Staff Reporter

The Gauteng High Court has ruled that the late former President of Zambia, Edgar Lungu, will be buried in his home country, bringing an end to a lengthy legal dispute between the Zambian government and Lungu’s family.

The court’s judgment, delivered this morning settles the contentious issue of Lungu’s final resting place, which has been a source of diplomatic and familial tension since his death on June 5 in Pretoria, where he had been receiving medical treatment.

The Zambian government had sought a court order to compel the repatriation and burial of Lungu in Zambia, arguing that as a former head of state, he was entitled to a state funeral with full military honors in his homeland.

The government had already prepared a burial plot for him in a cemetery reserved for Zambian presidents.

Lungu’s family, however, had opposed the move, citing a deep-seated political feud between the former president and his successor, Hakainde Hichilema.

The family had planned for a private burial in South Africa, which was previously halted by a court order pending the final determination of the matter.

A spokesperson for the family, Makebi Zulu, had previously stated that a state funeral in Zambia would be a mockery, as Lungu had been betrayed and cast aside by the current government.

The ruling marks a victory for the Zambian government, which had maintained that the national interest and tradition of honoring a former president with a state funeral should take precedence over any personal wishes or family disagreements.

Edgar Lungu, who served as Zambia’s sixth president from 2015 to 2021, died at the age of 68 from complications following surgery.