Africa-Press – Zambia. The claim that Edgar Lungu’s body has been flown from South Africa to Spain is more fiction than fact. In the funeral industry, we know this much: a body cannot just leave a country like frozen tilapia wrapped in a carton. Human remains require layers of paperwork such as death certificates, embalming certificates, export permits, and airline approvals. Even for ordinary citizens, this takes days, thousands of dollars, and clearance from multiple authorities.
Now add the word “President” to that process. A former Head of State’s body is not family property alone, it is national property. Moving such remains is not only a medical issue, it is a matter of state protocol. South Africa cannot allow a presidential body to vanish under the cover of darkness without Zambia’s consent. Airlines, airports, and customs would all demand clearance at the highest level. Suggesting otherwise insults the intelligence of two governments.
And why Spain? That question alone exposes the absurdity of the rumour. Spain has no diplomatic or cultural link to Zambia that would justify receiving Lungu’s remains. For a European state to accept the body of an African former president without bilateral agreements would invite international uproar. No embassy would risk being complicit in such a move. It would be a diplomatic scandal of the highest order.
We must separate grief from governance. Families grieve in private, but when the deceased is a former president, the body belongs to the Republic. It carries history, dignity, and security implications. A Head of State’s remains are treated with the same seriousness as state secrets. You cannot export that in the cargo hold of a passenger plane without the world knowing.
Those who peddle these stories forget how repatriation really works. Even for ordinary Zambians abroad, paperwork delays and costs often frustrate families. Airlines insist on zinc-lined coffins. Customs officials inspect and stamp every document. The idea that a former president’s body could leapfrog these systems, without a trace, is nothing more than political theatre.
So let us be clear: Edgar Lungu’s body cannot be hidden, smuggled, or exported like a commodity. Rumours may trend, but reality is heavier than hashtags. The question before us is not whether Spain has received ichitumbi, but whether Zambia will preserve dignity, protocol, and honour in laying to rest the man who once held its highest office.
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