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More than 8 months aft his death, erstwhile Zambian President Edgar Lungu's remains are inactive successful a South African ceremonial home, the taxable of a macabre combat betwixt his household and the longtime rival who succeeded him.
A graphic awesome of the dispute: an unfilled, coffin-size spread successful a cemetery successful Zambia's capital, Lusaka, wherever the existent President, Hakainde Hichilema, had hoped Lungu would beryllium buried successful a authorities funeral. But Lungu, successful his past days, told his household members that Mr. Hichilema, adjacent arsenic a mourner, should ne'er spell adjacent his body.
The substance has gone to the courts, which person repeatedly sided with Zambian authorities implicit Lungu's wishes. Lungu's household persists successful seeking a burial that sidelines Mr. Hichilema.
So the assemblage lies frozen successful South Africa, wherever Lungu died, portion Zambia endures a scandalous saga that offends accepted beliefs and raises galore questions successful a state wherever it is taboo to neglect to hide the dormant promptly and with dignity.
Behind the impasse is simply a long-running feud betwixt 2 governmental rivals. It besides reflects a spiritual contention betwixt Mr. Hichilema, who is up for re-election successful August, and Lungu, who is said to beryllium warring backmost from the dead, according to scholars and spiritual leaders who spoke to The Associated Press.
A spiritual battle
“It has shifted from the physical, it has shifted from politics, and it is present a spiritual battle,” said Bishop Anthony Kaluba of Life of Christ congregation successful Lusaka.
Mr. Hichilema's supporters spot Lungu's volition arsenic casting a curse, portion they accidental a authorities ceremonial attended by Mr. Hichilema would beryllium an enactment of generosity toward Lungu and his family.
The combat implicit a corpse tin look bizarre to others, but Lungu's directive resonates with galore Zambians.
Some person barred their enemies from attending their funerals, often blaming them for misfortune. Those quarrels are usually much private, not similar the nationalist play of a erstwhile President who, facing death, retaliates against his rival successful the harsh connection of his ancestors.
Across Africa, past words are a “vital force” to heighten beingness oregon artifact it, said Chammah J. Kaunda, a Zambian prof of African Pentecostal theology who serves arsenic world dean of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.
Elders facing decease tin enforce curses oregon springiness blessings, and Lungu's lawsuit shows that curses “can get a beingness of their own,” helium said.
Vibrant ideology with accepted beliefs
Zambia is simply a vibrant democracy. Its founding President was the genial, handkerchief-waving Kenneth Kaunda, who was voted retired of powerfulness successful 1991, contempt his presumption arsenic an independency hero.
Like Kaunda, consequent Presidents person been civilians lacking the subject spot of assorted authoritarians elsewhere successful Africa, giving Zambia's statesmanlike hopefuls the accidental to tally connected their ain merits.
Even so, there's a cognition that immoderate governmental leaders — similar galore of their compatriots — interest they mightiness beryllium bewitched. The feeling is wide successful a state wherever accepted religion thrives alongside Christianity, and a spoken curse is dreaded by galore arsenic spiritually enforceable if provoked by injustice.
“It is simply a weapon,” said Herbert Sinyangwe of WayLife Ministries successful Lusaka. “We judge successful our civilization that curses work.” In the lawsuit of 3 caller presidents — Michael Sata, Lungu and Mr. Hichilema — suspicion was rampant. The authoritative Presidential residence is present thought by galore to beryllium nether a deadly spell due to the fact that each the six erstwhile Presidents are present dead. Mr. Hichilema works determination but sleeps elsewhere.
Sata, who was President from 2011 to 2014, disquieted that Mr. Hichilema, past an Opposition figure, was victimising him adjacent arsenic helium asserted that charms from his ain portion were stronger. Zambian authorities past twelvemonth had 2 men convicted and jailed for allegedly plotting to termination the President by magic. Lungu's household doesn't spot Mr. Hichilema.
An bare tomb
The spot successful Lusaka that would beryllium Lungu's tomb was rapidly dug and built earlier it was known that Lungu's household had objections, said cemetery caretaker Allen Banda. He warned that a tomb without a corpse was akin to digging “your ain grave.” “If cipher goes there, culturally it's your assemblage that's going to spell there,” helium said.
That Mr. Hichilema is consenting to hazard nationalist choler successful opposing Lungu's household has reinforced the views of those who spot a spiritual conflict betwixt him and Lungu.
“On the 1 hand, astir everything done by the Lungu household truthful acold seems to person been designed to contradict Mr. Hichilema entree to Lungu's body,” said Sishuwa Sishuwa, a Zambian historiographer who is simply a visiting student astatine Harvard.
“On the other, Mr. Hichilema's behaviour truthful acold suggests that helium volition bash immoderate it takes to unafraid entree to Lungu's corpse, possibly due to the fact that the President sees the contented arsenic a substance of beingness and death.” Lungu died June 5, 2025, aft surgery-related complications. He was 68, and was treated for a narrowing of the esophagus.
Fight successful court
To organise a authorities funeral, Zambian authorities would request to instrumentality custody of Lungu's remains until they were interred. But Lungu's household resisted Mr. Hichilema's plans during negotiations implicit ceremonial proceedings.
They preferred to transport the corpse by backstage charter and had hoped to support it astatine Lungu's residence astatine night. They picked 3 radical to look aft it during the authorities ceremonial that ne'er happened.
When Lungu's household concluded that their wishes were not apt to beryllium followed, they opted for a backstage ceremonial successful South Africa. They were moving up with that ceremonial erstwhile they recovered retired that Zambian authorities had blocked it.
A South African tribunal ruled successful August that Zambian authorities could instrumentality Lungu's assemblage location for burial.
Bertha Lungu, the erstwhile President's sister, was inconsolable successful the courtroom aft the ruling, wailing and cursing astatine Mulilo Kabesha, Zambia's lawyer general, who said it was clip to instrumentality the corpse home. She asserted that Mr. Hichilema wanted the corpse for ritual purposes.
Mr. Hichilema denies malice toward Lungu, and has said his Christian religion forbids content successful accepted religion.
A bitter rivalry
Lungu roseate to powerfulness aft Sata's decease successful 2014. Sata's Vice-President, Guy Scott, was ineligible to question the Presidency successful a 2015 ballot and Lungu was picked to decorativeness Sata's term.
His main hostile was Mr. Hichilema, a affluent businessman. It was a adjacent contention — Lungu won by nether 28,000 votes.
After the 2016 election, won again by Lungu, Mr. Hichilema faced treason charges and was jailed for 4 months for allegedly failing to output to the Presidential motorcade.
Five years later, Lungu mislaid to Mr. Hichilema and said helium would discontinue from politics. He changed his caput successful 2023, and Zambian authorities withdrew Lungu's status benefits.
Lungu faced much unit aft his woman and girl were arrested successful 2024 implicit fraud allegations tied to spot acquisition.
When helium fell sick, Lungu recovered it hard to permission Zambia. The authorities restricted his travels. He managed to gaffe distant to South Africa aboriginal successful 2025, buying a summons astatine the airdrome counter. The incidental was reported by the section property arsenic a information lapse implicit which an airdrome manager was fired.
Lungu is “still influencing our authorities from the grave,” said Emmanuel Mwamba, a Zambian diplomat who speaks for Lungu's party. “His issues remain. How helium was treated successful beingness and however helium was treated successful death.”
