Lungu's remains are being kept refrigerated at a morgue in South Africa, as his relatives and Zambia's current president disagree on how a funeral should be conducted.
President Hakainde Hichilema - a long-time rival to Edgar Lungu - wants to hold a state funeral. An empty grave awaits at a cemetery in the capital, Lusaka.
But, according to the family, Lungu said on his deathbed that Hichilema should not be allowed to come near him when he was dead, in line with a Zambian folk belief that it would bring bad luck.
A court in South Africa has ruled that the remains should be returned to Zambia, but the family has not complied with the ruling. Edgar Lungu died on June 5 last year.
