By Mapaballo Borotho
- The Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled that former Zambian president Edgar Lungu will be buried in South Africa, bringing months of legal disputes to an end.
- The ruling overturns an earlier Gauteng High Court decision that supported the Zambian government’s efforts to repatriate his remains for a state funeral.
- Lungu’s family welcomed the judgment, saying it respects both their rights and the former president’s wishes for a private burial.
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has finally laid the Edgar Lungu burial saga to rest, ruling that the former Zambian president will be buried in South Africa.
The SCA delivered its judgment on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, following months of legal battles and public disagreement over the final resting place of Lungu’s remains.
Lungu died in Johannesburg, South Africa, while undergoing medical treatment in June last year. His death sparked a bitter dispute between his immediate family and the Zambian government regarding his burial arrangements.
The Zambian government had sought to repatriate his remains for a state funeral and burial in his home country.
However, Lungu’s family maintained that he should be buried in South Africa, arguing that this was in line with his wishes and expressing concerns about government involvement in the burial process.
Initially, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria sided with the Zambian government and endorsed efforts to repatriate the former president’s remains.
However, Lungu’s family, led by his wife Esther Lungu, challenged the ruling, arguing that it infringed on both the family’s rights and Lungu’s stated wishes.
His family has welcomed the Supreme Court of Appeal’s judgment, saying it marks the end of a painful chapter and that justice has been served.
“We are grateful that the court carefully considered the facts and the law, ultimately recognising that the rights of the family and the wishes of the late president must be respected,” the family said in a statement.
Lungu served as Zambia’s president from 2015 to 2021.
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