Lusaka, 22 June 2025 — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Ozzy Lamola, to Lusaka as a special envoy to convey condolences and discuss matters surrounding the burial of Zambia’s late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Minister Lamola paid a courtesy call on President Hakainde Hichilema, delivering a message of sympathy from the South African government and people. The visit also served as a platform for dialogue on the late President Lungu’s…

Lusaka, 20th June 2025 — The family of the late former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has confirmed that his funeral and burial will take place in South Africa, in accordance with their wishes for a private ceremony. In a press statement issued on Thursday, family spokesperson Hon. Makebi Zulu expressed the family’s deep gratitude for the widespread messages of condolence and solidarity received from across Africa and the wider global community. “This period has been deeply emotional for the…

Lusaka, Thursday, 19 June 2025 — President Hakainde Hichilema has announced the end of the national mourning period for Zambia’s 6th Republican President, the late Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, following what he described as a regrettable reversal of funeral arrangements by the former President’s family. In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday evening, President Hichilema said the country had marked 14 days of mourning with dignity and patience, but now needed to return to normalcy. “As of the…

Lusaka, Zambia – June 12, 2025 – A deepening rift between the family of Zambia’s late Sixth Republican President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and the Government of the Republic of Zambia has cast a shadow over the repatriation of his remains from South Africa, where he passed away on Thursday, June 5, 2025. The family, through spokesperson Makebi Zulu, issued a press statement expressing frustration with the government’s approach to the funeral arrangements, emphasizing their desire to honor the late president’s…

Lusaka, 7th June 2025 – The Government of the Republic of Zambia has declared a seven-day period of national mourning following the passing of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the Sixth President of the Republic, who died in South Africa on Thursday, 5th June 2025. In an official press statement released by the Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick K. Kangwa, the government announced that President Hakainde Hichilema has accorded a State Funeral to the late leader. “President Hakainde Hichilema has…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed deep sorrow over the death of former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, who passed away in a Pretoria hospital on Thursday, 5 June 2025. Mr Lungu, who was 68 years old, had been receiving medical treatment in South Africa for several weeks. In a statement issued by the Presidency, President Ramaphosa extended his condolences to Mr Lungu’s family, as well as to the people and government of Zambia, led by President Hakainde Hichilema. “As regional…

Lusaka, Zambia – June 5, 2025 – Zambia’s sixth president, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has passed away in a South African hospital, according to a statement by his daughter Tasila Lungu. The former President died at 06:00 hours on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at Medforum Clinic in Pretoria, South Africa. Lungu, who served as Zambia’s president from January 2015 to August 2021, was a prominent figure in Zambian politics, leading the Patriotic Front (PF) and later the Tonse Alliance as its…

On March 8, 2025, as Zambia celebrated Women’s Day in Kasama, Northern province, Zambia, President Hakainde Hichilema dropped a political bombshell: the nation’s constitution, he declared, would be amended before the 2026 general elections. Four days later, addressing youth day commemorations in Mongu, Western Province, Zambia, he doubled down, promising changes to the constitution to boost representation and fix electoral “gaps.” Today Zambia finds itself in the throes of a fierce debate, one that pits the promise of progress against…