Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu, who died in 2025, has still not been buried more than nine months after his passing.
Lungu died aged 68 on June 5, 2025, in South Africa while undergoing treatment for cardiac complications linked to an undisclosed illness. The prolonged delay has led some to question whether the former president is truly dead.
His body remains in a mortuary in South Africa due to a dispute between his family and the Zambian government regarding his final resting place.
The family insists on a private burial, while the government wants him buried at a national site reserved for former presidents. The family has also made it clear that they do not wish for the current Zambian president to attend the funeral.
Lungu served as Zambia’s president for six years, from 2015 until he was defeated by Hakainde Hichilema in the 2021 elections. Hichilema’s government has pushed for Lungu’s remains to be repatriated and accorded a state funeral with full honours. In August 2025, a South African court ruled in favour of the government’s request.
Despite the court ruling, Lungu’s family continues to demand a private burial in South Africa. They argue that the former president did not want Hichilema to attend his funeral, citing his personal wishes as the main reason for delaying repatriation.
The prolonged stalemate has attracted attention both in Zambia and internationally, highlighting the tension between respecting a family’s wishes and observing state protocols for former national leaders.
As the months pass, the nation awaits a resolution that balances private wishes with public expectations for a dignified farewell to a former head of state.
The situation remains unresolved, and with over nine months since Lungu’s passing, speculation continues about when, and where, the former president will finally be laid to rest.
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