Burial of former Zambian president Lungu in limbo as court halts SA funeral proceedings

JOHANNESBURG - An extraordinary feud between the Zambian government and former President Edgar Lungu has again left a bitter taste for the late stateman’s family, after the Pretoria High Court put the brakes on his funeral on Wednesday.

Lungu died three weeks ago while receiving treatment at a South African health facility.

Plans to repatriate his body back to his home country triggered a running battle between his family and the current Zambian administration over burial rights.

Mourners were left waiting at the Cathedral of Christ the King in downtown Johannesburg while some of his family sat through the court proceedings that played out in Pretoria, leaving Lungu’s remains in limbo for several hours.

Lungu’s family had previously announced it would independently repatriate the former head of state, despite an earlier decision by the Zambian government that it would spearhead the process and lead plans for a state funeral in the country.

The 68-year-old’s political party, the Patriotic Front, backed his family, adding that the political rivalry between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, had muddied the waters.

Lungu family lawyer, Neo Mashele, said: "We mean that the applicant, which is the Zambian government, intends to repatriate the late president's body to Zambia. The Lungu family is opposed to that. So what happened this morning is that the acting judge, President Ledwaba, said to us that the matter must be ventilated before a full court, which will comprise of three judges, by way of a special motion."

The court ruled that his family would be allowed at the mortuary until the matter was heard in August.

Other former Zambian presidents, including the country’s first independent president, Kenneth Kaunda, and his successor, Frederick Chiluba, are buried at the Embassy Park Presidential Burial Site in Lusaka.