A NATION’S CONSCIENCE ON TRIAL: CALLS FOR DECENCY IN THE LUNGU BURIAL DISPUTE  

By Brian Matambo – Sandton, South Africa

The Emmanuel Mwamba Verified livestream on Friday was more than a talk show. It became a confessional, a town hall, and a pulpit for a nation wrestling with grief, politics, and moral responsibility. With Bishop Paul Bupe as the guest, the discussion ran deep into the night, drawing voices from Zambia, South Africa, Europe, and the United States. The verdict from South Africa’s court on the burial of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu may have been handed down, but the court of public conscience is still in session.  

The tone was set early. Callers spoke with urgency, some choking back emotion, others delivering their words like a closing argument. Almost all circled back to one demand: treat the Lungu family with dignity.  

“You want the nation to find closure at the expense of the family’s closure? It doesn’t make sense to me,” one caller said. “Edgar Lungu is more important to his family than he is to the nation. Prioritize the family.”  

Bishop Bupe anchored the discussion in scripture. From Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice; relieve the oppressed; plead for the widow”. Another caller referenced to Exodus 22:22-24’s warning against afflicting widows and orphans, he challenged both the government and citizens to measure their actions against biblical standards.  

“Widows, widows, widows,” a called repeated. “They are vulnerable people. In moments like this, you don’t tower state machinery over them. You protect them.”  

*Outrage Over Celebration * If there was one theme that drew near-universal condemnation, it was the sight of public figures celebrating the court ruling. Multiple callers demanded that an MP seen dancing in a viral video be disciplined.  

“In Italy or anywhere in Europe, he would be suspended immediately,” one priest caller said. “Mocking the dead is unworthy of any honorable person.”  

FEAR AND THE CHILLING EFFECT A striking feature of the program was the number of callers who insisted on remaining anonymous. For Bishop Bupe, it was a sign of the times.  

“Since when did Zambians fear to speak?” he asked. “God has not given us the spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and a sound mind.”  

DIALOGUE OVER LITIGATION Several speakers argued that the matter should never have gone to court. “When you take a matter to court, there are no winners,” one caller reflected. “Jesus said, ‘Settle matters quickly with your adversary.’ The judges will not look at your personal interest; they will consider other facts, and those may not go your way.”  

Another caller from the UK described the case not as Lungu family vs. the State, but as “HH vs. ECL,” framing it as personal revenge disguised as protocol.  

“They are spending millions in South Africa just to ridicule the family,” she said. “This is not leadership; it is vengeance.”  

THE CHURCH, WHERE ARE YOU? One of the most repeated refrains came in the form of a challenge to Zambia’s church leaders. “Churches, please don’t feel ashamed to stand for truth,” one commenter urged in the live chat.  

The Bishop echoed the call: “Church, where are you when these doctrines are being preached contrary to what we have known and what the Bible taught? Speak for the people and fear not, for God is with you.”  

A TEST OF NATIONAL CHARACTER What emerged from the livestream was not simply a debate about a burial location. It was a referendum on the nation’s character. Callers warned that the way Zambia treats yesterday’s leaders is a rehearsal for how it will treat tomorrow’s.  

“Any government can find itself in this position one day,” one contributor said. “Decency should not be partisan; it is a national insurance policy.”  

Others spoke bluntly about the international embarrassment. “We are part of history now, and not in a good way,” said one caller from California. “Posterity will judge us for how we treated a grieving widow and family.”  

A FINAL PLEA In his closing words, Bishop Bupe turned directly to the Lungu family.  

“No temptation has overtaken you except that which is common to people,” he said, quoting 1 Corinthians 10:13. “God is faithful. He will not put on you more than you can bear. In the time of temptation, He will make a way where there seems to be no way.”  

And to the nation, he added: “This is no time to fight or curse each other. It is the time to lift one another up, to care for the weak, the feeble, the dying. Comfort the grieving. Honor the dead. Protect the widow and the orphan. That is who we are meant to be as a people.”  

In the end, the show revealed a hard truth: the legal case may be over, but the moral case is still before us. And on that count, the verdict is yet to be written.  

Note that the family has filed an appeal in the courts of South Africa. We continue to stand with the Lungu family.