Trending 
The Zambian Government’s plans for a state burial for former President Edgar Lungu have been halted following a South African court judgment blocking the repatriation of his remains.
Lungu died in a South African hospital at the age of 68 on June 5, 2025, after suffering from recurring achalasia, a condition caused by narrowing of the oesophagus.
His family wants him buried in South Africa, while the Zambian government insists he should be buried in his home country. This has led to a dispute between Lungu’s family and the government that has lasted nearly ten months.
Zambia’s Attorney General, Mulilo Kabesha, said on Tuesday that a court had formally handed the remains to the government after the family failed to pursue an appeal.
AFP reported that Lungu’s family swiftly sought an injunction, with the High Court in Pretoria stating that the application was “dealt with as one of extreme urgency”.
The court ordered the Zambian government to return the remains to a private funeral home or another facility of the family’s choice. Judge Rochelle Francis-Subbiah said the order will remain in force until May 21, 2026.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema succeeded Lungu on August 24, 2021, when he was sworn in after winning the August 2021 election by a landslide.
Lungu’s wife and children have since been charged with corruption, which loyalists describe as part of a political vendetta.
The former president’s family said the Lungu would not have wanted his successor, Hichilema, at his funeral and have repeatedly blocked the governemnt’s repatriation efforts.
The Zambian government has, in turn, also frustrated the family’s plans to bury him in South Africa on several occasions, including while funeral proceedings were underway.
