South African court clears way for ex-Zambian leader Lungu's burial

South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the family of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu in a bitter dispute over where he should be buried, clearing the way for his burial in South Africa.

The court overturned an earlier High Court decision that had ordered Lungu's remains repatriated to Zambia for a state funeral. It found that the Zambian government had failed to establish any lawful right — under legislation, custom or contract — to override the wishes of the late president's family.

The judges held that the matter was governed by South African constitutional principles of dignity, privacy and family autonomy, and that the government had no legal basis to dictate the burial arrangements.

Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died in South Africa at the age of 68. The government of his successor and rival, President Hakainde Hichilema, had sought to bring him home for a state burial, while his family wanted him laid to rest in South Africa, leaving him unburied more than a year after his death.

The Zambian government said that although it disagreed with the ruling, it would not pursue the matter further, describing it as now a private matter for the Lungu family to proceed with the burial.