A dispute over former Zambian president Edgar Lungu’s remains escalated as the government said it has taken possession of his body in South Africa against the family’s wishes, aiming for a state funeral and burial in Lusaka’s presidential grounds. The clash stems from a long-running feud between Lungu and successor Hakainde Hichilema, with the government arguing that a former head of state should be honoured at home. A South African court previously allowed repatriation and a state funeral, a decision the family has challenged, claiming proper appeals procedures were not followed. The conflict continues to unfold as the family seeks to have the body returned to the original funeral home. The wider implication concerns the politics of posthumous honours and national memory in Zambia.
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Lungu died in June at a clinic in Pretoria, South Africa, at age 68, after leading Zambia from 2015 to 2021.
The government asserts the remains should be repatriated and honored with a state funeral, to be buried in Lusaka's special presidential burial ground.
A South African court had ruled last August that repatriation and a state funeral could proceed, a decision the family has since appealed against.
Zambia's Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha cited the appeals process as having lapsed, enabling the transfer of the body despite the family's objections.
Lungu family spokesman Makebi Zulu disputed the claim of a lapsed appeal, saying correct procedure was followed, and lawyers have filed an urgent South Africa High Court application seeking the body's return to the original funeral home.
The feud between Lungu and President Hichilema, who defeated Lungu in 2021, has shaped the debate over whether the ex-president should be buried privately or with full state honours.