A South African court has ordered the Zambian government to return the body of former President Edgar Lungu, just hours after Lusaka announced it had taken possession of his remains.
A Decade-Long Dispute Over Remains
This latest development marks a significant twist in a 10-month-long dispute regarding the final resting place of Lungu, following a protracted feud between the former president and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema.
The Zambian government has consistently maintained that as a former head of state, Lungu should be accorded national honours and buried alongside his predecessors in the special presidential burial ground in Lusaka. However, Lungu’s family expressed a desire for a private burial after negotiations with the government over funeral arrangements reportedly broke down.
Legal Battles and Shifting Orders
Last August, the South African High Court in Pretoria initially ruled that Zambia’s government could repatriate the body and proceed with a state funeral, a decision that visibly distressed Lungu’s relatives in court.
The family subsequently appealed this decision. In a surprising announcement late Wednesday night, the Zambian government declared that Lungu’s remains had been “formally transferred” to the state by the South African court, citing the family’s alleged inability to “proceed with their case” at the appeals court.
Yet, only a few hours later, the same South African court issued a new order, instructing the Zambian government to return the body. This interim order stands until the matter is revisited in court on May 21.
Adding to the complexity, Two Mountains Burial Services, the funeral home that originally held Lungu’s remains, has reportedly stated it will no longer accept the body and has urged the Lungu family to find an alternative arrangement.
Makebi Zulu, a spokesman for the Lungu family, disputed claims that the appeals process had lapsed during an interview on a Zambian YouTube news channel, asserting that the correct legal procedures had been followed.
The Aftermath of a President’s Passing
The former president passed away at the age of 68 from an undisclosed illness at a clinic in Pretoria, South Africa. His death was followed by a period of confusion, with mourners receiving conflicting information from the government and Lungu’s political party, the Patriotic Front (PF), leading to separate mourning periods and even competing condolence books.
Lungu, who governed Zambia from 2015 to 2021, had a long-standing and often bitter rivalry with Hakainde Hichilema, who served as the opposition leader for many years before ultimately defeating Lungu. Following Lungu’s death, his family conveyed his wish that Hichilema not be present at his funeral or “anywhere near” his body.
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