The body was transferred from a funeral home in Pretoria to an alternative facility, according to multiple reports. Lungu's family asserts that a separate, urgent court ruling dictates the body should be returned to the original funeral home, where it had been held since his death in June last year.
The dispute is fueled by the bitter political rivalry between Lungu and current President Hakainde Hichilema. Hichilema's government has said Lungu should have a state funeral at home and be buried at a cemetery set aside for Zambian leaders. However, Lungu's family claims that one of his last wishes was that Hichilema should not go anywhere near his body and not preside over his funeral. Zambia's government added that any personal wishes must give way to the national interest.
Lungu died of an undisclosed illness in a South African hospital on June 5, 2024, at age 68. When Lungu was president in 2017, Hichilema was arrested, charged with treason and detained for four months, then released after international condemnation. Lungu lost to Hichilema in a 2021 election. Lungu claimed years later that his movements were being restricted by Zambian police and that he had been effectively placed under house arrest, which Hichilema's government denied.