Johannesburg – South Africa’s Constitutional Court has dismissed an urgent application by the family of late former Zambian president Edgar Lungu to challenge a ruling granting the Zambian government the right to repatriate his remains for a state funeral and burial.
The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria had earlier ruled that Lusaka is entitled to take charge of the burial arrangements. The family sought to overturn that judgment through a direct appeal to the apex court but the application was found to have no grounds.
Widow Esther Lungu, in an affidavit submitted this month, argued that the interests of justice required the Constitutional Court to hear the matter urgently. She maintained that no individual should be compelled to bury a loved one in line with the directives of the state. 
The family’s request for the High Court ruling to be set aside and replaced with an order dismissing the Zambian government’s application was not granted.
