Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the sixth President of Zambia (2015–2021), died on 5 June 2025 in Pretoria, South Africa, where he had been receiving specialised medical treatment for an undisclosed illness. He was 68 years old. His death triggered a protracted and internationally scrutinised dispute between his family and the Zambian government over the location of his final resting place — a standoff that combined political rivalry, cross-border litigation, and constitutional questions about the rights of the state versus the wishes of a former president's family. As of April 2026, the matter remains unresolved amid fresh legal skirmishes.

In 2015, it was publicly disclosed that Edgar Lungu was receiving treatment abroad for achalasia, a rare disorder affecting the oesophagus. In June 2021, during his second presidential term, he collapsed at a televised military commemoration in Lusaka due to a hypoglycaemic episode attributed to complications from achalasia. In early 2025, Lungu travelled to South Africa to receive specialised medical care for what was described as an undisclosed illness. He did not return to Zambia.

Edgar Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND), shared one of Zambia's most publicly bitter political rivalries. Lungu defeated Hichilema in the 2016 presidential election; his government subsequently imprisoned Hichilema for four months in 2017 on controversial treason charges arising from a road incident involving the two leaders' convoys — a move widely condemned by the international community. Hichilema was eventually released and the charges dropped. Hichilema defeated Lungu decisively in the August 2021 elections.

After leaving office, Lungu alleged that the Hichilema government had used police powers to restrict his movements and had interfered in court proceedings to prevent him from contesting future elections. The government denied these claims. Several members of Lungu's family and circle were arrested on various charges between 2022 and 2024, which critics described as politically motivated 'lawfare'. This backdrop of bitter antagonism directly shaped the funeral dispute that erupted upon Lungu's death.

Edgar Lungu died on 5 June 2025 at a private medical clinic in Pretoria, South Africa. The cause of death was reported to be cardiac complications related to his undisclosed illness. He was 68 years old. His death was announced to the Zambian nation by President Hichilema, who offered condolences to the family and the nation.

On 7 June 2025, President Hakainde Hichilema declared a seven-day period of national mourning for the former president. On 15 June 2025, the government extended the mourning period by an additional nine days, reflecting the expectation that repatriation and state funeral arrangements would be finalised. However, escalating disagreements between the government and the Lungu family ultimately forced the government to curtail the mourning period to 12 days before the burial had taken place — an unprecedented event in Zambian presidential history.

On 19 June 2025, President Hichilema delivered a national address formally ending the mourning period, stating that 'Zambia cannot remain in a state of indefinite mourning.' He affirmed that Lungu deserved to be buried in Zambia with full honours and kept the door open for further engagement.

Following the death, the Zambian government announced a structured plan for Lungu's repatriation and state funeral. Under this plan, Lungu's remains were to be flown back to Lusaka on 18 June 2025, with a state funeral scheduled for 22 June and burial on 23 June at Embassy Park — the official presidential burial ground in Lusaka. Upon arrival, the body was to be received with full military honours and taken to his residence to lie in state, before being moved to the Mulungushi International Conference Centre for public viewing from 19 to 21 June.

On 18 June 2025, the Lungu family abruptly halted the planned repatriation, accusing the government of breaching the terms of a previously agreed arrangement. The specific terms of the alleged agreement and the alleged breach were not publicly disclosed in detail by either party. The family cited the former president's bitter political feud with President Hichilema as a central reason for opposing a government-managed state funeral, stating that Lungu had reportedly left instructions that Hichilema should not attend his funeral. The Zambian government, for its part, maintained that the sitting president was constitutionally required to preside over the state funeral of a former head of state.

On 20 June 2025, the Lungu family formally announced that the former president would be buried privately in South Africa, making him the first former head of state of another country to be buried on South African soil. Family spokesperson Makebi Zulu became the public face of the family's position, holding regular press briefings and sharply criticising the government's conduct. Zulu declared: 'President Hakainde Hichilema is incapable of giving President Edgar Chagwa Lungu a dignified send-off. It would be a mockery.'

The Patriotic Front (PF), Lungu's party, described the family's decision as 'regrettable but understandable.' Top PF members travelled to South Africa for the planned private funeral service. South Africa's Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, confirmed that South Africa had no political role in the decision and was simply facilitating the family's request.

On 24 June 2025, the Government of the Republic of Zambia, through Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, commenced urgent legal proceedings in the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria (the case styled Government of the Republic of Zambia v Lungu Family & Others). The respondents were members of the Lungu family, family lawyer and spokesperson Makebi Zulu, and the South African funeral services company Two Mountains Pty Ltd, where Lungu's remains were being held.

The Zambian government invoked Article 177(5)(c) of the Constitution of Zambia, arguing that the burial of a former head of state is a matter of national importance requiring full military honours and state protocol under Zambian law, and that the national interest in honouring a former president overrides the private wishes of the deceased or their family.

On 25 June 2025 — the morning of the planned private funeral service — the Pretoria High Court granted an emergency order suspending the burial, hours before mourners had already arrived at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg for a requiem mass. The court order halted the burial pending a final judicial determination on the location of the former president's interment.

On 18 July 2025, the High Court convened a formal hearing to determine whether Lungu's remains should be returned to Zambia. On 8 August 2025, the court ruled decisively in favour of the Zambian government. The judge held that a binding agreement existed between the parties for repatriation and state burial, and further held — as a matter of broader constitutional principle — that 'a former president's personal wishes or the wishes of his family cannot outweigh the right of the state to honour that individual with a state funeral.' The court ordered that Lungu's remains be immediately surrendered to Zambian authorities for repatriation and burial at Embassy Park in Lusaka.

Zambia's Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha welcomed the ruling. Lungu's sister, Bertha Lungu, who attended the hearing, was visibly distraught as the judgment was read. The Patriotic Front announced that the family would appeal.

On 15–16 September 2025, the High Court dismissed the family's initial bid for leave to appeal the repatriation ruling. However, on or around 24 December 2025, reports indicated that South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) had granted the family leave to appeal the High Court's decision, temporarily keeping the litigation alive and the remains in South Africa.

In early April 2026, family spokesperson Makebi Zulu and a group of associates travelled to South Africa, reportedly to file court papers in connection with the Supreme Court of Appeal proceedings. They returned to Zambia without filing the papers. Notably, Zulu who in 2025 had consistently held public briefings to keep the Zambian public informed made no public statements in the early months of 2026, raising speculation about the state of the family's legal strategy.

On 22 April 2026, the television station KBN alarmed the nation with a report claiming that 'unknown' individuals had removed Edgar Lungu's mortal remains from Two Mountains Funeral Parlour in South Africa and taken them to an undisclosed location. Family spokesperson Makebi Zulu subsequently confirmed to Diamond News that the body had indeed been moved reportedly by South African police accompanied by unidentified individuals and that the family had not been informed of the destination.

Later the same day, Zambia's Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha issued a formal press statement clarifying the situation. He announced that the Pretoria High Court had, on 22 April 2026, formally transferred Lungu's mortal remains to the Zambian government, following the family's failure to proceed with their case before the Supreme Court of Appeal causing the appeal to lapse. Kabesha stated: 'The Government of the Republic of Zambia wishes to confirm that the High Court in Pretoria has today, Wednesday 22nd April 2026, formally transferred the mortal remains of the Sixth Republican President to the Zambian Government.' The remains were confirmed to have been relocated from Two Mountains Burial Services (PTY) Limited to a facility managed by the South African government.

A meeting was recently held in South Africa at the State Department with representatives from the family, the host country, and the Zambian Government. In that meeting, it was agreed that the late former President of Zambia should be buried in Lusaka on 5th June 2026. — Source close to the South African State Department, quoted by The Zambian Observer, April 2026

On the evening of 22 April 2026, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal granted the Lungu family an urgent order directing that the remains be returned to Two Mountains Funeral Parlour, effectively halting the immediate repatriation. The court also directed both the Zambian and South African governments to show cause why they should not be cited for contempt of court in respect of the manner in which the remains were removed.

Makebi Zulu disputed the government's account, insisting in an interview on a Zambian YouTube channel on 22 April 2026 that the appeals process had not lapsed and that the correct procedures had been followed. The family's lawyers filed an urgent application in the High Court seeking the return of the body to the funeral parlour. The situation as of 23 April 2026 remained deeply contested, with conflicting claims from the Zambian government and the Lungu family about the legal status of the appeal and the legitimacy of the body's transfer.

Zambia's Attorney General confirmed on 23 April 2026 that the remains had been relocated to a South African government-managed facility. The government indicated it would engage the family to agree on final burial arrangements, although no dates had been confirmed. A burial date of 5 June 2026 the first anniversary of Lungu's death was reported by a source close to the matter.

The situation as of 23 April 2026 is highly fluid and contested on multiple legal fronts:

The Zambian government has taken formal custody of Edgar Lungu's remains following a court-authorised transfer on 22 April 2026.

•     The Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa has issued an urgent order directing the return of the remains to Two Mountains Funeral Parlour, and has required both governments to explain their actions.

•     The Lungu family disputes that its Supreme Court of Appeal case lapsed, with Makebi Zulu insisting correct procedures were followed.

•     The family's lawyers have filed urgent applications to reverse the transfer.

•     No burial dates have been publicly confirmed, though an anniversary burial on 5 June 2026 in Lusaka has been reported by sources close to the matter.

Whether the body will ultimately be repatriated to Zambia for a state funeral, and when such a burial might take place, depends on the resolution of the competing court orders and the outcome of further legal proceedings. The dispute has now entered its eleventh month since Lungu's death.

Date	Event
5 June 2025	Edgar Lungu dies at a clinic in Pretoria, South Africa, aged 68.
7 June 2025	President Hichilema declares a seven-day national mourning period.
15 June 2025	Mourning period extended by a further nine days.
18 June 2025	Family abruptly halts planned repatriation, accusing government of breach.
19 June 2025	President Hichilema formally ends national mourning period.
20 June 2025	Lungu family announces private burial in South Africa.
24–25 June 2025	Zambian government files urgent lawsuit in Pretoria High Court; court grants emergency order halting the burial hours before it was to take place.
18 July 2025	High Court holds hearing to determine if body should be returned to Zambia.
8 August 2025	High Court rules in favour of Zambian government, ordering family to surrender remains for a state funeral in Lusaka.
15–16 September 2025	Court dismisses family's bid for leave to appeal the repatriation ruling.
24 December 2025	Reports indicate Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) of South Africa granted family leave to appeal the High Court decision.
Early April 2026	Family spokesperson Makebi Zulu travels to South Africa, reportedly to file court papers, but returns without filing. Zulu, who held regular public briefings in 2025, goes silent.
22 April 2026	KBN TV alleges Lungu's remains have been removed from Two Mountains Funeral Parlour and taken to an unknown location. Zambia's Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha confirms the High Court formally transferred the remains to the Zambian government after the family's appeal lapsed.
22 April 2026 (evening)	South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal orders the remains returned to Two Mountains Funeral Parlour pending further proceedings; family files urgent application in High Court.
23 April 2026	Zambia's Attorney General confirms remains have been relocated to a South African government-managed facility. Makebi Zulu disputes that the appeal process lapsed, insisting correct procedures were followed.

The case formally styled Government of the Republic of Zambia v Lungu Family & Others established a significant precedent in both South African and Zambian legal contexts. The Gauteng High Court's ruling that a state's interest in honoring a former head of state supersedes personal or family burial preferences is likely to be cited in future disputes involving the rights of the state versus family wishes in the deaths of public figures.

The case also raised important questions about the cross-border enforcement of constitutional rights, the jurisdiction of South African courts over the burial of a foreign national, and the limits of private family wishes when set against constitutional imperatives about presidential burial protocols. Article 177(5)(c) of Zambia's Constitution, cited by the Attorney General, was interpreted to encompass the state's authority to mandate a state funeral and burial at the designated presidential site.

The burial dispute generated extensive coverage across Zambia, South Africa, and the broader African continent. Public opinion within Zambia was divided largely along political lines: supporters of the Patriotic Front largely backed the family's position as a legitimate expression of Lungu's dying wishes and of his family's right to grieve without government interference; UPND supporters and many civil society voices argued that the national interest required a presidential burial in Zambia, and that the family's objections were driven by political considerations rather than genuine grief.

Regional commentators drew comparisons with other politically fraught presidential funerals in Africa, including the controversies surrounding the burial of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. International observers noted the dispute as an illustration of the fragility of democratic norms in post-electoral transitions and the enduring personal cost of political enmity.