{"id":85621,"date":"2026-06-23T08:46:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/south-africa-court-rules-in-favor-of-family-in-zambian-ex-presidents-burial-dispute\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T08:46:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:46:39","slug":"south-africa-court-rules-in-favor-of-family-in-zambian-ex-presidents-burial-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/south-africa-court-rules-in-favor-of-family-in-zambian-ex-presidents-burial-dispute\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa Court Rules in Favor of Family in Zambian Ex-President’s Burial Dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

CAPE TOWN, South Africa \u2014 A lengthy legal fight over the final resting place of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu may finally be coming to an end. South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal issued a ruling Tuesday in favor of Lungu’s family, rejecting the Zambian government’s attempt to take custody of his body and bring it home for burial.<\/p>

The decision reverses an earlier South African court order that had required the family to turn over Lungu’s remains to Zambian authorities for repatriation.<\/p>

Lungu passed away in South Africa on June 5, 2025, at the age of 68. The Zambian government had sought to have him buried at a national cemetery reserved for the country’s leaders, while his family chose to lay him to rest in South Africa instead.<\/p>

The dispute carried with it the weight of a bitter political rivalry between Lungu and current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema \u2014 a conflict that, remarkably, continued even after Lungu’s death. His body remained in a mortuary throughout the duration of the court proceedings.<\/p>

Lungu’s family stated they were carrying out his final wishes, which included that Hichilema have no involvement with his body and not preside over any state funeral held in Zambia.<\/p>

The conflict erupted last June when a funeral service organized by the family in South Africa was halted after the Zambian government filed an emergency court case. Authorities argued that national customs and protocols required Lungu to be interred at the national cemetery in his home country.<\/p>

In a majority decision handed down Tuesday, the panel of judges on the Supreme Court of Appeal concluded that “the common law and constitutional rights of family prevail” over the Zambian government’s position.<\/p>

The Supreme Court of Appeal ranks as South Africa’s second highest court. The Zambian government still has the option to escalate the matter to the Constitutional Court.<\/p>

Lungu led Zambia as president from 2015 to 2021, defeating Hichilema in two separate elections during that period. While Lungu held power, Hichilema \u2014 then the opposition leader \u2014 was jailed for four months on treason charges that were eventually dropped.<\/p>

Lungu ultimately lost the 2021 election to Hichilema and later claimed that he had been effectively placed under house arrest by officials acting under Hichilema’s direction.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has sided with the family of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu, ruling they have the right to determine where he is buried. The decision overturns an earlier court order that would have handed Lungu’s remains to the Zambian government. Lungu’s body has been held at a mortuary for over a year while the legal fight played out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":85620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782218798653.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-mgZ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":73801,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/appeals-court-hears-dispute-over-zambian-ex-presidents-burial-location\/","url_meta":{"origin":85621,"position":0},"title":"Appeals Court Hears Dispute Over Zambian Ex-President’s Burial Location","author":"Admin","date":"May 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A South African appeals court is considering a contentious dispute over where former Zambian President Edgar Lungu should be buried, nearly a year after his death. The case pits Lungu's family, who want him buried in South Africa, against the current Zambian government seeking to bring his body home for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780069037762.jpg?fit=1000%2C663&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780069037762.jpg?fit=1000%2C663&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780069037762.jpg?fit=1000%2C663&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780069037762.jpg?fit=1000%2C663&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56233,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/zambian-government-takes-control-of-former-presidents-body-after-year-long-dispute\/","url_meta":{"origin":85621,"position":1},"title":"Zambian Government Takes Control of Former President’s Body After Year-Long Dispute","author":"Admin","date":"April 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Zambia's government has gained custody of former President Edgar Lungu's remains following a South African court ruling, nearly a year after his death. The dispute centers on burial arrangements between the current government and Lungu's family, who claim he didn't want his political rival presiding over his funeral.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776937105771.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776937105771.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776937105771.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776937105771.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56491,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/zambian-ex-presidents-body-remains-unburied-nearly-year-after-death\/","url_meta":{"origin":85621,"position":2},"title":"Zambian Ex-President’s Body Remains Unburied Nearly Year After Death","author":"Admin","date":"April 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The remains of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu have been caught in a legal battle for nearly 10 months following his death in South Africa. His family refuses to allow his political rival, current President Hakainde Hichilema, to attend a state funeral, while the Zambian government fights in court for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776973192799.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776973192799.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776973192799.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776973192799.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23791,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/former-zambian-presidents-body-remains-unburied-after-8-month-political-feud\/","url_meta":{"origin":85621,"position":3},"title":"Former Zambian President’s Body Remains Unburied After 8-Month Political Feud","author":"Admin","date":"February 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The remains of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu have been held in a South African funeral home for over eight months due to a bitter dispute between his family and current President Hakainde Hichilema. Lungu's dying wish was that his political rival Hichilema should never come near his body, creating\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771572799297.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771572799297.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771572799297.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771572799297.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60816,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/major-human-rights-conference-scrapped-after-china-blocks-taiwan-participants\/","url_meta":{"origin":85621,"position":4},"title":"Major Human Rights Conference Scrapped After China Blocks Taiwan Participants","author":"Admin","date":"May 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A significant international human rights summit scheduled for Zambia was called off by organizers after China allegedly pressured the host nation to ban Taiwanese activists from attending. 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