Edgar Lungu to receive state funeral next Sunday as family, government resolve dispute

Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu. He died in South Africa at the age of 68. (Photo: File)

By Bashir Mbuthia
Monday, June 16, 2025

His family and the Zambian government have clashed over key burial arrangements, among them the choice of mourning venue.

The government of Zambia and the family of the late President Edgar Lungu have finally reached an agreement on his funeral arrangements, after days of disagreement over how the ceremony should be conducted.

Lungu passed away on June 5, aged 68, while receiving treatment at a South African Hospital. His exact cause of death remains unknown.

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Despite this, his family and the Zambian government have clashed over key burial arrangements, among them the choice of mourning venue, who would repatriate his body from South Africa and who should preside over the funeral, with the family insisting that the deceased did not want President Hakainde Hichilema "anywhere near his body."

The resulting standoff has left mourners uncertain about where and how to pay their respects to the deceased.

According to the BBC, the negotiations have now been finalised with Lungu's family agreeing to have Hichilema preside over Lungu's state funeral next Sunday.

The two parties have also agreed on the funeral programme, which includes flying the former president's body to Lusaka on Wednesday aboard a private charter plane, where it will be received with full military honours.

The body will first lie in state at his residence, then be taken to a conference centre in the capital for three days starting Thursday, allowing the public to pay their respects, before a state funeral is held on Sunday, June 22, with official mourning ending on June 23.

Lungu is reportedly set to be laid to rest next Monday, although it remains unclear whether his final resting place will be the official presidential burial site or his private residence.

According to Lungu's family spokesperson, Makebi Zulu, who expressed regret over the delays caused by lengthy discussions, the family's intentions were solely to respect the late president's final wishes.

He added that they are moving forward based on assurances that the government will uphold the terms agreed upon.

Lungu's political career began with his entry into the Patriotic Front in the early 2000s. He was first appointed as Minister of Home Affairs in July 2012 and later served as Minister of Defence from December 24, 2013.

After the death of then-President Michael Sata in October 2014, Lungu became the PF's presidential candidate and won a closely contested by-election in January 2015.

He was officially sworn in as Zambia's sixth president on January 25, 2015, and secured a full five-year term in the 2016 elections.