A South African court ruled on Friday that the late Edgar Lungu, former president of Zambia who passed away in South Africa on June 5, must be buried in Zambia, rejecting the wishes of his family. The decision settles a two-month dispute between Zambia’s government and Lungu’s family over the location of his burial.
Zambia had planned a state funeral in Lusaka for Lungu, but his widow and children opposed repatriating his body, arguing that he would not have wanted to be buried in Zambia where his political rival, current President Hakainde Hichilema, would attend the funeral. In response, Zambia filed a lawsuit to prevent the burial in South Africa while the funeral was already underway.
The Pretoria court ruled that Zambian law took precedence, stating that “a former president’s personal wishes or the wishes of his family cannot outweigh the right of the state to honour that individual with a state funeral.” The judge ordered the family to immediately release Lungu’s body to Zambian authorities to facilitate its return and burial in Lusaka.
Lungu’s Patriotic Front party confirmed that the family had filed an appeal against the ruling. The cause of Lungu’s death at 68 has not been publicly disclosed, though his party said he had been receiving specialised medical treatment in Pretoria.
Lungu served as Zambia’s president from 2015 until losing the 2021 election to Hichilema of the United Party for National Development. Since the electoral defeat, Lungu’s wife and children have faced corruption and fraud charges, which the family claims are politically motivated. Lungu’s daughter Tasila was arrested on money laundering charges earlier this year, having been previously detained along with her mother and sister on fraud allegations. His son Dalitso is also facing corruption accusations.
