South Africa court halts return of ex-Zambian president's remains, again

A South African court has blocked the repatriation of the remains of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu, halting fresh plans for a state funeral and deepening a dispute that has dragged on for nearly 10 months.

It marks the latest setback for President Hakainde Hichilema's government, which wants him buried in Zambia, against the family's preference for South Africa, where he died in hospital on June 5.

Zambia's attorney general Mulilo Kabesha said on Tuesday that a court had formally handed the remains to the government after the family failed to pursue an appeal.

Lungu's family swiftly sought an injunction, with the High Court in Pretoria saying the application was "dealt with as one of extreme urgency".

The court ordered the government of Zambia to return the remains to the private funeral home or another facility of the family's choosing.

The order will remain in force until May 21, Judge Rochelle Francis-Subbiah said.

Lungu's family has repeatedly blocked efforts to repatriate his body, saying he would not have wanted his successor Hichilema at his funeral, setting off a protracted legal battle.

Zambia in turn moved to halt his burial in South Africa while funeral proceedings were already underway.

Lungu, who was aged 68 when he died on June 5 last year, was a political rival to Hichilema, to whom he lost power by a landslide in 2021.

His wife and children have since been charged with corruption in what loyalists claim is part of a political vendetta.

In August, a Pretoria court ruled that Zambian law prevailed and ordered the family to surrender the body to authorities -- a decision the family then sought to challenge through the courts.

A formal mourning period declared after Lungu's death was itself drawn into dispute.

An initial seven-day national mourning was extended by a further nine days, set to end on June 23, the day after the government had planned a state funeral.

But Hichilema ended the period four days early, citing the family's continued refusal to allow the body's return.

The cause of the former president's death was not announced but he had been receiving specialised treatment in a clinic in Pretoria, his Patriotic Front party said.

He was suffering from recurring achalasia, a condition caused by narrowing of the oesophagus.