by ARNOLD MULENGA
LUSAKA – A truce between Zambia’s government, ruling party and main opposition over public pronouncements regarding the burial of late former president Edgar Lungu is being hailed as a crucial step toward restoring unity in the deeply divided nation.
The sixth Zambian president died in June while receiving treatment in South Africa, but his burial has since triggered a bitter standoff between his family and the administration of his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema.
Disagreements over where and how Lungu should be laid to rest have further strained relations between the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) and the Patriotic Front (PF), the party Lungu once led.
In a bid to defuse tensions, both parties have directed their officials to refrain from public statements on the matter, with government now designated as the sole source of official information.
Zambia’s three major church mother bodies – the Council of Churches of Zambia (CCZ), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) – have welcomed the moratorium.
“While government’s decision may have come later than expected, it nevertheless marks a laudable and significant step towards national healing and constructive engagement with the family of the late former president,” read a joint statement signed by Rt Rev Emmanuel Chikoya, Bishop Andrew Mwenda and Rev Fr Francis Mukosa.
The church leaders urged both sides to begin “immediate and sincere discussions” to resolve the impasse “in a manner that respects the dignity of the high office he once held as well as the wishes of his family.”
The deadlock is currently before South African courts. Lungu’s family insists his wish was to be buried in Zambia without Hichilema presiding over the ceremony. Government, however, maintains he should be interred at the national mausoleum alongside other former heads of state.
Amid rising political temperatures, the church has called on Zambians to exercise restraint. “We appeal to all citizens, regardless of political or social affiliation, to refrain from issuing provocative or demeaning statements on this sensitive matter, as such remarks contradict our cultural values and Christian beliefs,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, UPND activist Larry Mweetwa publicly apologised to the Lungu family after describing them as “bitter” during the mourning period. He admitted the remark was “careless, insensitive and hurtful,” adding that the family deserved compassion and respect.
The late president’s burial arrangements remain unresolved, but the truce offers a glimmer of hope for dialogue and reconciliation in Zambia.
– CAJ News
