Pretoria Court Adjourns Lungu Burial Case
…as Parties Seek Resolution according to lawyer
Amb. Anthony Mukwita wrote-
Pretoria, 15 August 2025 — In a solemn courtroom moment, celebrated South African human rights lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC requested the High Court of Pretoria to adjourn proceedings in the repatriation dispute over Zambia’s late sixth President Edgar Lungu.
The adjournment, granted until Monday 18 August, aims to allow dialogue between the Zambian government and Lungu’s family.
Ngcukaitobi, speaking in a live-streamed session, stated: “The parties are talking to each other about how to resolve the matter (the family wants the sixth President want him to be buried privately in SA, the government of Zambia wants him buried in Lusaka).”
He added, “If the discussion succeeds, the court will be informed but we need more time than today (Friday) and we have agreed with my learned friend to ask the court for an indulgence to stand down the leave to appeal to Monday, 18th August.”
The dispute stems from sixth President Lungu’s death on 5 June in Pretoria following surgical complications. His body has since been held at a South African mortuary, guarded by private security amid legal wrangling.
The Zambian government insists on a state burial at Embassy Park in Lusaka, citing national protocol and public interest. The family, led by former First Lady Esther Lungu, argues for a private burial in South Africa, honouring final wishes.
WHO IS THE NEW ECL COUNSEL?
Ngcukaitobi, 48, is a legal scholar and advocate of the Johannesburg Bar, known for his work in constitutional law and land reform.
He clerked for Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson and gained silk status in 2020—an achievement reached in under a decade, rare in South African legal circles.
He was part of the team of SA lawyers that took Israel to the ICJ for crimes against Palestinians. Tembekais a known heavy-hitter in South Africa and beyond borders.
He has represented high-profile clients including the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Zondo Commission, and authored acclaimed books The Land Is Ours and Land Matters.
As the court agreed to reconvene Monday at 10 a.m., one of the three presiding judges remarked, “We are optimistic of a finality in interest of all parties.”
Another added, “We hope there is light at the end of the tunnel and not a train.”
Across Zambia, mourners draped in black continue to grieve. The builder of bridges, roads, and airports remains unburied, locked in an endless court tug-of-war.
Analysts pray for a dignified resolution and good end for the family. The sixth President Lungu was 68.
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Amb. Anthony Mukwita is an International Relations Analyst & published Author.
The shit . LUNGU family are JUST WASTING OUR RESOURCES ECL got from us. ECL family are paying the shit A LOT OF MONEYS. It’s shameful!!