Today marks exactly three months since the death of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu, but his burial remains uncertain. Lungu had been in South Africa for a routine medical check-up since January, when news of his death broke on 5 June.

The announcement was unexpectedly made by his daughter, which is unusual for a former Head of State. What followed were press statements from the family indicating their wish for a private funeral without government involvement.

In response, the government sent a team of negotiators, including government officials as well as traditional and religious leaders, to engage the family while they were still in South Africa.

On 15 June, the negotiators and the Lungu family held a media briefing announcing that they had reached an agreement to repatriate the late former president’s remains to Lusaka on 18 June.

On 18 June, despite the South African military positioning at Lanseria to accord the late president befitting honours, family spokesperson Makebi Zulu announced that the government had abrogated the original agreement. The main contention was the inclusion of incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema in the programme, which was against the wishes of both the family and the deceased.

As a result, the family rescinded their decision to work with the government and declared their intention to bury Lungu in South Africa on 20 June.

The government immediately filed two court applications: one to stop the burial and another seeking the Pretoria High Court’s approval to give the late president a befitting send-off.

Subsequently, the court halted the burial in South Africa and ruled in favour of the government on August 8. The Lungu family then applied for leave to appeal in the Pretoria High Court.

Before the High Court could hear their application, the family filed a direct appeal to South Africa’s Constitutional Court, prompting the High Court to indefinitely adjourn the hearing.

On 26 August, the Constitutional Court refused the family’s direct appeal, reinstating the leave-to-appeal hearing in the Pretoria High Court. The court has yet to set a date for this hearing.

Meanwhile, the government continues engaging the family through a team now based in South Africa, aiming to resolve the impasse.

For now, three months have passed with Zambia’s sixth president yet to be laid to rest.