Zambia's ex-president Lungu's family wins appeal to bury him in South Africa
The family of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has won a legal appeal allowing his burial in South Africa, overturning a high court decision that would have repatriated his body for a state funeral.
More than a year after the death of Zambia's former President Edgar Lungu, his family have won their appeal to have his body buried in South Africa, overturning a high court ruling that allowed the Zambian government to repatriate the corpse. The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein ruled on Tuesday in favor of the family.
Lungu died at age 68 from an undisclosed illness at a clinic in Pretoria. His death sparked a feud between his family and the Zambian government over funeral arrangements. The government insisted that as a former head of state, Lungu should be honored with burial in the presidential burial ground in Lusaka. However, the family wanted a private burial in South Africa after negotiations with the government broke down.
In her ruling, Judge Raylene May Keightley stated that "the very ritual intended to bring closure has, instead, pitted family against the state in a hard-fought legal dispute far from the protagonists' home." The court found that the former president "viewed himself to be persona non grata in his own country" and feared he would not receive a dignified send-off if his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, were present.
Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, had a long-running feud with Hichilema, who was opposition leader for years before unseating his bitter rival. After Lungu's death, his family said the ex-president did not want Hichilema at his funeral or "anywhere near" his body.
Last August, the South African high court in Pretoria ruled that Zambia's government could repatriate the body and hold a state funeral, leaving Lungu's relatives distraught. The family appealed. In a surprise move in April, Zambia's government said the body had been "formally transferred" to the state, but hours later the same South African court ordered the body returned until the case was reconsidered.
Tuesday's ruling may finally end the legal battle, but all eyes are on the Zambian government's next move as its lawyers await instructions.
