SA ConCourt Dismisses Lungu Family Appeal Over Bur...

SA ConCourt Dismisses Lungu Family Appeal Over Burial Site

Zim Now Reporter

South Africa’s Constitutional Court has dismissed an urgent application by the family of the late former Zambian president, Edgar Lungu, to overturn a ruling directing that his remains be repatriated to Zambia for burial.

Lungu, who died in June while receiving medical treatment in Johannesburg, has been the subject of a legal dispute between his family and the Zambian government over his final resting place.

Earlier this month, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled in favour of the Zambian government, stating it had the right to repatriate Lungu’s body for the purposes of a state funeral and burial in Lusaka.

Unhappy with the ruling, the family took the matter to the Constitutional Court, arguing that Lungu should instead be buried in South Africa to avoid the involvement of President Hakainde Hichilema in the funeral proceedings.

In her affidavit, Lungu’s widow, Esther Lungu, maintained that the family’s wishes should be respected, saying: “No one may be compelled to bury their loved one in accordance with the dictates of a State.”

She further argued that the interests of justice required an urgent appeal.

However, the Constitutional Court found that the family had failed to make a case for a direct appeal and declined to grant leave, effectively upholding the High Court ruling in favour of the Zambian government.