Overview
- The Lungu family formally appealed the Pretoria High Court ruling and presented arguments in Bloemfontein on Friday, seeking to overturn a decision that granted Zambia the right to repatriate Edgar Lungu's remains.
- The Gauteng High Court had earlier ruled that Zambia was entitled to take Lungu's body for a state funeral and burial at Embassy Park in Lusaka, a site used for past presidents.
- Family lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi told the appeals court that Lungu, his widow and children wanted a private burial in South Africa and that Lungu expressly opposed any role for President Hakainde Hichilema.
- Counsel for the Zambian government, Ben Stoop, told the court the state relies on common-law principles and a prior agreement with the family to repatriate Lungu for a state funeral.
- No ruling has been issued and the case remains unresolved as Zambia approaches the first anniversary of Lungu's death on June 5, with the judgment set to shape how South African courts weigh private burial rights against a foreign state's public-interest claim.