The body of Dr. Edgar Lungu Chagwa, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, is still in South Africa as his family awaits permission to bury him in Pretoria.
Dr. Lungu died in South Africa on June 5, 2025, while receiving treatment at the Mediclinic Medforum Hospital in Pretoria.
His family decided to bury him in South Africa after a disagreement with the Zambian government over how the ceremony should proceed.
The Zambian government wanted Dr. Lungu to be buried as a former head of state, but his family wanted him to be buried alone, without President Hakainde Hichilema attending, as Lungu had reportedly wished before his death.
The Trial and Appeal Divisions of the Pretoria High Court have ruled that Dr. Lungu’s body Lungu will be sent to Zambia for a full burial as befits a former Head of State.
Despite the South African High Court ruling, which dismissed an appeal by Dr. Lungu’s family, his body remains in Pretoria, as his family continues to push for his return to Zambia.
Dr. Lungu’s daughter, Tasila Lungu Mwansa, who is currently a member of the Zambian Parliament, has been living in South Africa since her mother’s death, where she is still considering whether to be allowed to bury her in Pretoria.
Due to her long absence from Parliament, MP Tasila was asked to return to Zambia and resume her duties, but she replied that while she was not allowed to attend Parliament’s proceedings via video-conference, she would not leave South Africa until her mother’s case was resolved.
This led to the Zambian Parliament on 28 November 2025 confirming that Tasila was no longer an MP. She denied the charges, stating that she was injured while she was still in a difficult situation due to the fact that Dr. Lungu had not been buried.
