South African Court Rules Ex-Zambian President Must Be Buried in Zambia Despite Family Objections

• A South African court has ruled that Zambia’s late former president Edgar Lungu must be buried in Lusaka, despite his family’s objections
• The decision ends a two-month legal battle over Lungu’s final resting place, which had sparked tensions between his relatives and the Zambian government
• The court affirmed the state’s right to honour Lungu with a state funeral, overriding the family’s concerns about political rivalries

A South African court has ruled that Zambia’s late former president, Edgar Lungu, must be buried in his home country, despite his family’s objections.

The decision, handed down on Friday in Pretoria, concluded a two-month legal and political standoff between Lungu’s relatives and the Zambian government.

Lungu, who died on 5 June while receiving specialised medical treatment in Pretoria, had been at the centre of a contentious burial dispute.

His widow and children had opposed the repatriation of his body, insisting that he would not have wanted his political rival, current Zambian president Hakainde Hichilema, to attend his funeral.

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Zambia wins legal battle over state funeral rights

The Zambian government had planned a state funeral in Lusaka to honour the former head of state, who led the copper-rich southern African nation from 2015 until his electoral defeat in 2021.

However, the family blocked the repatriation of his remains, prompting Zambia to file a lawsuit in South Africa to halt the burial proceedings already underway there.

On Friday, the Pretoria court ruled in favour of the Zambian state, stating that national law took precedence over family wishes.

“A former president’s wishes or the wishes of his family cannot outweigh the right of the state to honour that individual with a state funeral,” the court said.

The judge ordered the family “to immediately surrender the body of the late president” to Zambian authorities, allowing for its repatriation and burial in Lusaka.

Family tensions and political undercurrents

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The cause of Lungu’s death at the age of 68 has not been publicly disclosed. His party, the Patriotic Front, confirmed he had been undergoing treatment at a Pretoria clinic.

Since leaving office, Lungu’s family has faced a series of legal challenges. His daughter, Tasila Lungu, was arrested in February on money laundering charges, following earlier fraud allegations in 2024 involving her mother and sister.

His son, Dalitso, is also facing corruption charges. The family has claimed these prosecutions are politically motivated.

Zambia's president defends 'economic diplomacy' to escape debt

Legit.ng earlier reported that Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said his copper-rich country needs to forge diverse economic partnerships worldwide to extract itself from a debt burden he described as a "python around our necks."

The African nation in 2020 became the first on the continent to default on its foreign debt -- estimated at $17.3 billion -- since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Zambia has since sought help to restructure its debt through a G20 mechanism, which is co-chaired by Paris and Beijing, but implementation has been slow.

Source: Legit.ng