A South African court has intervened in the funeral arrangements of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu, halting his private burial on Wednesday. The court’s decision comes after the Zambian government requested the intervention, marking the latest development in a prolonged dispute over the details of Lungu’s funeral and final resting place.
Edgar Lungu, who served as Zambia’s head of state from 2015 to 2021, passed away on June 5 in South Africa at! the age of 68. His family has been at odds with the Zambian government, led by current President Hakainde Hichilema, over the funeral arrangements. The family rejected plans for a state funeral in Zambia due to a long-standing feud between Lungu and Hichilema, opting instead for a private burial in South Africa.
Makebi Zulu, the spokesperson for Lungu’s family, expressed the family’s desire to honor the former president’s legacy without the involvement of the current government. “This is an opportunity for us to tell a story, a great story of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, how he lived as a president, served the nation as a president, and thereafter was a person betrayed by the system, cast aside by the system,” Zulu said. The family feels that the current government’s attempt to participate in the funeral is hypocritical, given their past treatment of Lungu. “Now in his death, they wish to come back and pretend as though they took care of him, pretend as though they were good to him,” Zulu added.
Lungu’s family and lawyers claim that he left specific instructions that Hichilema should not attend his funeral. However, the Zambian government maintained that Hichilema was scheduled to preside over the state funeral. Zulu emphasized that Hichilema’s presence would be inappropriate, stating, “President Hakainde Hichilema is incapable of giving President Edgar Chagwa Lungu a dignified send-off. It would be a mockery.”
The dispute over the funeral arrangements has been ongoing, with a state funeral in Zambia being canceled twice due to disagreements over the details. Zambia’s Attorney General, Mulilo Kabesha, filed an urgent case in the Pretoria High Court to stop the private funeral, leading to the court’s order to halt the burial until the case is resolved. The court is set to hold a hearing on August 4, determining the next steps in the funeral arrangements for the late President Edgar Lungu.
