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South African court orders Zambia to return former president's body
The ruling follows a family request and a contempt warning after authorities moved the remains without consent, prolonging the burial dispute.
- On Wednesday, the Zambian government took custody of former President Edgar Lungu's body after a South African court ordered the remains released from his family in a long-running burial dispute.
- Lungu and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema were bitter political rivals whose animosity shapes the current conflict over the former leader, who died 10 months ago in Pretoria, South Africa.
- The government insists on a state burial in Lusaka alongside past leaders, while Lungu's family prefers a private ceremony and claims he wished to exclude Hichilema from the proceedings.
- Two conflicting South African court orders complicate custody of the body, with the family claiming a separate urgent order requires the remains stay at the funeral home pending resolution.
- The animosity traces to 2017, when Lungu's administration arrested and detained Hichilema on treason charges for four months before international pressure led to his release and charge dismissal.
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38 Articles
38 Articles
Winnipeg Free PressReposted by 
WellandTribune.ca
WellandTribune.caWhy a bitter political feud has left a former Zambian president unburied 10 months after his death
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
·Winnipeg, Canada
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources38
Leaning Left12Leaning Right1Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Left
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources lean Left
54% Left
L 54%
C 41%
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