The family of late Zambian President Edgar Lungu has rejected allegations suggesting he was poisoned, insisting there is no evidence to support the claim as tensions over his burial continue in South Africa.
According to a letter sent to South African police and seen by the BBC, the family’s lawyers said they are cooperating with authorities in the criminal investigation but emphasized that the claims are “unfounded and unsupported by credible evidence.”
The correspondence, dated 11 February 2026 and issued by Johannesburg-based Mashele Attorneys, stated that the family had responded to five subpoenas related to the probe.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is our clients' instruction that the allegations underlying the criminal case are denied,” the letter noted.
Neo Mashele of Mashele Attorneys told the BBC that the investigation seems to have originated from a “public utterance” by one of Lungu’s daughters regarding poisoning, which he described as “absolutely not true.”
The legal dispute over Lungu’s remains has drawn attention since his death last June at age 68. He passed away at a Pretoria clinic from an undisclosed illness, after serving as Zambia’s president from 2015 to 2021 before losing to President Hakainde Hichilema.
The Zambian government has sought to repatriate his body for a state funeral with full honours, and a South African court ruled in its favour in August. Yet the family wants a private burial in South Africa, arguing that Lungu did not want Hichilema present, reflecting the strained relationship between the two leaders.
In the letter, Mashele Attorneys also expressed concern about a separate subpoena issued to Two Mountains Funeral Services, the company holding Lungu’s body. The lawyers cited two High Court orders affirming that “possession and custody of the body remain with Two Mountains Funeral Services pending the finalisation of the legal proceedings.”
“Those orders are binding and operative,” the correspondence stressed.
An official at the Pretoria morgue said Lungu’s remains are under “tight security [and] surveillance 24/7.” Meanwhile, Mrs Lungu has remained in South Africa since her husband’s death and is leading legal efforts to ensure he is laid to rest there.
The case continues to highlight the complex mix of legal, political, and personal interests surrounding the former president’s final arrangements.
