A South African High Court has ruled that the body of Zambia’s late former president, Edgar Lungu, must be repatriated for a state funeral—despite strong objections from his family.
The Pretoria High Court’s ruling grants the Zambian government full legal custody of Lungu’s remains, paving the way for an official funeral in his home country.
The decision follows a tense legal battle after Lungu’s family sought to bury him privately in South Africa, where he died in June 2025. Zambian state lawyers opposed the plan, arguing that a former head of state “belongs to the nation” and should not be buried in a foreign, family-only ceremony.
In his judgment, Judge Aubrey Ledwaba declared the government “entitled to repatriate the body” and ordered the family to “immediately surrender” it to authorities. Relatives wept openly in court as the verdict was delivered.
The dispute stems from a long-running political rift between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema. The family has claimed Lungu did not want Hichilema at his funeral, a request that complicated arrangements for a state burial. Although a compromise was initially reached, talks collapsed, prompting the family to proceed with private burial plans.
Zambian Attorney General Mulilo D. Kabesha welcomed the ruling, describing it not as a government win but as “common sense.”
> “When you are the father of the nation, you can’t restrict yourself to your immediate family… The man belongs to the nation,” Kabesha said, praising the judgment as a precedent for respecting the legacy of national leaders.
Lungu served as president from 2015 until his 2021 election defeat to Hichilema. He initially withdrew from politics but later returned to public life. His death at 68 from an undisclosed illness sparked a national debate on how to honour former leaders amid political divisions.
Under the court order, the Zambian government will now arrange the official funeral rites, with family involvement limited to the extent allowed by state protocols.