TWO MOUNTAINS  REJECTS ZAMBIAN GOVT’S DEMAND TO INSPECT BODY OF EDGAR  LUNGU IN PRETORIA

TWO MOUNTAINS  REJECTS ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT’S DEMAND TO INSPECT BODY OF ECL IN PRETORIA

Pretoria, 22nd August, 2025

Two Mountains Funeral Parlour has declined the Hakainde Hichilema led government’s demand to inspect the body of late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, pointing them to the ongoing court cases read together with Article 18 of the Supreme Court of South Africa.

In a letter seen by Smart Eagles in Pretoria, South Africa, from Two Mountains Funeral Parlour addressed to the Hakainde Hichilema-led regime lawyers VFV Attorneys, the funeral service provider stated that its contractual obligations and professional duties were strictly tied to the Lungu family, identified as the “First to Seventh Respondents” in the ongoing legal matter.

The firm emphasized that it was bound by confidentiality, as well as court orders issued on 25 June 2025 and 2 July 2025, and would not allow any inspection of the body without written consent from the Lungu family, being the First to Seventh Respondents.

“Accordingly, we will not permit any inspection of the body or disclosure of any related documentation, including any pathologist or embalmer report, without your client’s prior written consent,” the letter reads in part.

The Hakainde Hichilema led Zambian Government had earlier written to the funeral parlour demanding the commissioning of a pathologist and Zambian special envoys of President Hakainde to inspect the remains of the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, but the funeral home would not proceed unless expressly instructed by the Lungu family. It also underscored that any such process would need prior agreement on costs.

And in addressing the now-rumored concerns allegedly stating that the remains of the late President are concerning, the funeral parlour reassured that the remains of the late President Lungu continue to be preserved in accordance with their standard operating procedures, and there are presently no visible changes to their condition.

Following the ruling of the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, the Lungu family have since appealed to the Constitutional Court for interpretation, as they state that the High Court erred in its judgment on many grounds, including using Zambian law in determining a matter that was before the law of South Africa.

Article 18″ in the context of the South African Supreme Court refers to Section 18 of the Superior Courts Act 10 of 2013, which dictates that the operation and execution of a court order are automatically suspended pending a decision on an application for leave to appeal or an actual appeal, unless the court orders otherwise in exceptional circumstances. This means that if a party appeals a decision, the court order generally cannot be enforced until the appeal is heard”

Given the Article 18 of the South African Supreme Court act 10 of 2013 the requests made by the Zambian Government can not be adhered to because as it stands the Zambian Government has no jurisdiction or right to request inspect the remains of the late President while the matter is now with the Constitutional court of South Africa.