Edgar Lungu funeral row: South African court halts burial of Zambia’s ex-president
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Tussle Over Lungu’s Final Resting Place: A Diplomatic Row
Lungu, who succumbed to illness in South Africa, was a controversial figure in Zambian politics. His death has reignited tensions with his political rival, current President Hakainde Hichilema.
Lungu, who succumbed to illness in South Africa, was a controversial figure in Zambian politics, having been both praised and criticized during his tenure from 2015 to 2021. His death has reignited tensions with his political rival, current President Hakainde Hichilema.
While Lungu’s family seeks a private funeral away from Zambia, the government insists on a state burial, leading to legal proceedings and further negotiation. The matter is to be resolved by the Zambian government by July 4, with ongoing discussions aimed at reaching a consensus.
(With inputs from agencies.)
South African court halts burial of Zambia’s ex-president Lungu
A South African court prevented Zambia’s former president Edgar Lungu from being buried in Johannesburg. The move follows weeks of feuding between his family and the Zambian government. Lungu died in South Africa on June 5 while receiving medical treatment. He and his successor, current President Hakainde Hichilema, were longstanding political rivals. Instead of the Johannesburg burial his family had scheduled for Wednesday, a prayer service was held at a Catholic cathedral in the capital, Lusaka. He was praised for a massive road-building programme but also ran the country’s public finances deeply into the red.
JOHANNESBURG, June 25 (Reuters) – A South African court prevented Zambia’s former president Edgar Lungu from being buried in Johannesburg just before the ceremony was due to be held on Wednesday, following weeks of feuding between his family and the Zambian government.
Lungu, who was Zambia’s head of state from 2015 to 2021, died in South Africa on June 5 while receiving medical treatment.
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He and his successor, current President Hakainde Hichilema, were longstanding political rivals, and Lungu’s family said he did not want Hichilema to be present at his funeral.
Hichilema’s government, however, wants Lungu’s body brought back to Zambia for a state funeral and approached Pretoria High Court to try to block his burial.
Deputy Judge President Aubrey Phago Ledwaba told the court on Wednesday that lawyers for Lungu’s family and Zambia’s government had agreed that the burial would not go ahead for now. The Zambian government has until July 4 to explain why it wants to repatriate Lungu’s body.
Zambian Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha said negotiations with Lungu’s family would continue before the next court hearing.
Makebi Zulu, a Lungu family spokesman, said they did not believe Hichilema would give Lungu a dignified send-off.
Lungu had hoped to make a bid to return to office in next year’s presidential election, but Zambia’s Constitutional Court last year ruled he would be ineligible, because he had already served two terms.
South Africa’s government has said it has an obligation to respect the wishes of Lungu’s family, but it feels a state burial in Zambia would be the most fitting outcome.
All of Zambia’s other presidents since its independence from Britain in 1964 have been buried at a designated site in the capital, Lusaka.
Analysts say Lungu’s legacy as Zambian president was chequered. He was praised for a massive road-building programme but also ran the country’s public finances deeply into the red.
Instead of the Johannesburg burial his family had scheduled for Wednesday, a prayer service was held at a Catholic cathedral.
Reporting by Sfundo Parakozov and Alessandro Parodi in Johannesburg, and Chris Mfula in Lusaka; Editing by Alexander Winning and Joe Bavier
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Edgar Lungu funeral row: South African court halts burial of Zambia’s ex-president
Burial of Zambia’s ex-president in South Africa halted at last minute by court. Ex-Zambian president Edgar Lungu was due to be privately buried in South South Africa. Court said that the funeral would not go ahead following an “agreement between the parties” However it appears that any funeral won’t happen until August at the earliest. The dispute follows a long-standing feud between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, with Lungu’s family saying he had indicated that he should not attend his funeral. The government argues that personal wishes should not override the greater public interest.
Ex-Zambian president Edgar Lungu was due to be privately buried in South Africa
The court said that the funeral would not go ahead following an “agreement between the parties” however it appears that any funeral won’t happen until August at the earliest.
The Zambian government had filed an urgent case in the Pretoria High Court seeking to stop the burial planned by his family.
This is the latest twist in a row between the government and Lungu’s family over his burial, after the family opted for a private ceremony in South Africa, rather than a full state funeral at home.
A South African court has halted plans to bury former Zambian President Edgar Lungu at a private ceremony in South Africa just as it was about to start.
The dispute follows a long-standing feud between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, with Lungu’s family saying he had indicated that Hichilema should not attend his funeral.
Following Lungu’s death in South Africa aged 68, the family wanted to be in charge of the funeral arrangements, including the repatriation of his body, but the Zambian authorities sought to take control.
The government and his family later agreed he would have a state funeral before relations broke down over the precise arrangements, prompting the family to opt for a burial in South Africa.
President Hichilema has since argued that Lungu, as a former president, “belongs to the nation of Zambia” and should be buried in the country.
The Pretoria court gave Zambian attorney general Mulilo D Kabesha until 4 July to submit his “amended notice of motion” in support of Lungu’s repatriation to Zambia. His family has until 11 July to file their opposing papers.
“This matter will be heard as a special motion on the 4th of August 2025,” the court said. The costs of the urgent application will be determined then.
The Zambian government argues that personal wishes should not override the greater public interest, citing the case of founding President Kenneth Kaunda.
In 2021, Kaunda’s family said he wanted to be laid to rest next to his wife and not at the site designated by the government.
However, the government went ahead and buried Kaunda at Embassy Memorial Park in Lusaka.
The current row over Lungu’s burial underscores the tense relationship between him and his successor, which played out in life and continues even in death.
When Lungu was president, Hichilema was locked up for over 100 days on treason charges after Hichilema’s motorcade allegedly refused to give way for him.
Zambia goes to court to stop ex-president’s burial in South Africa
Lungu’s family opted for a private ceremony in South Africa, rather than a full state funeral at home. The dispute follows a long-standing feud between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema. The Zambian attorney general has requested the court to halt the burial, scheduled for Wednesday, until the dispute is resolved. Local media quote the family as saying that the funeral would go ahead as planned, as they had not been served with court papers. The government contends that a state funeral is a formal public event with military honours, intended to honour a person of national significance.
This is the latest twist in a row between the government and Lungu’s family over his burial, after the family opted for a private ceremony in South Africa, rather than a full state funeral at home.
The Zambian attorney general has requested the court to halt the burial, scheduled for Wednesday, until the dispute is resolved, state broadcaster ZNBC reports.
Local media quote the family as saying that the funeral would go ahead as planned, as they had not been served with court papers.
The dispute follows a long-standing feud between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, with Lungu having indicated in his will that Hichilema should not attend his funeral.
Following Lungu’s death, the family wanted to be in charge of the funeral arrangements, including the repatriation of the body from South Africa where he died, but the Zambian authorities sought to take control.
The government and his family later agreed he would have a state funeral before relations broke down over the precise arrangements, prompting the family to opt for a burial in South Africa.
President Hichilema has since argued that Lungu, as a former president, “belongs to the nation of Zambia” and should be buried in the country.
In the court papers, the Zambian attorney general, Mulilo D Kabesha, reportedly contends that a state funeral is a formal public event with military honours, intended to honour a person of national significance.
He is suing the family, including former first lady Esther Lungu and four children, family lawyer Makebi Zulu and the funeral home where the body is being kept.
He argues that personal wishes should not override the greater public interest, citing the case of founding President Kenneth Kaunda.
In 2021, Kaunda’s family said he wanted to be laid to rest next to his wife and not at the site designated by the government.
However, the government went ahead and buried Kaunda at Embassy Memorial Park in Lusaka.
The current row over Lungu’s burial underscores the tense relationship between him and his successor, which played out in life and continues even in death.
When Lungu was president, Hichilema was locked up for over 100 days on treason charges after Hichilema’s motorcade allegedly refused to give way for him.
Edgar Lungu funeral: Zambia’s presidential feud that even death couldn’t end
President Hakainde Hichilema and his predecessor Edgar Lungu had a long-standing feud. The animosity was such that Lungu’s family said one of his dying wishes was that Hchilema should not go anywhere near his body. Sunday was supposed to see the state funeral for the 68-year-old who governed for six years from 2015. But there will be no visiting dignitaries and the venue – a huge conference centre in the heart of the capital, Lusaka – will lie empty. The row has scuppered government plans to honour the former head of state, created a distressing rift in the country and left people wondering how things got this bad. It was their third electoral match-up but the enmity went beyond ballot-box rivalry. The key to understanding this was the more than 100 days that Hicilema spent in detention in 2017, awaiting trial on treason charges. The charges were only dropped after the intervention of the secretary general of the Commonwealth.
5 days ago Share Save Damian Zane BBC News Share Save
EPA / AFP Hakainde Hichilema (L) defeated Edgar Lungu (R) in the 2021 presidential election – the third time they had faced each other at the polls
The personal has become very political in Zambia. Mourning and the build-up to a funeral is never an easy time, but throw in the fallout from a long-standing feud between the country’s two top politicians – President Hakainde Hichilema and his now-late predecessor Edgar Lungu – and you have an explosive mix. The animosity was such that Lungu’s family said one of his dying wishes was that Hichilema should not go anywhere near his body. The row has scuppered government plans to honour the former head of state, created a distressing rift in the country and left people wondering how things got this bad. Sunday was supposed to see the state funeral for the 68-year-old who governed for six years from 2015. But there will be no visiting dignitaries and the venue – a huge conference centre in the heart of the capital, Lusaka – will lie empty. There was already a hint of possible trouble ahead immediately after Lungu’s death on 5 June, in the video message shared by his daughter on Facebook. Dressed in a thick, black jacket and holding back tears, Tasila Lungu said that her father had died in a hospital in South Africa where he was being treated with “dignity and privacy”.
PF A memorial service has already been held by Lungu’s Patriotic Front party in South Africa – attended by his family, including his widow
She rounded off the one-minute announcement saying that “in this moment of grief, we invoke the spirit of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ – the timeless creed that guided President Lungu’s service to our country”. To highlight the need for unity at a time when tradition suggested that the nation should naturally come together was a clue that all was not well. And there was another issue: where was the president’s announcement? Ms Lungu’s statement confirmed social media rumours of her father’s death, condolence messages were already being sent, including from Kenya’s president, but there was no word from Hichilema. While independent outlets were reporting the news, the national broadcaster, ZNBC, remained silent. Then, three hours after the daughter’s post, Zambia’s head of state shared his thoughts in a text post on Facebook. He made his own appeal for unity, asking people to “uphold the values of peace, dignity and togetherness that define us as Zambians”. Information Minister Cornelius Mweetwa dismissed concerns about the delay in Hichilema talking about the death. He told the the BBC that based on precedent it was not the head of state’s role to be the first to announce the passing of a predecessor. Nevertheless, Lungu’s supporters felt that Hichilema’s message of “togetherness” rang hollow. Hichilema finally became president at his sixth attempt after soundly beating Lungu at the polls in 2021. It was their third electoral match-up but the enmity went beyond ballot-box rivalry.
AFP via Getty Images Hichilema (C) was greeted by supporters on his release from prison in August 2017
The key to understanding this was the more than 100 days that Hichilema, opposition leader at the time, spent in detention in 2017, awaiting trial on treason charges. He was accused of endangering the life of then-President Lungu after his motorcade allegedly refused to give way to the one transporting the head of state. The charges were only dropped after the intervention of the secretary general of the Commonwealth. Later that year, Hichilema told the BBC that he had been held in solitary confinement for the first eight days in degrading and inhumane conditions “without electricity, without water, without a toilet”. He blamed Lungu personally for his imprisonment. This was only one of 17 occasions that Hichilema was arrested. Supporters of his United Party for National Development were also harassed by supporters of the governing Patriotic Front (PF). The 2021 election could have drawn a line under things. Lungu, who had been rejected by a margin of almost a million votes by an electorate fed up with corruption allegations and concerns about apparent anti-democratic behaviour, went into political retirement. But as disillusionment with the Hichilema presidency grew because of continued economic hardships, Lungu sensed an opportunity and announced in October 2023 that he was returning to frontline politics. Soon after that announcement, Lungu was stripped of his retirement benefits and privileges by the state as he had returned to active politics. This decision rankled with the former president and his family. Lungu also complained of police harassment. At one point last year he said he was “virtually under house arrest”.
Andy Luki Jr Some of Lungu’s supporters went with him on his regular runs, described by police as “political activism”
In 2023, the police warned him against jogging in public, describing his weekly workouts as “political activism”. “I cannot move out of my house without being accosted and challenged by the police and driving me back home,” Lungu told the BBC in May 2024. In that interview, he also alleged that he had been barred from attending a conference overseas and from travelling abroad for medical treatment. The information minister vehemently denied that there was ever a travel ban and described the idea that his movement was restricted in Zambia as a “fiction and a figment of the imagination of politically charged mindsets”. Mweetwa added that despite Hichilema’s treatment when he was in opposition, he was determined not to do the same to Lungu. There are also accusations that the president’s anti-corruption crusade targeted those close to the former governing PF, including Lungu’s family. His widow, who continues to be investigated, has been taken to court and lost properties. Some of his children, including Tasila, have also faced similar treatment – they all deny wrongdoing. Then at the end of last year the Constitutional Court barred him from running for president again, ruling that he had already served the maximum two terms allowed by law. The former head of state was angry about the way he felt he had been treated. “There was no love between the two men and [Lungu] was of the view that: ‘I don’t want people to pretend in my death that they cared about me when in fact, not’,” the family’s lawyer Makebi Zulu said. Lungu eventually managed to get to South Africa in January, but Mr Zulu said that he was told by his doctors, after a series of tests, that had he gone for a check-up earlier, the treatment would have had a greater chance of success. It was not disclosed what he was suffering from. It was, in part, in light of this that Lungu said he “wouldn’t want the current president to attend his funeral”. The government has rejected the idea that Lungu was stopped from going to see his doctors in South Africa. Following his death, the family wanted to be in charge of the funeral arrangements, but the Zambian authorities sought to take control. Despite the ill-feeling, last weekend it looked like a compromise had been reached and plans were made for a state funeral. But relations once again broke down as the family said the government had reneged on the agreement after releasing a programme showing more involvement by Hichilema than had been planned. In a message on Thursday, the president thanked Zambians for their “resilience, patience, solidarity and calmness during this time” but after doing “everything possible to engage the family… we have reached a point where a clear decision has to be made”. With that, the funeral arrangements in Zambia were put on hold and the national period of mourning was abruptly cut short. The burial is now set to take place in South Africa and it seems unlikely that Hichilema will attend. Zambians had been hoping for both Hichilema and Lungu to bury their differences, but this death and the events that followed, have denied people the closure and reconciliation they desperately wanted to see between the two. Those differences have also denied many millions of Zambians the opportunity to mourn and pay their last respects to a man who once ruled them.
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