(MENAFN) South Africa’s High Court has ruled that the remains of former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu must be returned to Zambia to allow for a state funeral.

The judgment clears the way for his official burial in his home country, putting an end to a tense legal dispute over his final resting place.

Deputy Judge President of the Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa, Aubrey Ledwaba, announced the decision on Friday.

“The court in this case concluded that the government of Zambia is entitled to proceed with the state funeral for the late president of Zambia,” he stated while delivering the court’s decision.

He further outlined the terms of the order: “The order of the court reads as follows … it is ordered that the applicant (government of Zambia) is entitled to repatriate the body of the late president, Edgar Lungu, for a state funeral and burial thereafter in Embassy Park, in Lusaka, Republic of Zambia.”

The court instructed Lungu’s relatives to hand over his remains to Zambian government officials, enabling the transportation and ceremonial arrangements to move forward.

Roughly a month ago, a news agency had reported that Zambia’s government declared its commitment to respecting the outcome of South Africa’s judiciary in what had become a highly emotional standoff regarding the late leader’s burial.

This legal conflict became one of the most striking displays of political hostility on the continent.

Lungu’s relatives claimed that one of his final requests was that his long-time rival, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, should “not go anywhere near his body.”

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