Overview

• The Pretoria High Court ordered the immediate handover of Lungu’s remains to Zambian authorities for burial with full military honors.
• The ruling overturns the family’s plan for a private June ceremony in Johannesburg, emphasizing that public protocol outweighs individual wishes.
• Zambia’s government had argued that independence-era laws require all former presidents to receive funeral rites at a designated Lusaka site.
• Lungu’s family retains the right to appeal the judgment, but officials say ceremonial preparations are already underway.
• The dispute underscores the enduring political feud with successor Hakainde Hichilema, whom the family had sought to bar from funeral arrangements.