Zambian Government and Edgar Lungu’s Family To Appear in Court After Remains Removed From Mortuary

PRETORIA, GAUTENG– The family of Zambia's former president Edgar Lungu continues its fight against the Zambian government's push to give the late former head of state a state funeral at the Pretoria High Court on 29 April 2026.

According to SABC News, the Lungu family filed an urgent appeal at the High Court after the Zambian government seized Lungu's body from a funeral home in Johannesburg. The court ordered that the body be returned to the funeral home and removed from the government-run mortuary.

In response, the Zambian government filed a reconsideration application to challenge the order. The Zambian government argued that the order was filed in its absence hours after it executed the initial order handed down in August 2025.

South Africans broken by the case

Netizens discussing the case on X were devastated by the case, and some suggested that it could have been handled amicably.

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Felix Nkonge said:

“Sad. This matter has been crying out for a mediated, out-of-court settlement from the start. Court litigation just prolongs the dispute. The Zambian in me is not amused by this dispute.”

Amount of justice said:

“I'm not a South African citizen. If I had been in Zambia, I would have been buried by now. What is causing the delay and argument is that the death happened in South Africa.”

ChaleChipas.John 12:24 said:

“This is a sad development indeed. The family of Edgar Chagwa Lungu must be given privacy to bury their father.”

Ntsuntsu Mahlangu-Molete said:

“No RIP here whatsoever.”

Source: Briefly News