……Attorney-General urges closure as family seeks to challenge burial ruling
PRETORIA-(MaraviPost)-South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal is scheduled to set a date for hearing in a case the Lungu family has filed to challenge a recent burial judgment it lost.
Attorney-General Mulilo Kabesha expressed hope that negotiations between the government and the Lungu family regarding the prolonged burial impasse conclude soon.
“We need to come to a closure,” Mr. Kabesha said when he appeared on Diamond Television’s COSTA programme on Sunday.
Three weeks ago, the Gauteng High Court refused to allow the Lungu family to appeal against its judgment.
The High Court had ordered the repatriation of ex-President Edgar Lungu’s body back to Zambia for burial.
On August 8, the High Court ruled that the Zambian government could repatriate Mr. Lungu’s remains from South Africa.
The court further ruled that he would be accorded a State funeral following his death on June 5, 2025.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the Lungu family applied for leave to appeal against the judgment.
They argued that the lower court’s verdict failed to consider their rights in the burial matter.
However, on September 16, the High Court dismissed the leave application, stating that it lacked merit.
Following this dismissal, the Lungu family lodged another application for leave to appeal before the Supreme Court of Appeal.
The upcoming hearing in the Supreme Court of Appeal will determine whether the family can challenge the High Court’s earlier decision.
The matter has attracted national attention due to the prolonged dispute and the high-profile nature of the late president.
Attorney-General Kabesha has emphasized the need for both sides to resolve the issue amicably to bring closure to the nation.
The Supreme Court of Appeal’s decision on whether to hear the case will be closely watched by both the government and the Lungu family.
This case highlights the complexities involved in balancing family rights with state protocols regarding state funerals and repatriation.
Once a hearing date is set, the proceedings will provide clarity on the legal standing of the family’s claims.
The resolution of the dispute is expected to finally allow arrangements for ex-President Edgar Lungu’s burial to proceed.
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