A Pretoria court this morning issued an emergency order halting the private burial of Zambia’s former president, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, just hours before the ceremony in Johannesburg was due to commence. The legal move follows a last-minute application filed by Zambia’s Attorney General in a bid to repatriate Lungu’s remains for a state funeral in Lusaka
Zambia’s Attorney General Mr. Mulilo D. Kabesha, SC,lodged a case in the Gauteng Division of the High Court, urging the court to issue an interim interdict to stop the burial pending a full hearing scheduled for August 4. The state insists that, by law, a former head of state qualifies for a full state funeral at Embassy Park—a site reserved for Zambian presidents.
Deputy Judge President Aubrey Phago Ledwaba confirmed that both the Zambian government and Lungu’s family have agreed that no burial should proceed until the August hearing. Although mourners gathered at Johannesburg’s Cathedral of Christ the King, transport of the body was halted as the legal case unfolded, forcing family members to attend the hearing in funeral attire
The Lungu family allege that The late President Edgar Lungu requested that current President Hakainde Hichilema his political rival,be excluded from his funeral.The government, however, argues that personal preferences cannot supersede national protocols that designate state funerals for former presidents. Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha said Zambia has already prepared a presidential grave at the national cemetery and asserted that public interest demands full military honors, regardless of family wishes.
A memorial Mass was held at the cathedral in lieu of the planned burial. Pretoria’s interim ruling leaves the body in South African custody until the full hearing on August 4.
Attorney General Kabesha expressed optimism that negotiations with the family would resume and emphasized, “He’s not a refugee,” indicating the Zambian governments expectation to retrieve Lungu’s body and relocate it to Lusaka.
So there is even a law on a President must be buried,
What say you John Sangwa SC
Very unnecessary drama. Government, please focus on things that matter to people. Bread and butter issues and loadsheding please
National protocols are not even laws. The only authority on any funeral wether the person was an ordinary man or a former President is the family, other things are just artificial.
Evil Lungu’s family members and devilish friends (PF leftovers) must clear the way and stand in the cold alone. The most hated late evil president must be moaned and buried alone at the Embassy Park. It is very nice that Evil Lungu died miserably. Nonetheless, most unfortunate part is that he (Evil Thin Lungu) neither booked nor stayed at Chimbokaila Maximum Security Prison. See you in hell Evil Thin Lungu and farewell to you thin little devil. I will never shed any tear for you THIN EVIL LUNGU with thick ugly wrinkled lips.
Why is Tasila dressed like a widow?
How was the burial site at Embassy park estabished? Its through act of law. Learn to read bane. This is why people will tell you ma rubbish and you will believe.
This is HH/GRZ trying to save face Bitterness between them was unresloved and dont believe it was one sided ! HH being president has to appear concerned and sympathic.
Unfortunately political parties are trying to make mileage
This is between the Lungu Family and HH so dont drag the citizenry into this mess
What about rule of law ,Tikki?
Enka this Tikki person uses his feeling to think. This when he has support in his useless opinions and his ego is stroked then he is on firm ground. Ingore him. Just another indigo.
It’s sad that HH trying so hard to show kindness that he’s ready to force family where they bury their love one. The utter disregard of family prefences is shocking.
And when Lungu did the same to the Kaunda family it was ok? Mchana….chiwama galu ku luma mbuzi but mbuzi ku luma galu chaipa?
Fact and logic….use it
Proper National protocols is taking care of Zambians…providing basic needs such as electricity…water…and adequate medicine in Hospitals….wasting our energies fighting for a dead body…HH is very arrogant no wonder Lungu didn’t want him to attend his funeral
Define “proper protocol?? Kikikiki
Sometimes we says all your works shall praise you ,
They was no peace during time when lungu was the head of state this why today conflict comes in all his works follows him
For get not that whatever goes up it comes down,
Sorry!!!!
There is no Zambian law that places absolute ownership of a corpse to the family over the state…….
Infact , for public safety , the state can have control
FWD2041
The late ECL was not any other citizen…….
He occupied the highest office of the land…….
The way you handle his passing is completely different from an ordinary citizen……
I support GRZ in this and ultimately think the SA government will reach consensus that state to state relations are far more important than the unfortunate situation we are seeing…….
FWD2031
How can this simple family rule the gvt, how can a former serving president be barried in people’s country as a refugee. Let’s not polities matter. How many presidents have we lost here in Zambia,and were are they barrie?regardless families wish. It’s a law abided in Zambia constitution, even the late himself was aware and the very family who trying to polities things. All what we are hearing is that the family wants to agree with the gvt, would they try to tell the nation what that agreement is all about. There are now trying to use the Corp as a way of winning favour through the cases there owing to the gvt infact to us people of Zambia because they have been stealing for the country.
So you mean the funeral can even happen this year? Hollywood can be interested to make the movie of this story
Even in death Edgar Lungi has no vision of where he should be buried.
Solar is there…loadshedding monga your grandfather didnt use ma koloboi? Quit whinning…PF told you to…wee wee in Kariba and see if load shedding will end.
Why do you keep making statements about loadshedding. Do you think when you make 1000 comments it will end? Gula solar. If youdont have money suffer like the rest of Zambia cause PF stole.
19 hours loadsheding….ok this has now become normal….meanwhile lets go and harass Lungu’s family in South Africa
Solar is there…loadshedding monga your grandfather didnt use ma koloboi? Quit whinning…PF told you to…wee wee in Kariba and see if load shedding will end.
Why do you keep making statements about loadshedding. Do you think when you make 1000 comments it will end? Gula solar. If youdont have money suffer like the rest of Zambia cause PF stole.
@ Spaka
Now that Lungu is dead thats when you’re recognizing his Presidency…thats hypocrisy coming from UPND…you refused to call him President so just let him be buried as an ordinary Zambian….case closed….and this is exactly what his family is saying….
This is not about UPND , but about the country Zambia and the millions of Zambians who called ECL president….
If the family wanted him to be ultimately buried as an ordinary Zambian, they…..
Should not have let him take that oath of the presidency, they should have stopped him from being president and carry on living as an ordinary citizen……
FWD2031
Could this be Karma payback on how the PF drove Zambia’s economy into uncertainty and comatose ?Proverbs 16:18 says pride goes before destruction.
Only your economy was in comatose.
Bushe balefwaya ukwisa mulya? Who does this? Suing family from burying their loved one? Bushe mulefwaya ukufumyako ifishimba?
Why ba HH? Why? Tell us what’s in ECL that truly want? Please tell us. We may help talking to Tasila and Ba Esther.
Is the family not returning to zambia after burial?
I suspect they want ka asylum afterwards. This world can really be wicked.
@Moto..They are dead scared of jail time!
So far the South African court has heard that no Zambian national died in South Africa on 5th June with the death certificate of Edgar Lungu at that hospital. Only a Zimbabwean national died. So who is in the coffin?
Checked into hospital with one Zimbabwean passport, two Diplomatic passports from two different countries and two green passports at the time of admission to hospital and yet no Zambian was admitted. This is intriguing! Who was Edgar Lungu really. Born in Ndola as well as in Kitwe at the same time.
What! Full court hearing on 4th August! The biggest loser in this whole fiasco is the family. They should have just worked with the government to avoid all the nose sniffing into their private matters. Now they will have to deal with all sorts of conspiracy theories surrounding their departed loved one. Sometimes it is best to let go of your ego just to maintain peace. Now i see most people backing off just like it happens when one is admitted in hospital for a long time. Only those truly close to them remain. Let us wait and watch the vultures scatter in all direction after this outcome.
It is unfortunate and very sad that Religious Leaders like Alick Banda have lamentably failed to provide Loving guidance to the family. The family is doing all this because they have failed to forgive. Yes a lot of unjust acts may have been done to the former President but they need to look at the issue at hand. Putting him to rest in his home country Zambia where he had served the people who had elected him for 2 terms. Had religious leaders provided guidance based on forgiveness, love and unity, we would not have reached this far. Please let us be guided by the bible then we won`t go wrong. There is this unresolved issue of burring our former president because we are applying human ideas. Let us use Principles of Love, Forgiveness and Unity as prescribed in the Bible. I submit.
Kuzichenjelesa mwaona manje! If Lungu’s relatives and family are not careful, that man will remain in limbo in a South African morgue for months to come suffering the indignity of his crooked ways. It’s a foregone conclusion that when Lungu died on June 5 at Mediclinic Medforum Hospital in Pretoria, he was a registered patient under a Zimbabwean diplomatic passport. It was for that reason the hospital initially denied having a Zambian VIP patient at Mediclinic at the time Lungu kicked the bucket. In life and in death, that character was a stinking duplicitous philanderer! Here he lies dead in a foreign morgue and nobody really knows who this corpse belongs to. Not many people are capable of dribbling themselves into the grave, only Jameson Mataware.
Allow the former president rest n eternal peace