Staff Reporter
JOHANNESBURG – The family of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has won a landmark legal battle against the Zambian government, clearing the way for the late leader to be buried according to his family’s wishes and bringing an end to a year-long dispute that has gripped the region.
The ruling by South Africa’s Supreme Court effectively ends a protracted standoff between the Lungu family and President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration over where and how the former president should be laid to rest.
Edgar Lungu died on 5 June 2025, but his remains remained in a South African mortuary for more than a year as both sides failed to agree on funeral arrangements. The Zambian government had maintained that, as a former Head of State, Lungu should be buried in Zambia at the designated presidential burial site with full state honours.
However, the Lungu family opposed the government’s position, arguing that the former president had left explicit instructions regarding his funeral arrangements. Central to the disagreement was the family’s insistence that President Hichilema should not play a leading role in the funeral proceedings.
The family initially indicated a willingness to have Lungu buried in Zambia on the condition that Hichilema would not preside over or be prominently involved in the burial programme. The government rejected the condition, maintaining that state protocol for former presidents could not be altered.
Following the breakdown of negotiations, the family sought legal intervention in South Africa, where Lungu’s body had been kept pending the resolution of the dispute.
In its ruling, the South African Supreme Court upheld the family’s right to determine the final resting place of the former president, paving the way for burial arrangements to proceed in accordance with their wishes.
The decision is being viewed as a significant victory for the Lungu family and closes a chapter that had become increasingly contentious, drawing attention from political observers, legal experts and citizens across Southern Africa.
The prolonged dispute also highlighted the strained relationship that existed between Lungu and his successor, President Hichilema, a rivalry that continued to influence events even after the former president’s death.
With the legal uncertainty now resolved, the family is expected to announce final burial arrangements in the coming days, bringing long-awaited closure to supporters, relatives and the nation at large.
