Why ex-Zambian President Edgar Lungu will be buried in Joburg
Ex-President of Zambia, Edgar Lungu, died on 5 June 2025, at the age of 68, while undergoing specialised medical treatment in Pretoria, South Africa.
Edgar Lungu's daughter, Tasila Lungu-Mwansa, announced his passing in a video shared on the Patriotic Front's (PF's) official Facebook page. The family and PF have not disclosed the exact cause of death.
On 10 March 2015, President Lungu visited Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, where he commented on his health, according to SABC News Live and Contributing Editor Vuyo Mvoko.
If surgery was necessary, he stated that it would take place in Pretoria.
A Pretoria hospital admitted him at 22:15 that night. On 11 March 2015, Amos Chanda, who at the time served as the President's Special Assistant to the Press and Public Relations, reported the President's diagnosis of achalasia on the Zambian High Commission website.
Achalasia is a rare condition that causes dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), chest pain, and weight loss because the oesophagus (food pipe) becomes too narrow.
Drs. Dave Kishore and Dorothy Kasonde, who represent a seven-member medical team, approved the report.
On 20 June 2025, the Lungu family announced their decision to bury the late former president Edgar Lungu in Johannesburg, South Africa, rather than at Zambia's Embassy Park.
Continued disagreements with the Zambian government led to the decision, according to family lawyer Makebi Zulu.
This caused the cancellation of the Zambian government's plans for a state funeral in Lusaka.
The family's unwillingness to return the remains was due to their insistence on excluding President Hakainde Hichilema from the funeral.
Hichilema, Lungu's longstanding political adversary, said on 20 June 2025 that the family blocked all governmental attempts to provide a decent state funeral.
The family's hostility comes from Hakainde Hichilema's arrest and treason charges in April 2017 during Edgar Lungu's administration.
For the first time, a former president of Zambia will be buried outside his homeland. The family praised the South African government's non-intrusive and respectful approach.
The family has replaced the previously scheduled nationally recognised state funeral in Lusaka with a private one in Johannesburg.
Following the unsuccessful talks with the family, the Zambian government officially ended the mourning period on 19 June 2025.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11.
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