A high court in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, ruled on Friday that former Zambian President Edgar Lungu’s remains be repatriated to Zambia for a state funeral.
The court’s decision was made despite strong opposition from Lungu’s family, who had hoped for his burial to be held privately in South Africa.
The family cited political tensions with current President Hakainde Hichilema and Lungu’s own expressed wish that he not attend the funeral.
In late June, the Zambian government had filed an urgent court application to prevent the private funeral that the family had arranged in Johannesburg.
Gauteng Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba delivered the final verdict in favor of the Zambian government’s urgent application for the repatriation of Lungu’s body.
The judge ruled that the authority to hold a state funeral for a former president was intimately linked to Zambian public law and policy.
The court held that a former president’s personal wishes or the family’s wishes cannot outweigh the state’s right to honor the individual.
The court noted that the Zambian state has an inherent right to bury its national leaders at the official site specifically designated for that purpose.
Lungu, a lawyer by profession, served as the country’s sixth president from 2015 to 2021 before ultimately losing to President Hichilema.
As the country’s sole surviving former head of state, the case for his burial held further national significance and public interest.
