A South African court has ordered the repatriation of the remains of former President Edgar Lungu for a state burial in Zambia, despite objections from his family.
The ruling which goes in favour of the Zambian government ends a contentious legal battle over where the late leader should be laid to rest.
It highlights deep political divisions and the tension between personal wishes and national protocol.
On Friday, Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba of the South African High Court ruled that Zambia had the legal right to conduct a state funeral for Lungu, who served as president from 2015 to 2021.
“Such that even if a president has expressed a desire not to be given a state funeral, such a wish must be overridden by public interest”, the judge said.
The court emphasized that the burial of a former head of state was a matter of public interest, overriding any personal wishes expressed by the deceased or his family.
Zambia’s Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha welcomed the ruling, commenting: “This is not winning. You don’t win over a burial. It’s just what makes good sense, that the former president of the Republic of Zambia should be buried in his own country, the country where he was president.”
Lungu, who passed away in June at the age of 68 in a South African hospital, had reportedly expressed a desire to be buried in South Africa. His family also requested that current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema neither attend nor participate in the funeral arrangements, citing longstanding political tensions.
However, the Zambian government argued that as a former president, Lungu was entitled to an official burial in his homeland. The dispute over Lungu’s burial reflects the deep-seated animosity between him and his successor, Hichilema.
The two were fierce political opponents, with Hichilema even being imprisoned in 2017 during Lungu’s presidency on charges his supporters claimed were politically motivated.
Last year, Lungu accused Hichilema’s government of harassing him through law enforcement and restricting his movements His family also alleged that the government initially blocked his travel to South Africa for medical treatment—a claim the administration denied.
The legal battle over his burial has only intensified these political divisions, with Lungu’s supporters viewing the government’s insistence on a state funeral as an attempt to control his legacy.
Zambia: Dispute over ex-President Lungu’s funeral arrangements
Source: Africafeeds.com
