An empty grave and a frozen body: Why Zambia’s ex-President remains unburied eight months after his death

File photo of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu.

Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu remains unburied in South Africa due to a feud with President Hichilema over funeral rites, causing cultural unease and political tension as Zambia struggles to honor Lungu’s final wish and resolve the standoff.

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More than eight months after his death, former Zambian President Edgar Lungu remains unburied, his body lying in a South African funeral home as Zambia grapples with an extraordinary political and cultural standoff. What should have been a routine state funeral has instead turned into a bitter struggle between Lungu’s family and the man who defeated him at the polls and now leads the country, President Hakainde Hichilema.

At the centre of the impasse is Lungu’s final wish. Before his death, he instructed his family that Hichilema should never be allowed near his body, even as a mourner. That request has collided head-on with the Zambian government’s insistence on a state funeral in Lusaka, complete with presidential participation. The result is a frozen corpse abroad and an empty grave at home.

An unfilled grave and a public taboo

In Lusaka, a coffin-sized tomb was dug in anticipation of Lungu’s burial. It remains empty. For many Zambians, the failure to bury the dead swiftly and with dignity violates deep cultural norms and invites misfortune. The spectacle has unsettled a country where burial rites carry spiritual significance.

Behind the delay lies a feud that stretches back more than a decade. Lungu and Hichilema were fierce political rivals, and their animosity did not end with Lungu’s defeat in the 2021 election.

“This has shifted from politics to a spiritual battle,” Bishop Anthony Kaluba of the Life of Christ congregation in Lusaka told The Associated Press.

Belief in curses and final words

In Zambia, last words spoken before death are often seen as powerful. Scholars say such statements can be viewed as blessings or curses that influence the living.

“Last words are a vital force,” said Chammah J Kaunda, a Zambian professor of African Pentecostal theology and academic dean at the Oxford Center for Mission Studies. He explained that elders can impose curses that “acquire a life of their own.”

Some of Hichilema’s supporters believe that honoring Lungu with a state funeral would neutralize any curse. Others fear that denying Hichilema access to the body is itself an act of spiritual retaliation.

“It is a weapon,” said Herbert Sinyangwe of WayLife Ministries in Lusaka. “We believe in our culture that curses work.”

Court battles and blocked funerals

Zambian authorities have repeatedly turned to the courts, which have sided with the state. Judges ruled that the government has the right to take custody of Lungu’s remains for burial in Zambia. Lungu’s family, however, has resisted every step.

They sought to hold a private funeral in South Africa and transport the body by chartered aircraft. That plan was blocked after Zambian authorities intervened. A South African court ruled in August that the body should be returned to Zambia.

Inside the courtroom, Lungu’s sister Bertha Lungu broke down, accusing Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha of acting on Hichilema’s behalf. She claimed the president wanted access to the corpse for ritual purposes. Hichilema has denied any such intent, saying his Christian faith rejects belief in traditional rituals.

A rivalry that never ended

Lungu rose to power in 2014 after President Michael Sata’s death, narrowly defeating Hichilema in a close election. He won again in 2016. Hichilema was later jailed on treason charges after allegedly blocking a presidential motorcade, a move widely criticised at the time.

In 2021, the roles reversed. Hichilema defeated Lungu decisively. Lungu promised to retire but attempted a political comeback in 2023, after which the government stripped him of retirement benefits. His wife and daughter were later arrested over fraud allegations.

Lungu also struggled to leave Zambia while ill. Authorities restricted his travel. He eventually slipped out to South Africa in early 2025, reportedly buying a ticket at the airport counter. He died there on June 5, 2025, aged 68, following surgery-related complications.

A nation unsettled

The unresolved burial has only deepened unease. Cemetery caretaker Allen Banda warned that an empty tomb carries dangerous symbolism.

“A tomb without a corpse is like digging your own grave,” he told AP.

Historian Sishuwa Sishuwa, a visiting scholar at Harvard, said the standoff reflects mutual distrust. “Nearly everything done by the Lungu family seems designed to deny Hichilema access to the body,” he said. At the same time, “Hichilema appears determined to secure access, perhaps because he sees this as a matter of life and death.”

As the body remains in limbo, many Zambians believe Lungu continues to shape politics from beyond the grave.

“Lungu is still influencing our politics from the grave,” said Emmanuel Mwamba, a diplomat and spokesperson for Lungu’s party. “How he was treated in life and how he is being treated in death still matters.”