PRETORIA-(MaraviPost)-The long-running dispute over where former president Edgar Lungu should be buried is far from over, after his family secured permission to take the matter to South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal.
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has granted the Lungu family leave to appeal against the Pretoria High Court ruling that allowed the Zambian Government to repatriate the late former president’s body for a state funeral and burial in Zambia.
The decision was signed by Acting Chief Registrar ZVD Ntaka, marking a significant development in the ongoing legal battle.
The application for leave to appeal was heard on December 11, 2025, before Justices Makgoka JA and Steyn AJA, who also set aside the High Court’s earlier order on legal costs.
The judges ruled that all legal costs incurred so far will be decided once the final appeal is concluded, adding another layer of complexity to the case.
This development temporarily halts the repatriation of Lungu’s remains, in line with South African law, which requires that nothing proceeds while an appeal is pending.
Lungu died in South Africa on June 5, 2025, and since then, his burial has become the subject of a bitter legal fight between his family and government.
The dispute began after the Pretoria High Court ruled that, as a former head of state, Lungu should be buried in Zambia with full state honours at Embassy Park, the official presidential burial site.
However, the family opposed the decision, insisting that Lungu wanted a private burial and did not want President Hakainde Hichilema involved in his funeral.
The family further argued that the High Court made serious mistakes in its ruling, citing several grounds for appeal.