Former Zambian envoy urges Ramaphosa to explain handling of Lungu’s remains

Former Diplomat, Emmanuel Mwamba, has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting an explanation for what he described as the unlawful removal and post-mortem of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu’s remains in Johannesburg.

Mwamba, who previously served as Zambia’s ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, said Lungu’s body was taken from a Johannesburg funeral home and subjected to a post-mortem without family consent or valid legal authority.

“The remains of President Edgar Lungu were removed without any legal authority or consent, and a postmortem was later conducted without the family’s presence. This is a serious violation that demands urgent explanation,” Mwamba wrote in a letter dated April 27, 2026.

He said individuals claiming to be Zambian officials, accompanied by a South African Police Service officer identified as Sergeant Nompilo Ngwenya, collected the remains on April 22 from Two Mountains Funeral Services in Johannesburg. The group, he said, cited an August 2025 order by Gauteng High Court Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba directing the repatriation of Lungu’s body.

Mwamba said the seizure was conducted despite the absence of the family and without lawful justification.

He noted that the family’s lawyers, Mashele Attorneys Inc., sought urgent court relief, arguing an appeal remained active before the Supreme Court of Appeal. They also pointed to pending proceedings in the Randburg Magistrate Court, where an application by the Progressive Forces of South Africa for an inquest and post-mortem was due for hearing on May 29.

Mwamba said Justice Francis Subbiah later granted an urgent order on April 22 directing that the remains be immediately returned to Two Mountains Burial Services or another mortuary chosen by the family.

The ruling also barred their handover to SAPS and required involved parties to show cause why they should not be held in contempt.

He said the directive was ignored even after being acknowledged by those involved.

Mwamba said the family later learned that the remains had been transferred to Tshwane Forensic Services in Pretoria, where a post-mortem was allegedly carried out on April 23 by Dr. Shirley Jena Stuart, Chief Specialist at the Gauteng Department of Health’s Forensic Pathology Services.

He noted that Zambia’s Attorney General, Mulilo Kabesha, had publicly stated that SAPS—not the Zambian government—conducted the post-mortem.

Mwamba said the procedure was neither authorised by the 2025 High Court judgment nor sanctioned by the Randburg court or the Lungu family.

“These actions have violated the rights of President Edgar Lungu, violently offended our culture, disregarded the wishes of the Lungu family, abused the legal process and desecrated the remains of the late president,” he wrote.

He added that the episode had strained relations between Zambians and the Government of South Africa, urging President Ramaphosa to explain why the former president’s remains had been handled by individuals “acting in the name of his government.”

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