Zambian former president's kin ordered by South African court to transfer remains for domestic burial.
Edgar Lungu, Zambia's president from 2015 to 2021, passed away in June at a South African hospital after an undisclosed illness. Since then, his remains have been at the centre of a legal battle between the Zambian government and his family.
The family initially agreed to repatriate Lungu's remains to Zambia for a state funeral, but on the day of the planned repatriation, they refused and wanted a private burial in South Africa. The Zambian government responded by filing a legal suit to compel the release and repatriation of Lungu’s remains.
In a recent ruling, the Pretoria High Court emphasised that a state funeral is a matter of public interest and protocol for a person of national significance. Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba stated that the government's duty to honour a former head of state outweighed the family's desire for a private burial. The court found that the state's entitlement to honour a former president with a state funeral supersedes the personal wishes of the deceased or his family.
The court's ruling upheld the government’s right to organise a state funeral and ordered the family to surrender the remains to facilitate repatriation to Zambia for burial. The family has applied for permission to appeal the ruling, citing grounds including respecting Lungu’s express wishes to exclude the current president from funeral proceedings.
The Zambian Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha welcomed the ruling, stating that it should bring the matter to a close. Kabesha expressed that it makes good sense for the former president of Zambia to be buried in his own country.
The court's ruling reflects a precedent that official state protocol for former presidents can override the private preferences of family members when it involves national honours. Lungu and Hichilema, the current Zambian president, were political rivals. Last year, Lungu accused Hichilema's government of harassing him and restricting his movements. However, the current president was not mentioned in the court's ruling regarding attendance or involvement in Lungu's funeral arrangements.
The Associated Press wrote this article, with contributions from Jacob Zimba in Lusaka.
- The Zambian government is embroiled in a legal battle with the family of former president Edgar Lungu over the repatriation of his remains for a state funeral.
- After weeks of disagreement, a Pretoria High Court ruled in favor of the government, stating that the state's entitlement to honor a former president with a state funeral overrides the personal wishes of the deceased or his family.
- The ruling upheld the government’s right to organize a state funeral for Lungu and ordered the family to surrender the remains to facilitate their repatriation to Zambia for burial.
- The current Zambian President, Hakainde Hichilema, was not mentioned in the court's ruling regarding attendance or involvement in Lungu's funeral arrangements.
- Despite the political tension between Lungu and Hichilema, the Zambian Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha expressed that it makes good sense for Lungu to be buried in his own country.
- Meanwhile, the news about migrants trying to reach California through war-and-conflicts-ravaged countries, car-accidents claiming lives across cities, the ongoing battle against crime and justice, and the recent fires ravaging homes are also dominating the general news landscape, highlighting the complex web of issues that societies face in today's world.
