By Brian Matambo | Sandton, South Africa

Counsel Makebi Zulu, Zambia’s leading 2026 presidential candidate, who is also spokesperson for the Lungu Family, has publicly accused the government of employing covert and coercive tactics in its handling of the death and burial of former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu, escalating what began as a private family matter into a protracted national controversy with legal, political and ethical implications.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview, Makebi Zulu framed the dispute not as a question of protocol but as an issue of dignity, legality and character in public office. He alleged that the state has sought to impose conditions on the Lungu family while simultaneously running a campaign of pressure and persuasion designed to force compliance, rather than facilitating a respectful and consensual burial process.

According to Makebi Zulu, the government’s approach has included paid media placements outside Zambia, the engagement of private investigators, the orchestration of protests and the initiation of legal processes that have had the effect of delaying burial arrangements. He rejected the narrative that the family had refused to bury the former president, insisting instead that they had objected to conditions imposed by the state.

“This is not about politics,” Makebi Zulu said, arguing that mourning should be treated as a humanitarian matter, not a battleground for power. He described efforts to portray the Lungu family as unreasonable as a deliberate propaganda strategy intended to shift public blame and soften resistance to state demands.

Makebi Zulu further claimed that the dispute reflects a broader pattern of governance under President Hakainde Hichilema, where dissenting voices are met with intimidation rather than engagement. He positioned himself as a buffer for the family, saying he had absorbed personal attacks in order to shield them from further harassment.

Beyond the burial issue itself, Makebi Zulu linked the episode to what he described as a systemic erosion of constitutional norms. He argued that the same methods used to pressure the Lungu family mirror tactics allegedly deployed in Parliament during the passage of the controversial constitutional amendment known as Bill 7, now Act No. 13 of 2025. In his view, coercion, inducements and procedural shortcuts have become tools of governance.

Makebi Zulu was particularly critical of what he called the weaponisation of state institutions. He questioned the consistency of judicial decisions surrounding Bill 7, the conduct of the National Assembly, and the public behaviour of senior officials following its passage. Taken together, he said, these actions have weakened public confidence in the separation of powers and reduced Parliament to an appendage of the executive.

On the burial dispute, Makebi Zulu warned that the continued standoff risks deepening national divisions and eroding Zambia’s long-held ethos of unity. He stressed that the constitution begins with “We the people” and not “We the government”, arguing that the state has a duty to respect family rights and cultural norms, even when the deceased is a former head of state.

He also criticised what he described as selective enforcement of the law, pointing to arrests of citizens who publicly complain about economic hardship, while serious allegations surrounding corruption and abuse of office remain unresolved. In that context, Makebi Zulu said the Lungu burial saga is symptomatic of a government that prioritises control over consent.

As the country approaches the 2026 general election, Makebi Zulu cautioned that governance driven by insecurity and political survival, rather than accountability and compassion, risks pushing Zambia further away from democratic ideals. He called for a reset focused on the cost of living, energy security, fair taxation of mineral resources and respect for human dignity.

“The measure of leadership is not how much power you accumulate,” Makebi Zulu said, “but how you treat people when they are most vulnerable.”

For now, the burial of Edgar Chagwa Lungu remains unresolved, standing as a stark symbol of a broader struggle over law, power and the moral boundaries of the state. As of 23 December 2025, the Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa, has granted the Lungu family leave to appeal the judgment of the High Court that instructed the widow to surrender her husband’s body to President Hakainde Hichilema.