The Zambian government has officially thrown in the towel in the lengthy battle over former Zambian President Edgar Lungu’s remains, which dates back to his passing on the 5th of June 2025.
This after the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in a judgment on Tuesday ruled in favour of the Lungu family and upheld the family’s appeal against the August 2025 Gauteng High Court in Pretoria full bench judgment which found that the Zambian government is entitled to repatriate Lungu’s remains for the purposes of a State funeral and burial.
The SCA set aside that High Court order and found that the Zambian government failed to establish a right under either the common law or contract to override the family’s burial decision. This latest position by the Zambian government officially brings this lengthy impasse to an end.
JUST IN: The Zambian govt has thrown in the towel & instructed their lawyers NOT to appeal. The Lungu family is free to bury the late fmr Pres. in accordance with their wishes. The impasse over Lungu’s final resting place (dating back to 5 June 2025) is officially over #SABCNews https://t.co/RnM60z9M6m
— Canny Maphanga (@CannyMaphanga) June 23, 2026
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