27/06/2025
Mukwita on Point | Friday Column
Amb. Anthony Mukwita-
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The ECL President That Never Came back
…conflicts, and a World on Edge
27 Jun 25
They gathered under the grand gothic arches of a cathedral in Johannesburg — the pews filled with mourners, voices hushed, emotions high.
South African and Zambian clergy stood ready, the choir had cleared their throats, and even the incense had started rising like hope in the morning sun.
Only one thing was missing, the body of the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
It never came.
Instead, what came were tears, more uncertainty, and legal knots only a constitutional wizard might untangle.
At the centre of this human tragedy sat Mrs. Esther Lungu, the grieving widow, on a courtroom chair as hard as the moment itself, her hands clasped in prayer.
She wasn’t praying for miracles. She was praying for closure, for her husband, their children, and grandchildren to finally, peacefully say goodbye. But alas, the Pretoria High Court wasn’t quite ready to grant that yet.
Meanwhile, buses full of sympathetic mourners from Zambia began their slow 1,500-kilometre return trip, 21 hours of reflection, tears, and potholes, back to Lusaka. They had come in love and respect. They left with heavy hearts and unanswered questions.
The Presidential Funeral Without a President;
The irony would be comedic if it weren’t so tragic. The sixth President of Zambia, whose face once graced ballot papers and infrastructure projects, is now the centre of a posthumous tug-of-war.
Will he be buried in Lusaka? Or laid to rest in Johannesburg? The answer, like a badly written soap opera plot, is pending next months court episode, maybe August, the sorrow palpable.
Let me be honest: I knew sixth President Edgar Lungu personally. To my family and I, he was more than a political figure — he was our President, but also like a father to us.
My wife adored his gentleness, and our sons saw him as a humble giant in a world of shouting politicians. That’s why I struggle to find clever words to use in this moment.
Anything remotely ‘intelligent’ I say could be misquoted or misinterpreted by either side of the aisle. So, maybe now is not the time for clever. Maybe it’s just time for quiet.
Silence is golden, especially when hearts are fragile.
ECL: Still Rising, Even in Death
It’s almost poetic, the way Edgar Lungu continues to rise literally and figuratively. He once emerged from a crowd in the chaotic days after President Sata's passing in 2014 and ascended to power in 2015.
He defied odds then. And now, even in death, he’s still somehow at the centre of national dialogue, legal debates, and newspaper columns like this one.
I don’t know how this ends. But I know this: unity and love must prevail. Zambia has buried five presidents before. We mustn’t break over a sixth. Mrs. Lungu lost her husband. Their children lost a father. The rest of us? We should not lose our humanity.
Let’s give strength to Mrs Lungu and navigate our way out of this unfortunate road block we find ourselves in, one way or another.
Meanwhile, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away…
While Zambia wrestled with grief, across the oceans, another storm was brewing — this time in the Middle East again.
President Donald J. Trump (yes, he’s back — like an 80s movie sequel nobody asked for but everyone’s watching) ordered seven B2 stealth bombers into Iranian airspace to deliver a not-so-subtle message: Iran, stop building nuclear weapons.
The mission, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer” (because apparently “Operation Subtle Diplomacy” was taken), was supported by 125 warplanes.
Now, for the uninitiated, B2 Bombers are like Batman’s flying tuxedos, invisible to radar and capable of carrying thermonuclear bombs halfway across the globe.
They’re a little overkill for a family barbecue but apparently just right for flattening a uranium enrichment facility.
Israel apparently has nukes. So do the USA, Russia, China, France, the UK, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and arguably Israel (though they neither confirm nor deny it — wink wink). Iran wants in. The world says no. Cue drama.
The damage? Israel alone reportedly burned through $14 billion in just 12 days of fighting Iran. Apparently, their “Iron Dome” air defence isn’t as iron-clad as advertised.
Iran’s missiles got through. That’s like buying a designer umbrella for a monsoon, only to find it flips inside-out with the first gust.
Qatar Saves the Day?
Enter the Emir of Qatar, stage left, with a white thawb and golden words of diplomacy.
Alongside President Trump (who, surprisingly, played nice for once), a fragile ceasefire was brokered.
I say fragile because, in today’s world, peace is like Tupperware lids, hard to find and never quite fitting perfectly.
Still, it’s something. I’m a peace guy. Always have been. We need fewer bunker busters and more bunk beds, not for war rooms but for children in Sudan, Congo, and Somalia, where flames of conflict burn quietly while the world’s attention is elsewhere.
Final Thoughts: Just Breathe
So here we are:
In Zambia, a President’s final journey remains paused.
In the Middle East, a nuclear nightmare was delayed.
And on this page, a columnist clutches at wit like a lifeboat on stormy seas.
I guess my message is this: let’s all take a breath. Let the courts do their work.
Let the mourning continue in dignity. And let love, not legalities, be our guiding star.
One day, Edgar Lungu will be buried, I pray it will be in peace.
Because he was more than a politician. He was a man. A husband. A father. And to some of us, even a surrogate father.
Until then, let’s pray. Let’s be still. And maybe — just maybe — let’s be kind.
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Anthony Mukwita is a published author and international relations analyst. He writes this column every Friday, except on days when the world makes no sense — like today.
