary, Bishop Andrew Mwenda co-signed, they say demeaning statements go against both cultural values and Christian principles

The CCZ, EFZ and ZCCB representatives go on to laud the government’s move to impose a moratorium on public pronouncements concerning the burial of the late former President.

“While the Government's decision may have come later than expected, it nevertheless marks a laudable and significant step towards national healing and the fostering of constructive engagement with the family of the late former President,” the church leaders say and implore the people of God in Zambia “to remain united as children of God.”

On June 19, the Church leaders lamented the state of uncertainty over the burial of the late former president warning that it is “affecting the general functioning of the nation, which remains in mourning.”

“It is regrettable that the funeral of a former Head of State remains in limbo,” they said in a June 19 statement referring to the "uncertainty” surrounding the repatriation of the late president, which had been initially scheduled for June 18.

According to a June 19 BBC News report, former President Lungu’s family halted the return of their kinsman's body from South Africa, arguing that Zambia’s government had breached some key agreements over the funeral, including releasing a draft funeral program without having consulted the family.

A South African court issued a ruling that the Zambian government may repatriate the former president’s body for a state funeral, despite his family’s wish for a private burial in South Africa.

The late Edgar Lungu, a lawyer by profession, ascended to the presidency after serving as Minister of Justice and Minister of Defence under the late President Michael Sata.

The leadership of the immediate former Zambian president, who served between 2015 and 2021, was marked by significant infrastructure projects and constitutional reforms. It was also reportedly characterized by economic decline, strained relations with Western donors, and political unrest.

After losing the 2021 election to Hakainde Hichilema, the late Lungu attempted a political comeback in 2023. However, a court ruled he was ineligible to run again.