No rest for the dead: Why Court stops Zambia’s Ex-President from being buried

In a stunning twist that has shocked mourners and political watchers alike, a South African court on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, halted the burial of Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu — as his funeral service was already underway.

The legal bombshell marks a dramatic escalation in a bitter feud between Lungu’s family and the Zambian government over where and how the late leader should be laid to rest.

Lungu, 68, died on June 5, 2025, while undergoing specialist medical treatment in Pretoria, South Africa.

His sudden death triggered emotional outpourings from supporters and sharp political undercurrents between his family and President Hakainde Hichilema, his longtime rival.

While President Hichilema proposed a state funeral in Zambia, Lungu’s family vehemently opposed the move, refusing to allow his remains to be repatriated.

According to family members, Lungu had no wish for Hichilema to attend or oversee his final rites.

As tensions flared, the Zambian government filed an urgent court application in South Africa seeking to stop the burial, citing unresolved legal and diplomatic issues.

The Gauteng High Court delivered its ruling during the funeral service, stunning mourners and Lungu’s widow who were gathered in a Pretoria church for his final farewell.

The judge ordered an immediate halt to both the funeral and the burial, noting that all parties had agreed “not to proceed” with the ceremony pending a full hearing now scheduled for August 4.

The ruling was broadcast live by SABC, South Africa’s national broadcaster, capturing the moment the service was brought to an abrupt halt.

Images of the disrupted event have since gone viral, fuelling debate across Southern Africa.

Reacting to the court’s decision, Zambian lawmaker Chanda Katotobwe, who was at the memorial, expressed deep frustration, telling SABC:

“This is extending the pain, the grief that the family and the people are going through.”

The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.

However, Lungu’s party, the Patriotic Front, confirmed that he had been receiving intensive medical care at a private clinic in South Africa prior to his passing.

Lungu served as Zambia’s president from 2015 to 2021, during a turbulent period marked by economic woes and growing authoritarianism.

His defeat by Hichilema in 2021 ended a contentious era but the animosity between the two camps never eased — now spilling into what should have been a solemn moment of national closure.

With diplomatic tension now intertwined with grief and political score-settling, the region watches closely as a funeral turns into a courtroom battle.

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