Zambia ex‑president’s family wins latest legal battle over his body

After more than a year following the death of Zambia’s former president Edgar Lungu, his family have won their appeal to keep his remains in South Africa where he died.

The Supreme Court of Appeal overturned a high‑court ruling that had allowed the Zambian government to repatriate Lungu’s body for a state funeral.

The decision puts to rest the legal struggle that stemmed from a fierce disagreement between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema.

The Zambian government, while disagreeing with the ruling, stated it would not pursue the matter further.

It had argued that, as a former head of state, Lungu should receive a dignified burial in Zambia’s special presidential mausoleum in Lusaka.

In contrast, Lungu’s family sought a private burial after negotiations over the funeral arrangements fell apart.

Justice Raylene May Keightley noted that the “ritual intended to bring closure has instead pitted family against the state in a hard‑fought legal dispute far from the protagonists’ home.”

In August, a South African high court had ruled in favour of repatriation and a state funeral, a decision that greatly upset Lungu’s relatives in court.

The family appealed, and in April the Zambian government announced that Lungu’s remains had been “formally transferred” to the state by the South African court, only for the same court to order the return of the body a few hours later before the case returned to the courtroom.

Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died at 68 from an undisclosed illness at a clinic in Pretoria.

After his death, there was chaos: mourners received conflicting information from the government and Lungu’s Patriotic Front party, with separate mourning periods and even competing condolence books.

Lungu reportedly said he did not want Hichilema to attend his funeral or be near his body.

The latest ruling confirms that Lungu viewed himself as “persona non grata” in Zambian politics and feared he would not receive a dignified send‑off if his successor were present.