{"id":73994,"date":"2025-06-24T21:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T21:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer"},"modified":"2025-06-24T21:35:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T21:35:00","slug":"edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer","title":{"rendered":"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. – The Zambian Observer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. <\/strong><\/span>Despite South Africa\u2019s formal backing for a state funeral in Zambia to honour the legacy of the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, it has now become clear that Johannesburg will be his final resting place.<\/p>\n

This follows a high-level diplomatic mission to Lusaka by South Africa\u2019s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr. Ronald Lamola, who served as President Cyril Ramaphosa\u2019s Special Envoy.<\/p>\n

The visit was marked by solemn diplomacy, heartfelt condolences, and a delicate balancing act between state protocol and the deeply personal wishes of the late President\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

Below are the five key takeaways from the diplomatic statement issued in Johannesburg by that Countrys Ministry for.Internatiomal relations:<\/p>\n

1. Presidential Special Envoy Visit: South Africa\u2019s Minister of International Relations, Mr. Ronald Lamola, visited Lusaka as President Ramaphosa\u2019s Special Envoy to express condolences over the passing of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu.<\/p>\n

2. Condolences Delivered: Minister Lamola personally conveyed President Ramaphosa\u2019s condolences to President Hakainde Hichilema, reaffirming South Africa\u2019s solidarity with Zambia during this period of mourning.<\/p>\n

3. Support for State Burial: South Africa believes that a state burial in Zambia would be the most dignified way to honour former President Lungu\u2019s legacy and service to the nation.<\/p>\n

4. Respect for Family Wishes: While advocating for a state funeral, the South African government acknowledged the legal and moral necessity of respecting the wishes of Lungu\u2019s immediate family.<\/p>\n

5. Commitment to Diplomacy and Unity: Minister Lamola stressed the importance of handling the situation with dignity and mutual respect, highlighting the strong historical and diplomatic ties between Zambia and South Africa.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zambia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. Despite South Africa\u2019s formal backing for a state funeral in Zambia to honour the legacy of the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, it has now become clear that Johannesburg will be his final resting place. This follows a high-level diplomatic mission to Lusaka by South Africa\u2019s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":73993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,8,12,248],"tags":[234,235,233],"class_list":["post-73994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-homepage-english","category-policy","category-to-homepage","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-zambia","tag-zambia"],"yoast_head":"\nEdgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. - The Zambian Observer - Zambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. - The Zambian Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Zambia. Despite South Africa\u2019s formal backing for a state funeral in Zambia to honour the legacy of the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, it has now become clear that Johannesburg will be his final resting place. This follows a high-level diplomatic mission to Lusaka by South Africa\u2019s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-24T21:35:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. – The Zambian Observer\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-24T21:35:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer\"},\"wordCount\":296,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2025\/06\/MohamadReza1750788637.030475images.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Zambia\",\"Zambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"homepage-english\",\"policy\",\"to-homepage\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer\",\"name\":\"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. - The Zambian Observer - Zambia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2025\/06\/MohamadReza1750788637.030475images.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-24T21:35:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2025\/06\/MohamadReza1750788637.030475images.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2025\/06\/MohamadReza1750788637.030475images.jpg\",\"width\":199,\"height\":253,\"caption\":\"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. - The Zambian Observer\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. – The Zambian Observer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/\",\"name\":\"Zambia\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. - The Zambian Observer - Zambia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. - The Zambian Observer","og_description":"Africa-Press – Zambia. Despite South Africa\u2019s formal backing for a state funeral in Zambia to honour the legacy of the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, it has now become clear that Johannesburg will be his final resting place. This follows a high-level diplomatic mission to Lusaka by South Africa\u2019s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer","og_site_name":"Zambia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2025-06-24T21:35:00+00:00","author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. – The Zambian Observer","datePublished":"2025-06-24T21:35:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer"},"wordCount":296,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2025\/06\/MohamadReza1750788637.030475images.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Zambia","Zambia"],"articleSection":["all news","head lines","homepage-english","policy","to-homepage"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer","name":"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. - The Zambian Observer - Zambia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2025\/06\/MohamadReza1750788637.030475images.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-24T21:35:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2025\/06\/MohamadReza1750788637.030475images.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2025\/06\/MohamadReza1750788637.030475images.jpg","width":199,"height":253,"caption":"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. - The Zambian Observer"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/edgar-lungu-to-be-buried-in-johannesburg-as-south-africa-respects-familys-final-wish-the-zambian-observer#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Edgar Lungu to Be Buried in Johannesburg as South Africa Respects Family\u2019s Final Wish. – The Zambian Observer"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/","name":"Zambia","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}