26/08/2025
ECL Family Spokesperson Responds
● "We wish to acknowledge that Government through the Secretary to Cabinet Mr. Patrick Kangwa has approached the family to initiate formal negotiations."
● "We pray for sincerity and decency to prevail as the environment for suggested negotiations is being fostered in a hope for subsequent resolution of this matter."
● "When trust is broken, deliberate and genuine steps must be taken to rebuild it."
STATEMENT BY THE LUNGU FAMILY
Wednesday, 26th August, 2025
We have noted a Ruling in the Constitutional Court and wish to state the following;
The Public may wish to note that following the family's earlier application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal in the North Gauteng High Court of Pretoria, a simultaneous application was made to the Constitutional Court for direct access to the Constitutional Court.
This would have meant that the appeal process would have been shortened as the Family would have skipped the Supreme Court of Appeal and thus dealing with the appeal in the Constitutional court with finality.
Therefore the import of the order of the Constitutional Court is that the appeal must first lay to the Supreme Court of Appeal before the Constitutional Court could deal with it, in the event that any party desires to
appeal.
In the meantime, Section 18(1) of the Superior Courts Act continues to apply to the proceedings.
This means that the status quo prevails as the application for leave to appeal remains in court.
The essence of the appeal by the family is to assert family rights in relation to the burial of a loved one not withstanding the position one held in life. It is beyond contestation that the Judgment of the High Court and the orders
therein suggested that the family had no rights whatsoever in relation to the burial of the late Former President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
This is the position which the family disagrees with.
The second reason of appeal is that it contested by the family that whereas the court stated that the law to be followed was Zambian law in relation to the burial of the Former President who passed on in South Africa, no such law exists in Zambia, neither did the court examine the evidence before it
relating to the purported law and the circumstances of the case before it.
The family had also contested the orders of the court which contradict the finding that the parties are bound by a purported agreement by introducing new conditions relating to the repatriation.
As regards negotiations, we wish to acknowledge that Government through the Secretary to Cabinet Mr. Patrick Kangwa has approached the family to initiate formal negotiations.
The family however remains concerned that though there are statements by the Secretary General, Mr. Batuke Imenda, to the party members of the UPND and by the Secretary to the Cabinet Mr. Patrick Kangwa's statement to
government personnel directing them to desist from issuing statements relating to the burial of the former President, such have continued.
The family is aware of the statements issued by President Hakainde Hichilema on the 24th of August 2025 while touring the Copperbelt, which tended to insult the legacy of the former President, when he alleged that there was resistance to hand over power when in fact not.
As the former President cannot Speak for himself, we take this opportunity to correct that position and state that the former President was a Democrat who willingly
handed over power to President Hakainde Hichilema.
Members of the public may view a statement publicly issued by President Lungu at the burial of the late Northwestern Provincial Chairperson and Member of the PF Central Committee Jackson Kungo, at which he stated that he had conceded defeat, had refused strong persuasion from the Party to petition against the results and was actively facilitating a smooth hand/over of power to the President-elect.
Further in relation to the regrettable and unfortunate incidences that President Hakainde Hichilema purported that he was a target of alleged shootings, we wish to dispel the innuendo that the same were attributable
to the Late President.
We pray for sincerity and decency to prevail as the environment for suggested negotiations is being fostered in a hope for subsequent resolution of this matter.
When trust is broken, deliberate and genuine steps must be taken to rebuild it.
We thank the people of Zambia and many stakeholders that have prayed and stood with the family during this difficult period.
Original signed
Makebi Zulu- Family Spokesperson.
