A highly anticipated judgment regarding the burial of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu is set to be handed down on Friday, August 8, 2025. Gambakwe Media is covering the case, which has seen a public dispute between the Zambian government and the Lungu family over his final resting place.
The key issue at the heart of the case is whether Lungu should be buried in Zambia with state honors, as the government wishes, or in South Africa, as requested by the family. The judges are expected to rule on whether the former president had expressed a wish for his burial location and who has the legal right to make the final decision.
Here is a timeline of the events leading up to the judgment:
2025 Timeline
- June 5: Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu dies in a South African hospital.
- June 16: A temporary agreement is reached between the Lungu family and the Zambian government for a state funeral in Zambia.
- June 18: The family accuses the government of breaching the agreement, causing the planned repatriation of the body to be halted.
- June 25: The Zambian government files a lawsuit in the Pretoria High Court to prevent the family from burying Lungu in South Africa. An emergency court order is issued to halt the burial that was scheduled for that day.
- August 4: A hearing on the main application is held in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to determine the final resting place.
- August 8: The final judgment is scheduled to be delivered in open court at 11:30 AM SAST.
