Edgar Lungu's family has rejected the govt's proposal for mediation - The Zambian Observer
By: Mulundika Mukelebai
If Dialogue Was the Goal, Why Did Government Sue Ba Mukamfwila?
Dragged from Her Mourning Mattress to the Cold Bench of a Pretoria Court
The family of the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has firmly and emotionally rejected the government’s proposal for mediation, describing it as insincere, poorly communicated, and disrespectful to their grief.
According to the Daily Nation Newspaper, “ECL FAMILY OPPOSES – says the Zambian government has not informed them what it exactly wants from the proposed mediation, states that they are not ready for an outside court settlement MEDIATION.”
And now, a burning question echoes in the hearts of many Zambians:
If dialogue was truly the goal all along, why did the government drag Ba Mukamfwila still wrapped in mourning to the cold benches of a Pretoria courtroom?
Why file a lawsuit against a grieving widow only to later sing songs of unity and reconciliation?
This is not just a contradiction.
This is a national shame.
For years, Zambians bore silent witness to a relentless campaign of humiliation and hostility directed at President Lungu:
1. He was mocked mercilessly. The phrase “kuntumompa uko” echoed through public discourse with impunity.
2. His morning jogs became a crime, as police stalked his every move.
3. He was threatened with vulgarity, including the vile suggestion that he be circumcised.
4. He was removed from a plane, humiliated internationally, despite official clearance and invitation.
5. He was allegedly denied medical access when his health was failing.
6. He was kicked out of a bishop’s office, simply for paying a spiritual courtesy call.
And now, suddenly, we are told:
“If we don’t bury ECL in Zambia, the world will laugh at us.”
Laugh at who?
Where was the world’s laughter when he was mocked, threatened, and mistreated?
Where was the moral outrage then?
This selective morality cannot stand.
The Zambian people cannot be expected to forget the pain inflicted on their former Head of State simply because it is now politically convenient to speak of “unity.”
We are not amnesiacs.
If the government is genuine about healing, it must begin by confronting the truth the truth of how it treated a man who once held the highest office in the land. It must acknowledge the pain it has caused, not just to President Lungu, but to his widow, his children, and the millions of supporters who looked up to him.
Because respect, like legacy, must not be seasonal.
It must be constant in life and in death.
You don’t slap a grieving widow, then extend a hand of peace.
You don’t sue, then call for dialogue.
You don’t shame a man, then ask to be his pallbearer.
Mediation… after court?
No. Finish what you started.
