Edgar Lungu should be treated as a commoner, says family lawyer

JOHANNESBURG - Lawyers for the family of Zambia’s former head of State, Edgar Lungu, said he should be treated as an ordinary citizen after he was stripped of his perks by the current government.

The battle between Lungu’s family and the Zambian government is playing out in the Pretoria High Court.

The court heard arguments on whether Lungu should be buried in South Africa or in Zambia, and if the current president there, Hakainde Hichilema, should preside over the ceremony.

The former Zambian president died in June while receiving medical attention in South Africa.

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Lawyers for the Zambian government have argued that there is a clear judicial precedent in Zambian law, stating that with a person of significant national interest the wishes of that person and the family must yield to the broader public interest.

But the Lungu family lawyer contends that the former president was rendered an ordinary citizen when the current government stripped him of his perks in 2023, including a salary and retirement benefits.

This move was prompted by Lungu’s return to active politics.

The Lungu family’s lawyer also argued that it would be undignified for the court to force the family to have Hichilema, Lungu’s political rival, preside over his funeral.

The Pretoria High Court has reserved judgement with the Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba, saying it will be handed down before the end of the week.