Lusaka, 22 June 2025 — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Ozzy Lamola, to Lusaka as a special envoy to convey condolences and discuss matters surrounding the burial of Zambia’s late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

Minister Lamola paid a courtesy call on President Hakainde Hichilema, delivering a message of sympathy from the South African government and people. The visit also served as a platform for dialogue on the late President Lungu’s final rites, amid earlier uncertainty about his burial location.

President Hichilema reaffirmed Zambia’s firm position that the late President will be laid to rest in his homeland, the Republic of Zambia. “We held a meaningful and respectful discussion regarding the burial… and we remain firm that His Excellency Mr. Lungu should be buried in Zambia,” President Hichilema said in a statement issued following the meeting.

He further expressed gratitude to President Ramaphosa for the support given during Lungu’s illness and offered apologies to the South African National Defence Force over challenges encountered during the repatriation of the former leader’s remains on 18th June.