More than a year after Edgar Lungu’s death, the former Zambian president’s family has won another round in the bitter legal fight over his final resting place.
On Tuesday, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal overturned a lower court decision and ruled that Lungu’s body can remain in South Africa for burial. That reverses an August 2024 Pretoria High Court order that would have forced the Zambian government to repatriate the body for a state funeral in Lusaka.
Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died in June 2024 at age 68 while receiving medical treatment in Pretoria. Before his death, he reportedly told family members he did not want his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, at his funeral or “anywhere near” his body.
The dispute has exposed deep political tensions. Lungu and Hichilema were long-time rivals, and the ex-president’s Patriotic Front party clashed repeatedly with Hichilema’s government while Lungu was alive.
The Zambian state argues that as a former head of state, Lungu deserves to be interred at the official presidential burial site in Lusaka. Lungu’s widow and children counter that they should honor his wishes for a private burial in South Africa, where he spent his final months.
Tuesday’s ruling by the Bloemfontein court does not necessarily end the matter. The Zambian government’s legal team said it is awaiting instructions on whether to appeal further.
Justice Raylene Keightley, writing for the court, noted that “the very ritual meant to bring closure has instead pitted family against state in a bitter legal battle far from home.”
Since Lungu’s death, two competing mourning programs were held — one by the family in South Africa and one by the government in Zambia — with conflicting details about funeral arrangements.
For now, Lungu’s remains stay in a Pretoria mortuary while the family prepares for a private burial in South Africa.
