Zambian government takes possession of Lungu's remains after family appeal lapses
South African court orders return of body to mortuary amid dispute over repatriation and state funeral plans.
Zambian government takes possession of Lungu's remains after family appeal lapses
South African court orders return of body to mortuary amid dispute over repatriation and state funeral plans.
The Zambian government has taken possession of former President Edgar Lungu's body from a Pretoria mortuary, ten months after his death, following what it says was the family's failure to meet appeal deadlines12. The South African Police Service removed the remains from Two Mountains Burial Services on Wednesday, prompting the family to file an urgent application in the Gauteng High Court45.
Zambian Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha said the transfer followed the family's "inability to proceed with their case" at the appeals court2. However, family spokesman Makebi Zulu disputed this account, telling a Zambian YouTube news channel that correct legal procedures had been followed2.
The Gauteng High Court granted an order on Wednesday night directing SAPS, the national police commissioner, the minister of police, and the Zambian government to return Lungu's remains to Two Mountains Burial Services or another mortuary nominated by the family45. Judge Rochelle Francis-Subbiah also ordered the respondents to explain why they should not be held in contempt of court4. The order stands until 21 May or a date on which explanations must be provided4.
By Thursday morning, the body's location remained unclear. Attorney Eddie Mashele said efforts to locate it had failed, with authorities stating only that it was "somewhere in Pretoria"4.
The dispute stems from a longstanding feud between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema23. The Zambian government maintains that as a former head of state, Lungu should receive a state funeral and be buried alongside predecessors in the presidential burial ground in Lusaka23. The family wants a private burial after negotiations over funeral arrangements broke down2.
A South African high court ruling in August 2025 had authorised repatriation for a state funeral and burial, with the condition that two family members and Lungu's doctor accompany the coffin4. The family subsequently appealed4.
Lungu died of an undisclosed illness at a Pretoria clinic on 5 June 2025, aged 68123. He led Zambia from 2015 until 2021, when he lost the election to Hichilema by a wide margin23.