Burial of Zambia’s ex-president in South Africa halted at last minute by court

Pretoria, South Africa – In a dramatic last-minute intervention, a South African court on Wednesday halted the private burial of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu, intensifying a protracted and deeply personal dispute between his family and the Zambian government. The ruling, delivered just hours before the planned ceremony, means the ex-leader’s final resting place will remain undecided until at least August.

Mourners gathered at a Johannesburg church for what was intended to be a private funeral mass were informed of the court’s decision only after the service had concluded, underscoring the sudden nature of the legal development.

The Zambian government, led by Attorney General Mulilo D. Kabesha, filed an urgent application with the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday morning, seeking to prevent the burial and ensure Lungu’s repatriation to Zambia for a state funeral. The court ruled that the burial would not proceed, citing an “agreement between the parties” to postpone proceedings pending a resolution.

This latest twist in the saga highlights a bitter, long-standing feud between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, which has now extended beyond the grave. Lungu’s family asserts that the former president explicitly stated he did not wish Hichilema to attend his funeral, influencing their decision for a private ceremony in South Africa.

President Hichilema, however, maintains that Lungu, as a former head of state, “belongs to the nation of Zambia” and must be accorded a state funeral with full military honours on Zambian soil. The government has already prepared a grave for Lungu at Embassy Memorial Park in Lusaka, the traditional burial site for former presidents. They argue that personal wishes should not override national protocol and public interest, citing the precedent of founding President Kenneth Kaunda’s state-led burial in 2021 despite family preferences.

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Lungu, who served as Zambia’s president from 2015 to 2021, passed away on June 5, 2025, at the age of 68, in a Pretoria hospital where he had been receiving specialized treatment for an undisclosed illness. Attempts to arrange a state funeral in Zambia had previously been cancelled twice due to irreconcilable disagreements over arrangements.

The Pretoria High Court has scheduled a “special motion” hearing for August 4, 2025, to further deliberate on the matter. Attorney General Kabesha has until July 4 to submit an “amended notice of motion” in support of Lungu’s repatriation, while the family has until July 11 to file their opposing papers.

The adjournment, according to a Zambian lawmaker present at the memorial service, is “extending the pain, the grief, that the family and the people are going through,” leaving the nation in a state of limbo regarding the final farewell for its former leader.