The protracted legal dispute surrounding the burial of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has entered a new phase as his family formally denies allegations of poisoning while challenging South African police investigations. Lungu, who passed away in June 2025 at age 68 in a Pretoria clinic, remains in a South African morgue eight months later as competing claims over his final resting place continue unresolved.
In a significant development, Johannesburg-based Mashele Attorneys, representing the Lungu family, has confirmed compliance with five subpoenas related to criminal investigations while simultaneously dismissing the poisoning claims as “unfounded and unsupported by credible evidence.” The legal team has raised serious concerns about additional police attempts to secure custody of the body, citing existing High Court orders that designate Two Mountains Funeral Services as the legitimate custodian pending resolution of legal proceedings.
The conflict stems from fundamentally different visions for Lungu’s burial. The Zambian government, which secured a favorable court ruling in August 2025, insists on repatriating the former leader’s remains for a state funeral with full honors. Conversely, Lungu’s family maintains that the former president explicitly did not want his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, to attend his funeral—a preference rooted in their long-standing political rivalry—and thus prefers a private burial in South Africa.
South African police have maintained extraordinary discretion regarding the case, with spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe characterizing it as “a very sensitive matter that cannot be discussed at this stage.” The morgue currently housing Lungu’s remains has implemented around-the-clock security surveillance, underscoring the heightened sensitivity surrounding the former president’s body.
Mrs. Lungu, who has remained in South Africa since her husband’s death, recently escalated the legal battle by filing an appeal with the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein to overturn the previous ruling mandating repatriation to Zambia. This move ensures the complex international legal and diplomatic situation will continue indefinitely, highlighting the unusual circumstances surrounding a former head of state’s prolonged inability to be laid to rest.