A storm of controversy is building around the mysterious presence—and death—of Zambia’s former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu in South Africa. The Progressive Forces of South Africa are demanding urgent answers from Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, after uncovering what they allege to be a serious breach of immigration and diplomatic protocols.
Lungu reportedly entered South Africa legally on 19 January 2025 using a Zambian diplomatic passport, with a 90-day visa set to expire in April. But what happened next has shaken public trust in the country’s border control systems. The group claims that after April, Lungu continued crossing South African borders—this time using a fake Zimbabwean diplomatic passport, effectively bypassing all official checks.
Even more unsettling is the trail that goes cold at South African hospitals. According to reports cited by the Progressive Forces, neither Pretoria’s Mediclinic nor a second unnamed hospital has records of a patient named Edgar Lungu ever being admitted. This has fueled speculation that he may have received treatment—and even died—under an alias.
The big questions now gripping the nation: Under what name did Lungu die? Was there a registered death certificate? How did South Africa’s advanced biometric systems, immigration tracking, and population databases fail to flag this?
“This isn’t just a paperwork error—it’s a matter of national security,” said Bonang Letsoaloane, National Strategic Organiser for the Progressive Forces. The organisation is demanding a full-scale investigation into possible collusion or failures between the Department of Home Affairs and DIRCO (Department of International Relations and Cooperation).
Beyond political intrigue, the case touches deep nerves about South Africa’s border integrity, diplomatic accountability, and whether foreign nationals can exploit diplomatic status to operate in secrecy on South African soil.
For now, the public—and the world—waits for answers to a question as bizarre as it is troubling: How does a former president vanish, die, and remain undocumented in a country with world-class border controls?
