“Lawyer Needs a Lawyer” – Makebi Zulu Named in Pretoria Lawsuit as Lungu Family Faces Skyrocketing Legal Bills
By A Correspondent | PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA — In a jaw-dropping legal twist, prominent Zambian lawyer and politician Makebi Zulu has found himself at the center of an international legal showdown — one so tangled, it’s now being joked that even the lawyer needs a lawyer.
The family of late former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu is reportedly paying a staggering legal bill to Zulu, who is spearheading the family’s efforts to bury the late leader in South Africa — a move now facing fierce resistance from the Zambian government. But here’s the catch: Zulu is not admitted to the South African Bar, and by law, cannot argue in South African courts without meeting strict legal thresholds, including registering through the Legal Practice Council — just as no South African lawyer can argue in Zambian courts without passing through the ZIA.
The matter escalated dramatically this week when Zambia’s Attorney General, Mr. Mulilo D. Kabesha SC, filed a public interest litigation in the Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa, Pretoria, seeking an urgent interdict to halt the burial.
The State vs. The Family
The lawsuit targets the Lungu family — including former First Lady Esther Nyawa Lungu, daughters Tasila and Bertha, sons Chiyesu and Dalitso, and associates Charles Phiri and Makebi Zulu — along with Two Mountains Pty, the South African funeral home currently holding Lungu’s remains.
Kabesha argues that Lungu’s burial is not a private family affair, but a matter of national interest, governed by Zambian law which mandates military honours and ceremonial rites for a former Head of State. Even if Lungu expressed a preference for a more discreet burial abroad — a claim Kabesha disputes — the Attorney General maintains that public interest must override personal wishes.
He cites the precedent of Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s founding president, whose own family’s burial preferences were set aside by the Zambian courts in favour of interment at Embassy Park, the official burial site for the country’s top statesmen.
The interim court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, 25th June 2025 at 08:00hrs, where the Pretoria High Court will decide whether to halt the burial pending full resolution of the dispute.
A Legal Feeding Frenzy
But beyond the constitutional questions and political symbolism, a new drama is unfolding — the lawyers are cashing in.
With multiple high-profile parties lawyered up in two countries, some observers say Zambia is witnessing the beginning of a legal gold rush. “We are talking about dozens of billable hours, cross-border consultations, constitutional arguments, and possible appeals,” one legal insider noted. “And Makebi Zulu, even if he can’t argue in South Africa himself, is at the heart of it.”
Ironically, Zulu — a sharp legal mind known for courtroom theatrics in Lusaka — might now need South African legal representation to defend himself in a Pretoria courtroom. “He’s a lawyer, but now he’ll need a lawyer,” one source quipped.
As the funeral becomes a courtroom battlefield, it’s not just about where Lungu will be buried — but who will profit most before he is.
A legal feeding frenzy triggered by our own competent legal counsel and attorney general Mr. Mulilo D. Kabesha SC. Makebi’s millions ill-gotten from the Lungus will be chewed in turn by RSA lawyers and the Lungus’ Ill-gotten billions will be chewed by the same RSA vultures. Yawama apa manje.
That funeral home is now a crime scene. And needs to be secure. Who is that person who they were about to bury? If its not Edgar Lungu, where is Edgar Chagwa Lungu? I think the South African and Zambian law enforcement needs to be working overtime. So that the truth is told. Too many misfits who have too often been the mouth piece for criminals and their cover up.
South Africa is a strange place! The case of Thabo Bester is still going on. This case and that of Thabo Bester are not different except the other one involved is a former President.