South African court blocks return of Zambia ex-president’s remains

A South African court has blocked the repatriation of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu’s remains, halting plans for a state funeral and deepening a dispute that has lasted nearly 10 months.

Lungu died in a South African hospital on June 5, 2025, at age 68. Zambia’s government wants him buried in Zambia, but his family prefers South Africa.

The High Court in Pretoria ordered the Zambian government to return the remains to a private funeral home or another facility of the family’s choosing. The order remains in force until May 21, said Judge Rochelle Francis-Subbiah.

Zambia’s attorney general, Mulilo Kabesha, said Tuesday that a court had formally handed the remains to the government after the family failed to pursue an appeal. The family then sought an injunction, which the court treated as “one of extreme urgency.”

Lungu’s family has repeatedly blocked repatriation efforts, saying he would not have wanted his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, at his funeral. Zambia, in turn, moved to halt his burial in South Africa while funeral proceedings were already underway.

Lungu lost power to Hichilema by a landslide in 2021. His wife and children have since been charged with corruption in what loyalists call a political vendetta.

In August, a Pretoria court ruled that Zambian law prevailed and ordered the family to surrender the body. The family sought to challenge that decision.

A formal mourning period after Lungu’s death also became disputed. Hichilema ended it four days early, citing the family’s refusal to allow the body’s return.

The cause of death was not announced, but Lungu had been receiving treatment for achalasia, a condition caused by the narrowing of the oesophagus.

SOURCE: Reuters