Speaking during a press briefing in South Africa this afternoon, Lubinda said the PF sympathisers and thousands of loyal Lungu mourners would not be silenced by court delays or political barriers.

Lubinda, who led the failed funeral entourage that had travelled to South Africa expecting to bury the late former president, said the party will now begin a series of memorial services as they await the outcome of a court process in Pretoria over the burial rights.

He described the late president as an “extraordinary man” whose send-off had been unfairly disrupted, forcing some mourners to return home with nothing but tears and empty wallets.

“We shall mourn him forever.We have even more time to prepare for a proper send-off. Wherever the burial will take place, there we shall be, in multitudes, to come and send off our dear departed president.”

The PF makeshift leader lamented how people had sold property and borrowed money just to witness Lungu’s burial in South Africa, only for the funeral to be blocked.

“We are determined that one day the mortal remains of Edgar Lungu shall be buried where it ought to be buried, back home in Zambia and that day shall certainly come and we will wait for that day,” added Lubinda.

As of today, a definitive date for Lungu’s burial remains unconfirmed, with legal proceedings ongoing in the South African court.