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In a landmark ruling, a South African court has determined that the late former Zambian President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, must be buried in Zambia, bringing to a close an emotional and high-profile legal battle between the Zambian government and Lungu’s family over where the former leader should be laid to rest.
The court’s judgment, delivered in Johannesburg, firmly supports the Zambian government’s stance that President Lungu should be interred at Embassy Park in Lusaka — the official burial site designated for the country’s former heads of state. This decision follows a series of legal proceedings that have unfolded in recent weeks, reflecting both national interests and deeply personal family wishes.
Zambian government representatives had strongly argued that the burial of former presidents at Embassy Park is not only a matter of protocol but a practice of national importance. They maintained that the site serves as a historical and ceremonial space that honors the service and legacy of past leaders. Allowing Lungu to be buried there, they said, would enable the Zambian people to collectively mourn and pay tribute to a former head of state in accordance with national tradition and state protocol.
However, Lungu’s family — spearheaded by his widow, former First Lady Esther Lungu — had opposed the government’s position. They argued that the late president had personally expressed a desire to be buried in South Africa, where he had spent his final days and where some of his children currently reside. The family accused the government of turning a deeply personal matter into a political issue, infringing on what they claimed were the deceased’s last wishes.
Despite these arguments, the South African court ruled in favor of the Zambian State. The court recognized the public significance of Lungu’s role as a former president and ruled that the government holds the authority to determine burial arrangements for a national figure of his stature. It concluded that state protocol and national interest rightfully take precedence in such matters, particularly given the symbolic role of presidential burial grounds in honoring national leadership.
As a result of the ruling, preparations for Lungu’s repatriation to Zambia are now underway. While an official burial date has not been announced, government sources have confirmed that arrangements at Embassy Park are progressing and that a state funeral is likely to be declared in the coming days.
Edgar Lungu, who governed Zambia from 2015 to 2021 as its sixth president, passed away last month in Johannesburg following a period of declining health. His death has reignited national conversations around his political legacy, the appropriate handling of former presidents, and the balance between family wishes and national customs.
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The court’s decision is expected to provoke a spectrum of reactions across Zambia’s political landscape. While some will likely welcome the upholding of national protocol, others may view it as an overreach by the government into a private family matter. Nonetheless, the judgment ensures that Lungu will be laid to rest alongside his presidential predecessors in Zambia, closing a contentious chapter in the aftermath of his death.