The family of former President Edgar Lungu has told the South African Supreme Court of Appeal that they do not want the Zambian government to dictate where Mr. Lungu should be buried.
Family lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi has argued that if the Lungu family decides to bury the former president in South Africa, they do not want any interference from the Zambian government.
He added that even if the family chooses to bury Mr. Lungu in Zambia, the decision should remain entirely theirs.
Meanwhile, the Zambian government, through its lawyer Ben Stoop, has questioned whether preventing the President from presiding over the funeral would also stop him from attending in his capacity as Head of State.
Mr. Stoop argued that military honours would ordinarily require the involvement of the President as Commander-in-Chief.
In the matter before the court, the Lungu family is challenging a lower court ruling that ordered the repatriation of Mr. Lungu’s body to Zambia for a state funeral.
Mr. Lungu died on June 5, 2025, and has not yet been buried due to an impasse between his family and the Zambian government.
By Darius Choonya
