By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG (AA) – A high court in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, has halted the burial of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu in Johannesburg, which was scheduled for Wednesday.
The Zambian government filed an urgent court application on Wednesday to prevent Lungu's burial in South Africa, despite the family's decision to have him laid to rest in a private funeral in Johannesburg.
Lungu's family urged against burying him in Zambia, citing alleged political tensions between the former statesman and current President Hakainde Hichilema.
They also claimed Lungu stated that he did not want Hichilema to attend his funeral.
The Zambian government, however, said Lungu was the former head of state and should be given a state funeral and buried in his home country.
The court has given the Zambian government until July 4 to file an amended notice of motion supporting the repatriation of Lungu's body and the family until July 11 to file papers opposing it.
The court ruling in Pretoria came as several people gathered at a cathedral in Johannesburg, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the capital city, where the funeral service for the 68-year-old former head of state was set to begin.
Lungu died on June 5 in a South African hospital while undergoing specialized treatment.
Lungu, a lawyer by profession, was the country's sixth president, serving from 2015 to 2021 before losing to Hichilema.
He was the country's sole surviving former head of state.