Lungu family accuses officials of unlawful handling of remains, defying court order.
Image: File
The family of former Zambian president Edgar Chagwa Lungu has accused Zambian authorities and South African police of unlawfully removing and subjecting his remains to an unauthorised postmortem, allegedly in defiance of a High Court order.
The dispute comes amid a protracted legal battle over the repatriation and burial of Lungu, who died in Pretoria on 5 June 2025 while receiving medical treatment.
In August 2025, the Gauteng High Court ruled that the Zambian government was entitled to repatriate his body for a state funeral, a decision opposed by the family, who argue he wished to be buried privately in South Africa.
After unsuccessful attempts to overturn the ruling, including a petition to the Supreme Court of Appeal, the family’s appeal bid lapsed after deadlines were not met.
Earlier this week, the High Court ordered that Lungu’s body be returned to Two Mountains Funeral Services or another mortuary nominated by the family, and directed several parties to show cause why they should not be held in contempt of court. The matter is expected to return to court on 21 May 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, family spokesperson Makebi Zulu said the family “condemns in the strongest terms the blatant disregard for South African court orders and due process” in the handling of the former president’s remains.
According to the family, officials arrived at Two Mountains Funeral Services in Johannesburg on April 22 and removed the body “under the guise of a lapsed High Court order from 25 August 2025,” despite no family members being present.
The family alleges the remains were transported to the Tshwane Forensic Pathology Service in Pretoria, where a postmortem docket was opened.
Zulu said a South African police officer falsely claimed the cause of death was “suspected poisoning,” allegedly reported by a family member.
“That claim is entirely fabricated, as no such report exists,” Zulu said, adding that no doctor’s report supporting such a claim was included in the docket.
The family said it urgently approached the High Court later that night and secured an order directing the immediate return of the remains and calling on those involved to explain why they should not be held in contempt.
However, the family alleges that authorities proceeded with a postmortem on April 23, despite the court order.
“In brazen defiance of this order a postmortem was conducted on the President’s body which was never authorized,” the family said.
The remains were only released later that evening after intervention by the family’s legal team, Zulu added.
“These events represent a grave abuse of power, desecration of the late President’s dignity, and contempt for the rule of law.”
The family has since taken custody of the body and says it is considering further legal action.
“Under no circumstance will they abandon their loved one,” Zulu said.
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