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Hichilema demands Edgar Lungu mortuary access
21 hrs ago | Views
A fresh dramatic twist has emerged in the ongoing burial saga of late former Zambian president Edgar Lungu, as the Zambian government has now demanded access to the mortuary where his body has been kept for nearly two months. The request, made in line with a South African court order, aims to confirm the authenticity of the body ahead of a key court hearing on August 4.
The request follows a directive by Deputy Judge President Aubrey Phago Ledwana of the Gauteng Division of the High Court, intensifying a politically charged dispute over Lungu's final resting place. The government's push to access the body implies growing concerns that the corpse may have been tampered with or that a burial may occur prematurely, outside court-sanctioned procedures.
Lungu died in Pretoria on June 5, sparking a fierce and emotional standoff between his family and the Zambian government. His relatives insist on burying him in South Africa, where he passed away, while the state is adamant that the former president should be interred in Lusaka with full honours and a state funeral presided over by President Hakainde Hichilema.
The standoff reached the courts after an earlier burial date set for June 25 was blocked by a South African court order, halting all funeral proceedings until a legal determination is made. The case is now set to be heard on August 4, with the court expected to rule on where and how the burial should proceed.
At the heart of the dispute are deep political divisions between Lungu's family and Hichilema's administration. While the government argues that Lungu, as a former head of state, deserves a state funeral with military honours, his family claims that he left specific instructions that President Hichilema should not be involved in any part of his burial, citing personal and political differences.
Despite the legal constraints, a memorial service was held for Lungu in Johannesburg, where friends and relatives gathered to pay their respects. Earlier efforts to resolve the issue saw an initial agreement to bury Lungu at the Presidential Burial Site in Lusaka on June 23, but that arrangement later collapsed, plunging the matter into further legal and political turmoil.
The case bears strong resemblance to Zimbabwe's 2019 burial conflict following the death of former president Robert Mugabe in Singapore. Mugabe's family rejected the government's plan to bury him at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, instead laying him to rest in his rural Zvimba home, following a protracted dispute with President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration.
As tensions remain high, the South African court's upcoming decision will be critical in determining the fate of Lungu's remains. The saga has exposed the complex intersection of political rivalry, family wishes, and the symbolic weight of state funerals in southern Africa.
The request follows a directive by Deputy Judge President Aubrey Phago Ledwana of the Gauteng Division of the High Court, intensifying a politically charged dispute over Lungu's final resting place. The government's push to access the body implies growing concerns that the corpse may have been tampered with or that a burial may occur prematurely, outside court-sanctioned procedures.
Lungu died in Pretoria on June 5, sparking a fierce and emotional standoff between his family and the Zambian government. His relatives insist on burying him in South Africa, where he passed away, while the state is adamant that the former president should be interred in Lusaka with full honours and a state funeral presided over by President Hakainde Hichilema.
The standoff reached the courts after an earlier burial date set for June 25 was blocked by a South African court order, halting all funeral proceedings until a legal determination is made. The case is now set to be heard on August 4, with the court expected to rule on where and how the burial should proceed.
At the heart of the dispute are deep political divisions between Lungu's family and Hichilema's administration. While the government argues that Lungu, as a former head of state, deserves a state funeral with military honours, his family claims that he left specific instructions that President Hichilema should not be involved in any part of his burial, citing personal and political differences.
Despite the legal constraints, a memorial service was held for Lungu in Johannesburg, where friends and relatives gathered to pay their respects. Earlier efforts to resolve the issue saw an initial agreement to bury Lungu at the Presidential Burial Site in Lusaka on June 23, but that arrangement later collapsed, plunging the matter into further legal and political turmoil.
The case bears strong resemblance to Zimbabwe's 2019 burial conflict following the death of former president Robert Mugabe in Singapore. Mugabe's family rejected the government's plan to bury him at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, instead laying him to rest in his rural Zvimba home, following a protracted dispute with President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration.
As tensions remain high, the South African court's upcoming decision will be critical in determining the fate of Lungu's remains. The saga has exposed the complex intersection of political rivalry, family wishes, and the symbolic weight of state funerals in southern Africa.
Source - online
