A South African court has heard that the Zambian Government proposed that President Hakainde Hichilema spend 40 minutes in the same room as the body of former President Edgar Lungu as part of planned state funeral arrangements.
The claim was made by lawyers representing the Lungu family during proceedings before South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal, where the family is attempting to overturn a ruling allowing the Zambian Government to repatriate his body for a state burial.
According to the family’s legal team, the proposal became one of several issues that contributed to disagreements between both sides over funeral arrangements.
The family maintains that Edgar Lungu did not want the government to oversee his burial, citing tensions that developed after his return to active politics. Their lawyers argued that those wishes should be respected and that former First Lady Esther Lungu, as next of kin, should play the leading role in decisions regarding the funeral.
Government lawyers pushed back against that position, telling the court that political differences did not change Lungu’s status as a former Head of State. They argued that he remained entitled to a state funeral and said several proposals presented by the government had been rejected by the family.
During the hearing, judges also noted that documents before the court do not indicate that Lungu wished to be buried in South Africa. The court further observed that under the principle of ubuntu, the wishes of a grieving family deserve significant consideration.
The matter now remains before the court, with a ruling expected at a later date. Until then, the dispute over how Zambia’s sixth Republican President should be laid to rest remains unresolved.