Zambia's government takes possession of ex-president's body in repatriation row
Summary
Zambia's government has taken control of the body of former president Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa 10 months ago, despite his family’s wishes. The government wants to give him a state funeral and bury him in the capital, Lusaka, but the family prefers a private burial and is fighting the decision in court.Key Facts
- Edgar Lungu was Zambia’s president from 2015 to 2021.
- He died in June last year in Pretoria, South Africa, at age 68.
- There is a dispute between Lungu’s family and the current Zambian president, Hakainde Hichilema.
- The family wants a private burial and does not want Hichilema at the funeral.
- The government wants a state funeral with full honors at the special presidential burial ground in Lusaka.
- A South African court ruled last August that Zambia can repatriate Lungu’s body for a state funeral.
- The family appealed, but Zambia says the appeal process ended, so they took the body.
- The family’s lawyers have asked a South African court to return the body to the original funeral home.
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