South Africa’s High Court in Pretoria on Monday presided over a contentious legal battle between the Zambian government and the family of former president Edgar Lungu who died in the country in June at age 68.
The dispute centres on whether Lungu should be buried in South Africa as his family insists or should be repatriated to Zambia for a state funeral.
The case, heard by a full bench of judges Aubrey Ledwaba, Sulet Potterill and Thifelimbilu Mudau, has reignited political tensions between Lungu’s family and the administration of his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema.
Advocate Casper Welgemoed, representing the Lungu family, argued that there is no evidence to support claims that the late president wished to be buried in Zambia.
“There’s no evidence showing that he wanted to be buried in Zambia and they cannot make that submission to the court,” Welgemoed told the court, dismissing the government’s assertions as hearsay.
The Zambian government, represented by Advocate Ben Stoop, countered that Lungu’s burial is a matter of national interest and that meetings held with the family had produced a compromise funeral plan, including limited attendance by Hichilema.
Stoop also rejected claims that Lungu fled Zambia due to political persecution, calling such allegations “unfounded and irrelevant.”
Lungu died at a South African hospital on 5 June but the dispute escalated after the former president’s family refused to release his body to South African authorities for repatriation, citing objections to the government’s funeral arrangements and Hichilema’s involvement.
The family has opted for a private burial in South Africa while the Zambian government seeks to inter Lungu at Embassy Park in Lusaka where former presidents are traditionally laid to rest.
JN/APA