The High Court in Pretoria has ruled in favor of the Zambian government’s application to repatriate the late former President Edgar Lungu’s body for a state funeral and burial in Zambia. This ruling brings an end to a tense and emotional dispute between Lungu’s family and Zambia’s current administration.

Edgar Lungu, who passed away in a South African hospital in June at age 68, was at the center of a contentious battle over his final resting place. His family wished to bury him in South Africa, reportedly because Lungu did not want the current Zambian president, Hakainde Hichilema, to preside over his funeral. The family’s refusal to release Lungu’s body for repatriation delayed proceedings for nearly two weeks.

Attempts by the family to hold a private funeral in Gauteng were abruptly stopped when the Zambian government secured an urgent court interdict. In a dramatic ruling delivered as mourners gathered, the court ordered the family to “undertake not to proceed with the funeral or burial” until a final decision was reached.

During the hearing, lawyers for the Zambian government argued the family failed to provide convincing evidence that Lungu wished to be buried in South Africa. They also pointed to a previously agreed compromise regarding President Hichilema’s role at the state funeral, which the family later rejected.

In a firm judgment, Acting Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba declared:
“It is ordered that the applicant is entitled to repatriate the body of the late President Edgar Lungu for a state funeral and burial thereafter in Lusaka, in the Republic of Zambia.”
The court further instructed the funeral parlour to immediately surrender Lungu’s body to a Zambian High Court representative.

Zambian Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha welcomed the decision, emphasizing that it was not simply a “victory” but a sensible outcome for a former national leader.
“If you go to Zambia, they call him father of the nation. If you are the father of the nation, you can’t restrict yourself to your immediate family. The man belonged to the nation, and so he is going to be buried in Zambia,” Kabesha said.

While details on the logistics of repatriation and the state funeral are yet to be finalized, this ruling clears the way for Edgar Lungu to be laid to rest in his home country, honored as a former head of state.

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