Can you clarify which ex-president? Edgar Lungu is alive as of 2026.

In a move that escalates a bitter political standoff, the Zambian government says it has taken custody of former president Edgar Lungu’s body—10 months after his death in South Africa—despite the family’s objections. The clash revives a long-running feud between Lungu and his successor, Hakainde Hichilema.

The family has responded by filing an urgent application in a South African high court, seeking an order to return the former president’s body to the funeral home where it was originally kept.