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A dramatic legal twist has halted the planned burial of Zambia’s former president Edgar Lungu in South Africa, deepening a bitter feud between his family and the Zambian government. Just moments after a funeral mass concluded in South Africa, mourners were informed that Lungu’s body would not be interred as planned, following an urgent court order obtained by the Zambian state. The Pretoria High Court intervened after the Zambian government filed a last-minute motion, objecting to the family’s decision to proceed with a private burial outside Zambia. The court confirmed that the burial would not take place as scheduled, citing an “agreement between the parties” and ruling that any future funeral arrangements are now deferred until at least August 2025.
This standoff underscores long-standing political and personal tensions between the late President Lungu’s family and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema. Lungu, who died in South Africa at the age of 68, reportedly wished for Hichilema not to attend his funeral—a request that triggered a fierce clash over the handling of the burial. Initially, there had been an uneasy consensus for a state funeral to be held in Zambia. However, deteriorating relations and disagreements over the precise ceremony led the family to abandon that plan in favor of a more private burial in South Africa. That move prompted the Zambian government to act swiftly in court, arguing that Lungu’s status as a former head of state made his burial a matter of national interest.
President Hichilema has maintained that Lungu, as a leader who once held the nation’s highest office, “belongs to the nation of Zambia” and must be buried on home soil with state honors. The government’s position reflects a broader precedent: in 2021, the state also overruled the burial wishes of Zambia’s founding president, Kenneth Kaunda, whose family said he wanted to be laid to rest beside his wife. The government, instead, buried Kaunda at the official Embassy Memorial Park in Lusaka, a move that sparked public debate about the limits of individual will versus national symbolism.
Now, the dispute over Lungu’s remains will continue in court. The Pretoria High Court has instructed Zambia’s attorney general, Mulilo D. Kabesha, to file an amended notice of motion by 4 July supporting the state’s request to repatriate Lungu’s body. The late president’s family has until 11 July to submit their response. The court has set a hearing for 4 August 2025 to resolve the matter as a special motion, with the issue of legal costs also to be decided then.
For many Zambians, this saga is a painful reflection of the bitter political rivalry that defined Lungu and Hichilema’s relationship. During Lungu’s presidency, Hichilema was arrested and detained for over 100 days on treason charges, after a high-profile motorcade standoff. Though Hichilema eventually succeeded Lungu in a peaceful 2021 election, their animosity lingered. That hostility now casts a long shadow over Lungu’s final rites, as his family and the government wrestle for control of how the late leader will be remembered—and where he will rest.
As it stands, the late president’s body remains in legal and political limbo. Zambians at home and abroad are left waiting, uncertain whether their former leader will be buried as a national hero or as a private citizen, far from the land he once governed. With court proceedings underway and both sides unwilling to yield, the battle over Edgar Lungu’s legacy—and his final resting place—appears far from over.