New Delhi, May 30 -- A bitter feud over whether the body of Zambia's former President Edgar Lungu should return to his country for a state funeral or stay in South Africa for burial went before a South African appeals court Friday, nearly a year after his death.

Lungu, who was Zambia's leader from 2015 to 2021, died of an undisclosed illness in a South African hospital on June 5, 2025 at the age of 68.

He has not yet been buried because of a tug-of-war between his family and his long-time rival, current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.

Hichilema wants Lungu's body returned for a state ceremony, and his government won a ruling in August from the Pretoria High Court that the remains be turned over to Zambian diplomats for repatriati...