Court prevents burial of ex-Zambian leader

(MENAFN) A South African court has blocked the burial of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu just as the private ceremony was about to start, following a dispute between his family and the Zambian government over the funeral plans. Mourners gathered at Johannesburg’s Cathedral of Christ the King were only informed of the court’s decision after the funeral mass ended.

Initially, the Zambian government intended to hold a state funeral led by President Hakainde Hichilema, while Lungu’s family preferred a private burial in South Africa. Although the two parties reached a tentative agreement for a state funeral, disagreements over specific arrangements caused relations to break down.

President Hichilema recently stated that Zambia was ready to receive Lungu’s remains on June 18 but expressed surprise over the family’s sudden change in plans. He emphasized that while Lungu belonged to his family, he was also a national figure and insisted that the former president should be buried in Zambia with full honors.

Zambian Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha filed an urgent case in South Africa’s High Court in Pretoria to stop the burial arranged by Lungu’s family. Kabesha cited legal requirements for state funerals with military honors, referencing a precedent from the burial of Zambia’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda. The Pretoria court has scheduled a full hearing for August 4.

Edgar Lungu and President Hichilema were longtime political rivals, with Hichilema defeating Lungu in the 2021 elections after a previous loss in 2016. The political tension between them included Hichilema’s 2017 imprisonment on treason charges linked to a traffic incident involving Lungu’s motorcade, charges that were later dropped. After Hichilema took office, Lungu accused him of harassment and house arrest. Last year, Zambian authorities arrested two men tied to an alleged witchcraft plot against Hichilema linked to an ally of Lungu.

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