LUSAKA, June 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The family of Zambia's late president, 
Edgar Lungu, announced on Friday that he will be buried in South Africa after 
a row with the Zambian government over its plans for a state funeral.

Lungu's family on Wednesday stopped his body from being repatriated from 
South Africa, where he died in hospital on June 5, after it emerged that 
President Hakainde Hichilema planned to receive it upon arrival against the 
late leader's wishes.

In response, Hichilema cut short an extended period of national mourning for 
Lungu, whom he replaced in 2021 after winning elections.

Lungu's funeral and burial "will take place here in South Africa, in 
accordance with the family's wishes for a private ceremony", spokesman Makebi 
Zulu said in a statement.

"The Lungu family continues to seek peace and unity amongst fellow Zambians 
during this time," the statement said, thanking the South African government 
for its "non-interference and respect of the... rights of the family".

The cause of the former president's death at the age of 68 was not announced 
but he had been receiving specialised treatment in a clinic in Pretoria, his 
Patriotic Front party said.

He was elected to lead the copper-rich southern African country in 2015 but 
lost elections six years later to Hichilema, from the United Party for 
National Development.

Since then, his wife and children have been charged with corruption and 
possession of suspected proceeds of crime in what the family has claimed to 
be part of a political vendetta.

Lungu's daughter Tasila Lungu was arrested in February on money laundering 
charges. She was previously detained alongside her mother and sister on fraud 
charges in 2024.

Her brother, Dalitso, is also facing corruption charges.

An initial seven days of mourning for Lungu was extended by another nine days 
to end on June 23, the day after the government had scheduled a state funeral 
for.

But Hichilema ended the period of mourning four days early on Thursday in 
reaction to the family's refusal to allow the body to return.