President Hichilema Ends National Mourning for Late President Edgar Lungu Amid Continued Deadlock with Family
Lusaka, 19 June 2025 — President Hakainde Hichilema has officially ended the national mourning period for the late Sixth Republican President, Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, citing the need for national normalcy following a prolonged impasse with the Lungu family over repatriation and funeral arrangements.
In a solemn address to the nation, President Hichilema expressed deep gratitude to religious, traditional, and civic stakeholders for their guidance during the past two weeks of mourning. He thanked President Cyril Ramaphosa and the people of South Africa for their cooperation and empathy, and acknowledged the disruption endured by citizens and business owners across Zambia.
The Head of State confirmed that a consensus had been reached by 15 June in South Africa, paving the way for a state funeral and a dignified burial scheduled for 23 June. However, the family’s unexpected reversal on the agreed plan failing to avail the body on 18 June prompted the decision to bring the mourning period to a close.
Below is the full statement by President Hichilema:
Statement By Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia
19th of June 2025
Fellow Citizens,
As we mark the 14th day since the demise of our 6th Republican President, Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, we reflect on the past two weeks, not only as a period of mourning, but a time for healing, and indeed a test of our resolve as a peace loving and law-abiding nation.
We wish to begin by expressing our gratitude to the church, our traditional leaders and the citizenry for their moral and spiritual guidance during this time.
We also wish to thank our envoys, including our former Vice President Mr. Enock Kavindele, his Royal Highness Chief Mumbi, our Foreign Affairs Minister, the Secretary to the Cabinet, and all others involved in the search for a reasonable, inclusive and amicable resolution over the unfortunate impasse relating to the state funeral.
We express sincere gratitude to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the people of South Africa for their exceptional cooperation and compassion.
We acknowledge those citizens, including business owners, whose operations have been affected during this difficult time.
We thank you for your resilience, patience, solidarity and calmness during this time.As you are all aware, our government has made numerous efforts to engage the family and representatives of the late President, in order to reach consensus in this matter.
By last Sunday, 15th of June, a mutual understanding was achieved and was expressed through the joint press briefing in South Africa This breakthrough brought relief to the nation, and we were prepared to receive the remains of the late 6th Republican President on Wednesday, 18th of June.
It was agreed that this was to be followed by programmes that would have culminated in a dignified burial on Monday the 23rd of June.
By virtue of this positive development, we extended the mourning period by another 9 days, and we began to fulfil all of our commitments towards a state funeral with full honours.
Yesterday, June 18th, the people of Zambia were prepared to receive the remains of our former President but were surprised by the family’s reversal of the agreed course of action.
At our request, the South African Government prepared extensively, with military honours, mounted by the South African Defence Force, who did so in vain, as the former President’s body was not availed by the family for repatriation.
For this unfortunate situation, we extend our sincere apologies to President Ramaphosa, the Government, and the people of South Africa.
Fellow Citizens,
Our country cannot afford a state of indefinite mourning.
We have done everything possible to engage the family of our departed 6th Republican President, and we have reached a point where a clear decision has to be made.
Given these circumstances, I therefore wish to inform the nation, that as of the end of today the 19th of June 2025, this particular national mourning period is officially over.
This will allow the country to begin to return to some normalcy.Mr Lungu was not only an ordinary citizen, but our 6th Republican President.While we recognise that he belongs to a family, he also belongs to the nation of Zambia. It is therefore correct that our 6th Republican President should be buried in Zambia with full honours, and not in any other nation.In the meantime, we urge our citizens to maintain calm and orderliness.
As we have stated before, during this difficult time, no amount of lawlessness will be tolerated.
Let us remain united as a nation and maintain the peace we are known for.
In this spirit, we say to the Lungu family, and indeed the people of Zambia, our hearts remain with you.Our doors, as Government, remain open for further engagement, as appropriate.
May the soul of our departed former republican president, Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, rest in eternal peace.
May God bless you all.
May God bless Zambia.
I thank you.
Indeed your works shall follow you.
Tell Tasila ati chifundo chasila! You can play people for a while but you cannot play people all of the time.
They have so much money that they believe the state is no longer important to them. That’s a fair ending to this tag-of-war.
Now that national mourning has ended can you sort out load shedding and the economy which you promised to do but failing
This is good, it allows the family to mourn the way they want, not the arm wisting the government was trying to impose
In more ways than one TY
Economy is down but nu kumalilo yabene, even trying to displace banja. If you are not wanted at a funeral, you can’t force yourself.
# Respect the wishes of the family please
The family is extremely happy with this development, atleast they can bury now without interference from government. Government kept confusing things
In summary: “Edgar Lungu funeral service was conducted”.
The best family can do is bring Ashes of Lungu remains, not body.
We Thank you for the work you’re rendering to the country
about time thank you Thank you
Just a real pity it’s left a huge stain on your legacy overtaking Loadshedding
A very wise decision Mr President.You gave them enough rope to hung themselves.Embarrasing even the host. government of South Africa
Let us now see coward Given Lubinda try to run a parallel government from PF secretariat
Good move sir the nation cannot be held hostage by some strange hysteria
So now that the national mourning has come to an end, can the family now bury ECL without the governments involvement, the further bally stays away from ecl the better, we Zambians despise pretence.
We the well wishers will mourn and bury ECL without the new dawns imingalato.
I’m breaker and I approve this message
Yes , bury in SA…..
FWD2041
Yes let them bury where they wish
Good move as in the distant future end up with HH again
What first comes to your mind when you hear …..FUNERAL HIJACKERS?
Message approved
Partly UPND
Breaket and Tikki stupidity
To some the truth reaally hurts
Good decision. Now they can bury him without the state. They got what they wanted.
I thought i was the only one….thank you HH…and am not even UPND….like i said some morons within PF are trying to use this funeral to get as much brown envelopes they can get….once again thank you HH…lets now get back to work
Forget the morons think of the family
Brown envelopes is rampant to this day
It’s about time
And it came to pass, the comeuppance for those dwelling in The Valley of Darkness…
@ Tikki
Yes looks like the family also was trying cash in this funeral…..i think HH did a very good job…he deserves credit….
Remember the standoff between Lungu and Guy Scott after Sata passed away….
Anyway let the government now start working on ending loadsheding and taking care of Zambians….and am 100% sure this is now the end of PF…….
Of course. We now know that Raula the HRC has more rights an influence than others. What goes around also comes around.
Thank you all. It was a pleasure to have been a follower and witness to this fiasco.
And this is officially the end of PF……like i said just a bunch of morons and rubble rousers left….no proper leadership…having attention seekers like Makebi Zulu and Nakachinda in the forefront was a big mistake…..HH now has zero opposition and he has shown maturity
We support this Mr President, bravo. Let them do what they want.
Great decision, Mr. President. Many Zambians are with you on this.
@ Blago
You’re 100% right…i watched how PF mourners dispersed peacefully…that was a clear message that they sided with HH….looks like just a few rubble rousers within PF wanted the drama to continue…they don’t work anyway and this is how they get their brown envelopes…Nakachinda should be ashamed of himself together with Makebi Zulu and Sean Tembo…very childish
Now please use the money you were supposed to spend on Lungu’s funeral to buy medicine for clinics in Kanyama….Matero…Chibolya etc….instead of erecting a million dollar mausoleum
Once Politicians become sworn enemies…its game over….they will never genuinely reconcile….Kaunda and Chiluba became sworn enemies…Mwanawasa and Sata became sworn enemies…and some members within MMD caused Mwanawasa’s car accident….Rupiah Banda didn’t have any sworn enemy….Lungu and HH were sworn enemies
You are quite right about sworrn enemies
What’s so annoying everything is being heaped on ECL which is not the case
HH is equally to fault What he thinks and what he says are to different things
Thats politics for you
We hope the family find peace and solace in this difficult time ……..
The GRZ and the country want to work with you to give the late president a funeral befitting a president loved by many …..
Avoid people who are power hungry tarnishing the memory of the late ECL……
This was supposed to be a Solom time for mourning, not campaigning and political gimmicks
MHSRIEP
FWD2041
Very true the family had emotional and selfish motives for denying a State funeral and now they will have to make their own plan. Give a what rope and they will perform wonders with it on themselves.
The family is the final authority on any day, just like all funerals in the whole wide world
FWD 2041 Fuseke kikikikiki
2026 my friend
Its game over for all attention seekers…now don’t pay any attention to rubble rousers….lets develop Zambia…no more Partisan politics….
This was a test of approval for tasila to a lead over pf,but she failed the test
the president made a wise decision to end the mourning period , the pf team has shown us their unrepentant attitude this a clear sign that they can not be entrusted with government leadership .
They spend millions of dollars erecting costly mausoleums to bury Presidents whilst people are dying because of lack of medicine in the Hospital….NO MORE EVACUATING POLITICIANS TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES FOR TREATMENT…..
In total agreement
I’m very happy the President took a bold decision and ended the national mourning.
Nobody should hold an entire nation to ransom.
They wanted ECL to become a parallel Zambian President in death. The project has lamentably failed.
I still wonder why some misguided souls think the family must have no say in this funeral. And even wrongly suggesting that family is holding the state to ransom, ECL despite being President was not state property as it is being exaggerated. He was family first, and state second
Thank you HH ,only narcissists would dare think they’re bigger than the nation.Zambia and her interests will NOT be held hostage.
Nakachinda..Makebi Zulu and Sean Tembo together with one PF morons went too low ….and HH went too high …HH soared like an Eagle…and am not even UPND….HH behaved like a Patriot statesman….HH had 20 million Zambians on his mind……whilst Nakachinda and Makebi were enjoying the attention…thank God the drama is over
All PF Politicians should now go out and look for real employment…and help develop Zambia….Nakachinda should go and look for work ku ma industrial area…some Chinese companies are hiring
In all my life, I have never ever seen a bunch of people more gutle$$ than the Lungu family and the PF. Surely, the kleptomaniac alcoholic is dead, he’s never coming back, ever! After the ravage he did to Zambian society, should we really be exposed to such stinking excitement, NO! For all I care they can cremated him and throw the ashes in a pit latrine.
@ Michael Dukakis
I know how you feel but at least show some respect for the dead…no need to insult the dead….just calm down buddy
Rubble Rouser Emmanuel Mwamba will now become useless…Rubble rouser Chilufya Tayali will become useless …..all PF Bandits will become useless…..PF campaigned for HH for 2026 elections and definitely come 2026 HH is winning….AND AM NOT EVEN UPND
What has this got to do with 2026. It is the reason you have been jeopardising the family program from the start because of the way you are looking at things.
#Respect family wishes
Family and PF advise the program. Atleast hijackers have let go
Excuse me if some just dont feel that the president is NOT in the right position can we not voice our concern in a reasonable fashion, ? I wouldn’t mind him being replaced by a more understanding and peoples president, He is indeed an assute businessman but that doesnt relate to being a good president
as he is not in control of his ministers etc
Well done .
When you come to think about it, I think rora mitis statement where she questioned what the lungu family wanted to do with the body was wrongly addressed, she should have asked what the new dawn wanted to do with it. I mean even before ECLs demise,his family was by his bedside, after we lost him,the family still remained with his body until today.
It is the imingalato family and their leader that hadn’t seen his body since he left for SA, rora miti should be asking them why they wanted to take over his remains so badly .
Lusaka times approves this message
With or without national mourning we will burry ECL with dignity. Surprised at how some low IQs seem to be celebrating, it even allows the family to conduct its funeral rites the way they want just like all families do
ECL was a man of the people and loved by the people, with the anger seen when ending the national mourning, let us burry him with the people at embassy park please
I meant let us burry him at memorial park
YES his plaque at Embassy park but buried with friends and family not a future enemy
Ending National mourning changes nothing, family wishes must come first on any day.
ECL was family property first and state property second, so dont mislead and confuse yourselves over simple and straight forward issues. Let the family mourn the way they want. As for the state, economy and governance crumbled in your era from 2021, concentrate on that and not trying to hijack a funeral
All moves by the government totally miscalculated,
1. Firstly they wanted to get the body forcefully according to Buyoya
2. Secondly they make a program with family and start putting in things not agreed
3. Thirdly they try to stop people from going to the airport to receive the remains, and yet when him was advised not to attend the funeral he pushed himself on the program whilst stopping others from going to the airport. We were all allowed as Zambians to receive Mwanawasa and Satas remains at the airport without let or hindrance
No issue here, the family will burry, it is not national mournings that burry people
.. meaning, they just postponed the inherent problem.
What does he want to do with the body, kanshi?
Comment: The family should not be rigid or mantain a hard stance. Lungu is dead, whether he left a will or not, he remains a former head of state whose funeral must involve the army under the current commender in chief who is the current president.
All funerals, wether the person who died was a former head of state, the first authority is the family, the reason why in developed countries the family comes up with a program and state just follows and support, and come in with mostly things to do with the military protocols. So please don’t demonise the family, they are within their rights to politely dictate the program
I can the poor remains of the late Mr lungu being buried and re buried many times…..
After the same corpse goes on a PF campaign tour……
FWD2031
Its called maloza – that family brought it upon themselves: The country mourned without the deceased…time to quickly change the law, State ceremony in parliament or cathedral, private burial – NO MAUSOLEA!!
A mausoleum is a building which contains the grave of a famous person or the graves of a rich family. :-0
# Respect the family wishes
Family is the final authority on any funeral in the world. The exaggeration that he is a former head of state is absolutely not constitutional. The state should play a part but not dictating the program – NO NO NO
The state tabled the stately protocols, no more! The burial rituals are for family and clan…that’s who we are, african rites! There is nowhere where state requirements can be usurped by family!! Elisabeth II was mourned as queen and buried as family…
I see the remains of the late ECL being buried and reburied many times……
If they could take the remains on campaign tours, they would…….
It is sad to see that The remains of the man is the only viable currency the PF have….
FWD2031
Well done Mr. President. Some of us are 100% with you. You tried to look at things in accordance with our African culture where nice things are said even to dead thieves. You looked beyond the differences and tried to mourn our lovely, departed leader with the dignity he deserves and entitled to. We only hope that the family understands how their decision will affect how ECL will be remembered.
This is good. Now let the family do their wishes and Lungus . The state should not be involved. Let bury and mourn the way they want. State should fold hands
Even in death, he is calling his shots . Let his issues be full filled
Calling the shots ??…..
Calling total failures and chaos, like in real life…..
FWD2031