UPND ACCUSES PF POLITICIANS OF EXPLOITING LUNGU'S DEATH FOR POLITICAL GAIN - The Zambian Observer
UPND ACCUSES PF POLITICIANS OF EXPLOITING LUNGU’S DEATH FOR POLITICAL GAIN
Lusaka – June 27, 2025
United Party for National Development (UPND) Media Director Mark Simuuwe has strongly condemned opposition politicians whom he accuses of using the death of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to score cheap political points ahead of the 2026 general elections.
In a sharply worded interview with South Africa’s Newzroom Afrika, Mr. Simuuwe accused a faction within the Patriotic Front (PF), led by Secretary General Raphael Nakacinda, of hypocrisy and attempting to profit from national grief.
He said the ongoing controversy over the burial of the late president is not rooted in legal merit or national interest, but rather in political opportunism.
Mr. Nakacinda recently stirred national debate on South Africa’s Newzroom Afrika when he suggested that President Hakainde Hichilema should not grant former President Lungu a State funeral, arguing that he never recognized Lungu’s presidency and doing so now would be hypocritical.
However, Mr. Simuuwe dismissed Nakacinda’s remarks as “an insult to the dignity of the nation” and pointed out that State funerals are not subject to partisan approval.
He emphasized that Zambia has established legal frameworks such as the Presidential Burial Site Act and prior case law, that dictate that former presidents be buried at the designated Presidential Embassy Park in Lusaka.
Citing the landmark Kaweche Kaunda vs. Attorney General case, Mr. Simuuwe argued that a former president is not a private citizen, but a state figure whose burial is a matter of public interest.
“Kenneth Kaunda, Frederick Chiluba, Levy Mwanawasa, Rupiah Banda, and Michael Sata were all buried at Embassy Park. The hypocrisy by the PF is astounding,” he said.
He warned that the PF’s rhetoric about exhuming President Lungu’s body after the next election if buried in Zambia is both inflammatory and disrespectful.
“This isn’t a campaign rally, it’s a national mourning period. Death should unify, not divide.”
Mr. Simuuwe revealed that the government has sought legal redress to ensure Lungu’s burial takes place in accordance with national law, asserting that there is no criminal case against the former first family.
He also clarified that diplomatic efforts have been made, including direct engagement with the South African government, where Lungu passed away, to facilitate a dignified repatriation and burial.
Referencing the controversial 2016 elections, Mr. Simuuwe charged that they were rigged and that the Constitutional Court denied UPND the right to be heard due to procedural technicalities and recounted how then-President Lungu responded to the UPND’s challenge by imprisoning opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema for 127 days in a maximum-security facility.
“Despite all these injustices, President Hichilema has risen above vengeance and called for calm, unity, and national healing following Lungu’s death,” Mr. Simuuwe stated.
Mr. Simuuwe expressed confidence that the UPND has no credible challenger in the coming 2026 general election. He attributed this to tangible improvements under President Hichilema’s leadership: reversing economic decline, boosting GDP from -2.7 per cent to 4 per cent, clearing salary arrears for municipal workers, recruiting over 45,000 teachers and 18,000 healthcare workers, and reintroducing meal allowances for students in public universities.
He further noted the government’s commitment to free education from Grade 1 to 12 and ongoing efforts to expand this to higher education.
The Media Director also said of the seven parliamentary by-elections the country has had after assuming office, six have been won by the ruling party.
Mr. Simuuwe emphasized that the PF’s politicization of Lungu’s death will not distract Zambians from the developmental gains made under UPND.
He stressed that denying Zambians the opportunity to bid farewell to their former president on home soil would be a “serious assault” on national sovereignty.
“This moment should transcend politics. It is about the soul of a nation, the dignity of its people, and respect for the office of the presidency, regardless of political differences. The government remains open to dialogue, but law and precedent must prevail over personal interest,” he said.
© UPND Media Team
