Eight months after the death of Zambia’s former president Edgar Lungu on 5 June 2025, the question of where he will finally be laid to rest remains unresolved despite clear legal rulings and mounting public curiosity.
Court decisions in South Africa have left little room for ambiguity.
According to multiple rulings, Lungu’s remains must be repatriated to Zambia for a state funeral.
The Pretoria High Court ruled in August 2025 that the body must be returned to Zambia, rejecting the family’s attempt to bury him in South Africa.
A month later, the same court dismissed the family’s application for leave to appeal, stating there were “no reasonable prospects of success” in challenging the repatriation order.
The court noted that Zambian law applies because Lungu was in South Africa only temporarily for medical treatment.
As a former head of state, he is entitled to a state funeral in Zambia, and the family’s wishes cannot override national interest.
Legally, the path is clear: Zambia has the right to take custody of the remains and conduct the funeral.
Yet, despite these rulings, no public handover or repatriation has taken place—at least none that has been acknowledged. The family is reportedly still pursuing a challenge in South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal, and their silence has only intensified speculation.
Political analyst Donald Porusingazi said on Monday that under normal circumstances, the family of the deceased would want closure as soon as possible.
“The most puzzling part of the whole Lungu burial saga is that the family does not seem to be in a hurry to get their father laid to rest. Or could the family’s business-as-usual approach be suggestive of the fact that he has already been buried in South Africa?” he said.
There is, however, no evidence confirming a secret burial. But the absence of communication, combined with the family’s earlier determination to bury him in South Africa, has fuelled speculation.
Porusingazi suggested that the delay may not be merely logistical or emotional.
He argued that the family and the former president’s Patriotic Front party “could be prolonging the so-called impasse with the government over the burial arrangements as a ploy to tip public sentiment in their favour ahead of the forthcoming 2026 general elections.”
“They may want to time the burial closer to the elections so as to sway public sentiment their way.”
Zambians head to the polls in August to elect a president, members of parliament, and local government councillors.
It remains to be seen whether Lungu’s final resting place becomes a rallying point or a political flashpoint.
JN/APA