Court Allows Zambia To Retrieve Lungu’s Body For State Burial

A South African court has ruled that the Zambian government may retrieve the body of former President Edgar Lungu for a state funeral, overruling his family’s wishes to bury him privately in South Africa.

Lungu’s family, who were visibly emotional in court, had sought to handle the burial independently following his death in June. They have announced plans to appeal the decision delivered by the Pretoria High Court.

The Zambian government welcomed the judgment, stating that while it sympathized with the grieving family, the late leader “belongs to the nation.”

The case highlights an ongoing rift between Lungu’s relatives and Zambia’s current administration, led by President Hakainde Hichilema. According to the family, Lungu had expressed that he did not want his successor to attend his funeral.

Judge Aubrey Ledwaba, in delivering the verdict, ruled that Zambia had the right to repatriate the former president’s remains and ordered the family to hand over the body to state officials without delay.

Lungu passed away at the age of 68 from an undisclosed illness. His family had initially agreed to a state funeral but later withdrew from the arrangement after disagreements with the government over specific details.

In court, Lungu’s elder sister, Bertha, broke down in tears as the ruling was read.

Speaking after the judgment, Zambia’s Attorney General, Mulilo D. Kabesha, said the outcome was not a victory for the government, but rather a matter of national importance. “When you are the father of the nation, you can’t restrict yourself to your immediate family,” he said, calling the court’s decision a “sound judgment.”

Kabesha noted that the family’s intention to appeal is within their rights but described the situation as a “learning curve” for anyone aspiring to national leadership.

Until the appeal is heard, Lungu’s body will remain in Pretoria. Security services have reportedly been engaged to safeguard the remains, following attempts to remove the body without official clearance.

Edgar Lungu served as Zambia’s president from 2015 to 2021 before losing to Hichilema in a landslide election. Though he initially stepped away from public life, he had more recently re-entered the political arena.