from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – The deadlock between the family of the late Zambian president, Edgar Lungu, and the current government has taken a dramatic twist in South Africa, where he died in June last year.
A dramatic Wednesday began with rumours that the remains of the deceased had “disappeared” from the morgue where they were kept, as the row between the government of President Hakainde Hichilema and the Lungu family continues.
It later emerged that the removal was carried out by South African police in the company of unidentified Zambian individuals after the High Court in Pretoria had formally transferred the mortal remains to the Zambian government.
Mulilo Kabesha, Zambia’s Attorney General, said late Wednesday that this development followed the former president’s family’s inability to proceed with their case before the South African Supreme Court of Appeal.
He said the mortal remains of the former leader had been relocated from Two Mountains Burial Services (Pty) Ltd to a facility managed by the South African government.
“In its 8 August 2025 ruling, the Pretoria High Court directed that the body be released to the Zambian government to facilitate preparations for repatriation and burial in Zambia,” Kabesha stated.
He said, in line with the court’s directive, the government would engage with the former president’s family to finalise burial arrangements.
“The nation will be informed of the agreed-upon details in due course,” Kabesha said.
The deceased’s family had reportedly not been informed of the destination and were, according to a family spokesperson, unaware of where the body had been taken.
At that point on Wednesday, it seemed the government had gained the upper hand in the deadlock, apparently paving the way for the former president to be buried in Zambia.
Late Wednesday, the family spokesperson, Makebi Zulu, disclosed that the family had successfully appealed to the Supreme Court, adding that the governments of Zambia and South Africa had been ordered to return the body to Two Mountains.
“Further, there is an order for them to show cause as to why they should not be cited for contempt,” Zulu stated.
South Africa is thus being drawn deeper into the Zambian dispute, with the administration of President Cyril Ramaphosa caught in the middle of the impasse, coinciding with rising anti-migrant sentiment.
Zulu, meanwhile, in addition to being Lungu’s lawyer during the now-deceased’s disputes with the government, recently emerged as president of the main opposition Patriotic Front (PF), formerly led by Lungu.
Lungu died from cardiac complications following surgery, aged 68.
He led Zambia from 2015 to 2021 as the sixth president.
His death triggered an impasse between the government, which wants him buried at a national site alongside former presidents in Zambia, and the family, which wants him buried in South Africa.
According to the family, the deceased’s last wish was against a funeral presided over by Hichilema.
Hichilema and Lungu were bitter political rivals, and the current head of state previously spent time in detention for allegedly defying the then president.
Since coming to power, the United Party for National Development (UPND) of Hichilema has been accused of targeting members of the Lungu family in a campaign of political retaliation.
– CAJ News