As Zambia enters day 21 of mourning since the passing of its sixth President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, opposition Patriotic Front (PF) acting president Given Lubinda has described the late leader as an “extra ordinary man” whose life, presidency and death have stirred the soul of the nation.

Speaking in Johannesburg during a sombre media briefing flanked by opposition leaders Kelvin Bwalya Fube (KBF) and Sean Tembo, Lubinda lamented the unresolved state of the former president’s funeral, calling it both painful and unnecessary.

“Edgar Lungu, whom we mourn today, was an extra ordinary man in life and presidency—hence the extra ordinary developments we’ve seen after his death,” Lubinda said. “He was special. Just think about how Madam Esther Lungu and her children are feeling right now—deep grief, a hole in the heart that no court judgment can fill.”

President Lungu, who passed away on June 5, 2025 at the age of 68, has not yet been buried due to legal wrangles surrounding his final resting place. His widow, former First Lady Esther Lungu, has been fighting in the Pretoria High Court for the right to bury him privately in South Africa, a decision halted by Zambia’s Attorney General, Mulilo Kabesha.

Lubinda challenged Kabesha to publicly disclose how much taxpayer money has been spent on hiring top-tier South African lawyers to block the burial. “This isn’t pocket change. Did he consult Zambians before engaging in such a divisive court case that has left a widow and a nation in limbo?”

He added, “The decisions around President Lungu’s body must revolve around Mrs. Lungu. Every moment her husband remains unburied is a form of punishment.”

Despite the legal halt, Lubinda remained hopeful, suggesting the delay may offer time for the opposition to regroup and prepare a fitting farewell when the time comes. “Ultimately, the resting place must be Zambia. But we thank South Africa for ‘storing’ his remains with dignity.”

He called on mourners returning from Johannesburg—many of whom travelled over 1,500 kilometres by road, air and private transport—to head back to Zambia “more united than when they came.”

Lungu, remembered as a humble statesman, great unifier, and father of infrastructure, remains suspended in state—his final journey not yet over, his nation still waiting.