By Peter Omopo
Pretoria, August 8, 2025 —
A South African court has ruled that the remains of former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu must be repatriated to Zambia for a state burial, effectively rejecting his family’s demand to bury him in South Africa.
Lungu, who died on June 5 while receiving specialized medical care in Pretoria, became the subject of a high-profile legal dispute between the Zambian government and his family over his final resting place.
His widow and children had opposed returning his body to Zambia, citing Lungu’s alleged wish to avoid a funeral that would involve his political rival and successor, President Hakainde Hichilema. The Zambian government, however, insisted on honoring him with a state funeral in Lusaka, leading to a legal standoff.
While the funeral preparations were already underway in South Africa, Zambia filed an emergency lawsuit halting the burial. On Friday, a Pretoria court ruled in favor of the Zambian government, declaring that national interests and the law supersede the family’s preferences.
“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 judge stated. The ruling ordered Lungu’s family to “immediately surrender the body of the late president” to Zambian authorities for repatriation.
The cause of Lungu’s death at age 68 has not been officially disclosed, though his party, the Patriotic Front, confirmed he had been receiving treatment in a Pretoria clinic.
Lungu served as Zambia’s sixth president from 2015 to 2021 before losing re-election to Hichilema of the United Party for National Development. Since then, several of his family members have faced corruption-related charges, which they claim are politically motivated.
His daughter, Tasila Lungu, was arrested in February on money laundering charges and had previously been detained in 2024 alongside her mother and sister on fraud charges. His son, Dalitso, is also facing corruption allegations.
Despite the controversies surrounding his post-presidency, the Zambian state now moves forward with plans to give Lungu a formal state burial in Lusaka.
