Lungu Family Demands Dignity as Court Sets Appeal Hearing Date in Pretoria, 12 August 2025 — The Gauteng High Court has scheduled a hearing on 15 August to consider the late President Edgar Lungu’s family’s application for leave to appeal in the case involving the Government of Zambia and the Lungu family.
The family is appealing a Pretoria High Court ruling ordering that President Lungu’s remains be handed over to the Zambian government for a state funeral.
Family spokesperson and lawyer Makebi Zulu told Newzroom Afrika the appeal is necessary because “the court did not address the gravamen of the matter” and focused narrowly on a purported agreement between the family and the Zambian government.
“In its ruling, the court talked about pacta sunt servanda that agreements must be respected but then went further to change the concessions that were reached by the family,” Mr. Zulu explained.
“We had agreed that the body would be repatriated privately by the family into Zambia, where he could be accorded a state funeral. The court instead ordered that the sheriff collect the body from the undertaker and hand it over to the Zambian government, excluding the family from the process. That is one ground of appeal.”
Mr. Zulu said the court failed to address key constitutional and human rights questions, including the family’s right to dignity and who, as next of kin, is entitled to the body.
He also questioned the South African court’s jurisdiction over matters involving Zambia’s internal affairs.
The family maintains that President Lungu died as a private citizen after being stripped of state benefits amid allegations of reentering active politics.
“You cannot vilify someone in life, deny them access to medical care, and then thrust honours upon them in death,” Mr. Zulu said.
“That is a mockery to the family.”
He insisted the family’s priority is dignity, not speed.
“The point for the family is just one: to give the former president a dignified send-off. What is perceived as dignified by the family is not the government being in charge of the burial. That is the decision of the family, not the state.”
“If invitations are to be extended, they will be extended to necessary people. We respect the South African government and would not want to antagonise relations between South Africa and Zambia. But the remains belong to the family and we would like that to be respected.”
Since the Pretoria High Court ruled in favour of the Zambian government, the family and many Zambians have faced public ridicule. A cabinet minister from Muchinga Province went viral celebrating that “akatumbi kaleisa,” a derogatory phrase meaning a small or insignificant person’s corpse was arriving, while the United Party for National Development (UPND) joined in the celebrations.
Many patriotic Zambians condemned this behaviour as deeply insensitive, noting the pain it caused the grieving family.
This public mockery has reinforced the family’s conviction that President Lungu cannot receive a genuine, dignified send-off from the current government.
Some observers argue that the state’s insistence on controlling the burial is less about honouring the late president and more about political gain a calculated attempt to cleanse its image internationally, even at the expense of human decency.
As the 15 August hearing approaches, many watch closely, hoping the court will respect the family’s right to privacy, dignity, and control over the final farewell of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
Source : Grindstone TV