Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu, who died last week, left instructions that his successor Hakainde Hichilema “should not be anywhere near” his body, a family spokesman has said.

This is the latest development in the bitter feud over funeral plans for the late president following his death in South Africa at the age of 68.

The government had planned to fly his body back home on Wednesday, but failed to do so because of a dispute with Lungu’s family and his political party, the Patriotic Front (PF), over mourning and funeral arrangements.

The two leaders were long-standing political rivals, with Hichilema defeating Lungu in the 2021 election after failing in five previous attempts.

In an address to Zambians on Thursday evening, the president did not refer directly to the reported wishes of his predecessor, but reiterated a “call for peace, a call for love and a call for unity” in this time of “collective grief”.

Appearing to make the case for a state funeral, he urged Zambians “to put aside our differences” and made a plea to “allow the people of Zambia to bid farewell to their former president with the respect and honour that befits the high office he once held”.

Lungu died of an undisclosed illness, but the PF said last week that he had been receiving “specialised treatment” in South Africa.

The PF alleged that Lungu was banned from leaving the country for years and that if he had been allowed to travel to seek medical treatment sooner, he might still be alive. The government has denied the allegation.