The Zambian government has confirmed that Vice-President Mutale Nalumango is safe after a Zambia Air Force helicopter carrying her was involved in an accident shortly after take-off in Nakonde, Muchinga Province.

In a statement, Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa said the incident occurred while Nalumango was on an official visit to the area.

Kangwa said the Vice-President, along with all passengers and crew members, escaped the accident unharmed.

“As a standard precaution, she was taken to a nearby medical facility for a routine medical check-up and has since been discharged. The Vice-President is in good health,” the statement said.

The High Court in South Africa is expected to deliver a ruling today in a case involving the remains of former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

The case stems from an appeal by the Lungu family against an earlier court decision directing that the former president’s body be repatriated to Zambia for burial with full state honours accorded to former heads of state.

The family has opposed the Zambian government’s plans for a state funeral, arguing for greater control over the burial arrangements.

The dispute has delayed the burial of the former president for more than a year. In June 2025, the family organised a burial ceremony in South Africa, but the Zambian government successfully obtained a court injunction stopping the proceedings.

As a result, Lungu’s remains have remained in South Africa pending the outcome of the legal process.

The former Zambian leader died on June 5, 2025.

Police in Mchinji District have arrested three men, Mphatso Biliate, Naison Kamuona and Derick Chiuza, on suspicion of attempting to smuggle maize into Zambia.

Mchinji Police spokesperson Limbani Mpinganjira confirmed the arrest, saying the suspects were apprehended on Wednesday while driving separate Scania and Freightliner trucks carrying a combined total of 90 tonnes of maize.

Mpinganjira added that the three suspects are expected to appear in court soon.

Police in Lusaka are investigating a bizarre incident in which a man was found bathing naked inside the mortuary at the University Teaching Hospitals (UTH).

The man, identified only as Michael and believed to be between 25 and 30 years old, was discovered in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to an eyewitness, he was bathing in the area where bodies are normally washed, causing fear among workers at the facility.

The eyewitness said staff initially panicked but later realized the man himself appeared terrified.
With no officers immediately present, workers apprehended him and dragged him to the hospital police post.

He was later taken to Kabwata Police Station, where he remains in police custody.

Zambia Police Service public relations officer Godfrey Chilabi confirmed the incident and said relatives informed police that Michael has a mental health condition.

Police have since handed the matter over for further assessment as investigations continue.

Police have recovered 400 bags of maize weighing 50 kilogrammes each that were being transported by a lorry for sale in ZambiaZambia.

According to national police spokesperson Lael Chimtembo, officers intercepted the truck at the Mchinji Government Gate after it attempted to use alternative routes to evade security checks.

Chimtembo warned traders that the ban on the export of maize to other countries remains in force and said police will take action against anyone found violating the restriction.

bags of maize weighing 50 kilogrammes each that were being transported by a lorry for sale in Zambia.

According to national police spokesperson Lael Chimtembo, officers intercepted the truck at the Mchinji Government Gate after it attempted to use alternative routes to evade security checks.

Chimtembo warned traders that the ban on the export of maize to other countries remains in force and said police will take action against anyone found violating the restriction.

Former Malawian president Bakili Muluzi has officially withdrawn from his role as mediator in efforts to resolve the ongoing dispute surrounding the burial site of former Zambian president Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

Lungu, who passed away in June this year at a hospital in South Africa, has yet to be laid to rest due to disagreements between his family and the Zambian Government.

The government insists that his remains should be repatriated for a state funeral in Zambia, while the family prefers that he be buried in South Africa, citing alleged mistreatment by the current administration in Lusaka.

In a statement released today, Muluzi said that although “meaningful progress” had been made, several complex and sensitive issues remained unresolved. Consequently, he has decided to return the matter to both the Lungu family and the Zambian Government for them to reach a final agreement.

“It is our sincere hope that space will yet emerge for renewed, calm, and principled communication so that closure may be reached,” the statement reads in part.

Muluzi had been appointed as a neutral mediator to help bridge the divide between the two parties, but his withdrawal now leaves the matter once again in the hands of the family and the governmen

The Zambian government has reaffirmed that the maize export agreement with Malawi remains in force, highlighting ongoing cooperation and regional solidarity between the two nations.

This assurance was made by Cornelius Mweetwa, Minister of Information and Media and Chief Government Spokesperson, in a statement dated November 11, 2025.

Mweetwa said the government is deeply concerned about a forged letter falsely attributed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe.

He also dismissed a fake report allegedly published by the Daily Nation newspaper claiming that Zambia had cancelled the maize export deal with Malawi.

Mweetwa clarified that maize trade issues fall under the Ministry of Agriculture, not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The government described the false letter and report as acts of deliberate misinformation and negative propaganda.

“The public is also reminded that Zambia has clear laws governing the abuse of cyberspace,” the statement read. “Those found spreading false information will be dealt with in accordance with the law.”

A Zambian woman has been killed and another left critically injured after a brutal attack in Lipunga Village, Traditional Authority Mkanda, in Mchinji District.

The victims, identified as Agness Bwalya, 58, and Jane Lungu, 62, had travelled from Zambia to Malawi on October 24 to buy beans and were staying with a fellow Zambian known only as Bwalya.

Central West Region Police spokesperson Foster Benjamin said the women were attacked while asleep.

“Before their departure, the suspect and his accomplices allegedly attacked them in their sleep, poured hot water on them, and struck them with sharp objects,” Benjamin said.

The attackers also stole the women’s cash, phones, passports, ATM cards, and IDs.

Bwalya died upon arrival at Mchinji District Hospital due to severe injuries, while Lungu remains in critical condition with deep cuts.

Zambia’s Eastern Province Police Commissioner Robertson Mweemba confirmed that police from both countries are working together to track down the killers.

Luundu Mwanakasale, a Zambian woman who was left paralyzed after a tragic road accident in December 2014, has shared how her life changed dramatically just days before her planned wedding.

At the time, Luundu was a 24-year-old teaching student engaged to be married and was on her way to Livingstone to try on her wedding dress when the accident happened.

Her fiancé was the one driving the vehicle, and as they reached Monze, the car overturned, resulting in a serious crash.

While her fiancé escaped the accident unscathed, Luundu sustained a severe spinal injury that left her paralyzed from the waist down and led to the loss of her five-month pregnancy.

Doctors informed her that she would never walk again, and she was confined to a wheelchair—a devastating blow that came just a month before her wedding day.

Luundu spent nearly three months in the hospital, during which her fiancé remained in contact and pretended to support her through the ordeal.

Though they continued dating for three more years after the accident, she was unaware that he had found another woman and was secretly planning a wedding.

Just four days before his wedding, Luundu learned through a friend that her fiancé was about to marry someone else simply because she could no longer walk.

Heartbroken and betrayed, she tried calling him for answers, but he ignored her calls and only contacted her three weeks after his wedding—only to ask about her bank account so he could send money for her medical bills.

The emotional shock pushed Luundu into a deep depression, and she dropped out of college during her second year, unsure of her future and overwhelmed by grief.

To cope, she turned to baking as a therapeutic outlet, slowly regaining her strength and beginning the journey toward emotional healing.

In 2021, determined not to let her disability or heartbreak define her, Luundu re-enrolled in college at Chreso University, where she pursued and completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Education with distinction.

Now 35 years old, Luundu is happily engaged again—to a man who truly values her for who she is, and who, as she says, “saw beyond the wheelchair.”

The First Grade Magistrate’s Court in Mchinji has ordered Zambian national John Soko to pay K3.5 million for attempting to smuggle petrol into Zambia.

Prosecutor Helix Kamkweche told the court that Soko was found with 27 drums of petrol in his vehicle, amounting to over 1,000 litres.

Kamkweche urged the court to impose a stiff sentence, stating that such practices contribute to the country’s ongoing fuel shortages.

Magistrate Fred Juma Chilokoswa agreed with the prosecution and said the sentence was meant to serve as a deterrent to others.

John Soko hails from Naniya Village in the Mpezeni Chiefdom in Chipata, Zambia.

The Pretoria High Court has reserved judgment in a case involving the family of late former Zambian President Edgar Lungu.

Lungu passed away in South Africa on June 5, 2025, but he has not yet been buried, over three months later.

The delay stems from a legal dispute between his family and the Zambian government over his burial arrangements.

Authorities in Zambia insist on repatriating his body for a state funeral, while the family is fighting for the right to choose his final resting place.

In court, the family’s lawyer, Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, argued that Lungu cannot be granted the same privileges as Zambia’s founding president, Kenneth Kaunda.

Ngcukaitobi told the bench that Lungu had lost his presidential benefits before his death, and the law does not allow posthumous reinstatement.

“There are no benefits payable to the dead,” he emphasized.

The appeal seeks to overturn an earlier ruling that ordered Lungu’s repatriation to Zambia for a state-led burial.

With the judgment reserved, the uncertainty surrounding Lungu’s funeral continues.

The company keeping the body of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has warned that continued storage poses a risk of spoilage.

Lungu’s body is currently being kept by Two Mountains Burial Services in South Africa.

The company has written to both the Zambian government and Lungu’s family, urging them to resolve their ongoing dispute.

According to the company, prolonged storage without a resolution could compromise the condition of the body.

Lungu passed away on June 5, 2025, but his family wishes for him to be buried in South Africa.

The matter is currently before the courts as the family and government remain at odds over the burial location.

Public attention is focused on Pretoria, South Africa, where a court is expected to deliver its verdict today regarding the burial of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu.

The case arises from a dispute between Lungu’s family and the Zambian government. His family wants him to be buried in South Africa, while the government insists that, as Zambia’s sixth president, he should be laid to rest in his homeland.

The family argued in court that Lungu was severely mistreated under the current leadership in Zambia, which is why they believe he should be buried in South Africa.

Edgar Lungu passed away on 5 June 2025.

Former First Lady Esther Lungu appeared at the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, as a legal dispute continues over the burial site of late former Zambian President Edgar Lungu.

Tension erupted in a Mazabuka household after a man identified as Mr. Moonga unexpectedly returned home and found his daughter with her boyfriend in a compromising situation.

According to local sources, Mr. Moonga walked into his bedroom only to discover the pair unclothed on his bed, triggering a violent outburst.

Overwhelmed by anger and a sense of betrayal, the father allegedly assaulted the young man, identified only as Alex.

The altercation turned physical, leaving Alex with multiple bruises and cuts as neighbors overheard the commotion and alerted the police.

Officers arrived at the scene to find Alex injured and in need of medical attention.

He was quickly transported to a local clinic for treatment, while authorities began investigating the incident.

Police have not confirmed whether charges will be filed, but both families are reportedly involved in ongoing discussions to address the matter.

The Zambian government obtained a court order in South Africa to stop the private burial of former President Edgar Lungu on the day it was scheduled to take place.

Lungu’s family was forced to leave the funeral service and attend a courtroom hearing in Pretoria, still dressed in black funeral attire.

The Pretoria High Court ruled that the burial would be delayed until a case regarding the location of the funeral is resolved, with another hearing set for August 4.

This legal challenge is the latest in a month-long dispute between Lungu’s family and the Zambian government over his funeral arrangements.

The government wants Lungu to receive a state funeral in Zambia, but his family refuses, citing his long-standing feud with current President Hakainde Hichilema.

Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died in a South African hospital on June 5 at the age of 68.

His family claims he left instructions barring Hichilema from attending his funeral, while the government insists a state funeral must be held with Hichilema presiding.

Zambia’s Attorney General filed an urgent court application demanding Lungu be buried with full military honours, as required by law.

A memorial service was held in Johannesburg, but the burial was halted pending a final court ruling.

Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha has filed a public interest lawsuit in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa.

The case seeks to halt the burial of the late Zambian President, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, until all legal disputes over his final resting place are resolved.

Kabesha argues that Dr. Lungu, as a former Head of State, must be buried in Zambia with full military honours in accordance with national laws and traditions.

The lawsuit names members of Dr. Lungu’s family, including former First Lady Esther Nyawa Lungu, as well as two other individuals. Two Mountains Pty, the morgue currently holding the late President’s remains, is also listed as a respondent.

Kabesha contends that personal burial wishes must give way to the public interest and state protocol. He cites the precedent of Zambia’s founding President, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, whose burial preferences were overruled in favour of national interests.

The application has been made under Article 177(5)(c) of the Zambian Constitution.

The Pretoria High Court is scheduled to hear the interim interdict request at 08:00 on Wednesday, 25th June 2025.

Source: Zambia Reports

The immediate former President of Zambia, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, will be laid to rest in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, according to the official funeral programme released by the family and organizing committee.

A Requiem Mass will be held at 10:00 AM at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Hillbrow, with Archbishop Alick Banda of Lusaka serving as the main celebrant. The service is expected to attract numerous high-profile dignitaries from Zambia and across the region, although their identities have not been officially disclosed.

The ceremony will be held under tight security, with strict protocols in place. All mourners are required to be pre-accredited, and items such as large bags will not be permitted within the church premises.

Following the mass, a private burial will take place at approximately 13:30 hours. In keeping with the family’s wishes and official guidelines, there will be no body viewing during the proceedings.

President Lungu’s passing has drawn condolences from leaders across Africa, recognizing his contributions to Zambia’s democratic growth and regional diplomacy during his tenure from 2015 to 2021.

Further details on memorial events and tributes are expected to be released in the coming days.