The Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa has granted the family of former President Edgar Lungu permission to appeal against a court order directing that his body be repatriated to Zambia for burial.
In granting the leave to appeal, the court has ordered that the Lungu family for condonation must pay the costs of that application.
The court has further set aside the earlier costs order made by the court a quo when it dismissed the application for leave to appeal.
It has ruled that the costs of the application for leave to appeal, both in the lower court and the Supreme Court of Appeal, will now be costs in the appeal.
The court has also ordered that if the Lungu family fails to proceed with the appeal, they will be liable to pay costs.
The court’s decision comes amid stalled talks between the government and the Lungu family over the burial of the former President.
By Darius Choonya
