Lungu Body Impasse Evolving as Makebi Heads to South Africa

🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Lungu Body Impasse Evolving as Makebi Heads to South Africa

The legal and political standoff over the remains of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has remained fluid with family lawyer Makebi Zulu travelling to Johannesburg this afternoon following a night of sharply conflicting claims, court filings, and government action.

Zulu confirmed his departure after stating that a South African court had ordered the return of the body to Two Mountains Funeral Parlour and directed both the Zambian and South African governments to explain why they should not be cited for contempt.

“The Supreme Court has just given us a stay… [they] have been ordered to take back the body,” he said.

However, by midday, the body had not been returned, a development that appears to have prompted his decision to travel and engage directly on the ground.

This latest move follows a dramatic sequence of events on Wednesday night.

Earlier, Zulu had told local media, including Diamond TV Zambia, that the remains had been removed from the mortuary by South African authorities and “unknown individuals,” raising alarm that the body had effectively “gone missing.”

The claim was amplified by PF-aligned KBN TV, triggering public concern and political reaction.

But narrative shifted within hours.

Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha issued a formal statement clarifying that the movement of the remains was not clandestine but executed under a standing Pretoria High Court judgment of August 8, 2025, which transferred custody of the body to the Zambian government following the collapse of the family’s appeal.

“The High Court… formally transferred the mortal remains… to the Zambian Government,” Kabesha stated, adding that the body had been relocated to a South African government-managed facility.

Legal documents that later surfaced added further complexity rather than clarity.

The circulating paperwork, cited by Zulu as evidence of a Supreme Court intervention, is in fact an urgent application before the High Court in Pretoria, accompanied by an interim order. The document directs parties to “show cause” why they should not be cited for contempt and sets a return date in May, indicating that the matter is still pending full hearing.

While the application contains temporary directives, it does not constitute a final ruling from the Supreme Court of Appeal.

This distinction has become central to the dispute.

Government’s position remains anchored in the original High Court judgment, which it has now acted upon. The family, through its legal team, is challenging the manner and timing of that execution through urgent court processes. The result is a legal overlap, where an existing enforceable judgment is now subject to interim restraint pending further argument.

By Thursday afternoon, the situation on the ground remained unresolved.

The body had not been returned to the funeral parlour as claimed in the interim order, raising fresh questions about enforcement, jurisdiction, and coordination between the two governments. Zulu’s travel to South Africa signals an escalation, suggesting the family intends to actively pursue compliance with the interim relief granted.

At its core, the dispute has now moved beyond a simple question of custody.

It has become a layered legal contest involving a High Court ruling, a lapsed appeal, an urgent counter-application, and competing public narratives. Each side is relying on a different stage of the legal process to justify its position, leaving the public caught between law and interpretation.

What remains clear is that the matter is far from settled.

© The People’s Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu