Edgar Lungu is reported to have said he did not want his successor at his funeral or "anywhere near" his body

🌐 Here's What Happened

More than a year after the death of Zambia's former President Edgar Lungu, his family have won their appeal to have his body buried in South Africa where he died - overturning a previous high court ruling that allowed the Zambian government to repatriate the corpse.

It is not clear whether Tuesday's ruling at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein puts to rest a legal battle over what should happen to his remains following a long-standing feud between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema.

All eyes will be on the Zambian government's next move, as its lawyers await instruction.

📌 Key Details

It has long maintained that, as a former head of state, Lungu should be honoured in the country.

The Zambian government wished to see him laid to rest alongside his predecessors in the special presidential burial ground in the capital, Lusaka.

But Lungu's family wanted a private burial after negotiations with the government over the funeral arrangements broke down.

Last August, the South African high court in Pretoria ruled that Zambia's government could repatriate the body and give him a state funeral - an outcome that left Lungu's relatives visibly distraught in the courtroom.

The family appealed against the decision but, in a surprise announcement in April Zambia's government said Lungu's remains had been "formally transferred" to the state by the South African court.

But just a few hours later, the same South African court ordered the Zambian government to return the body until the matter went to court again.

📰 Source: BBC Africa