Zambia is facing a deepening legal and political dispute over the remains of its former president, Edgar Lungu, nearly a year after he died in South Africa.

Authorities in Lusaka said they have now taken possession of his body, despite strong objections from his family, who are pushing for a private burial.

At the centre of the standoff is a long-running feud between Lungu and his successor, Hakainde Hichilema, with the government insisting the former head of state deserves a full state funeral and burial at the presidential site in the capital.

But the family argues this goes against Lungu's personal wishes.

In a statement, Zambia's Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, said the transfer of the body followed the family's "inability to proceed with their case" in the South African appeals court-an assertion the family strongly disputes, insisting due process is still underway.

The family now says a South African court has granted them access to the body, adding that it has been returned to the First Mountains funeral parlour, where it was initially being kept, potentially setting the stage for a renewed legal confrontation.

Lulu Gaboo spoke to Zambian legal expert Maqueen Zaza...