South Africa’s (SA) Supreme Court of Appeal is set to hear the Lungu family’s appeal over the remains of former Zambian President, Edgar Lungu, on May 29, 2026.
Lungu’s remains have been the subject of an impasse between the Zambian government and the Lungu family since his passing on June 5, 2025.
The Gauteng Province, High Court, in an August 2025 judgment, ruled in favour of the Zambian government and found that the government is entitled to repatriate the remains of Lungu to his homeland of Zambia for a State funeral and burial.
The Lungu family has since launched an appeal process, arguing that the right to bury is an autonomous one which belongs to Esther Lungu, the widow of the late former Zambian President.
The family, who want to lay him to rest in SA, further argue that there are serious questions of law in this “unique” case that the Supreme Court of Appeal may reach a different conclusion on.
–SABC–
