LUSAKA, Zambia — Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has died at the age of 68, his party, the Patriotic Front (PF), announced Thursday. The late leader passed away at a medical clinic in Pretoria, South Africa, after undergoing specialized treatment for an undisclosed illness.
Lungu’s daughter, Tasila Lungu, confirmed his death in a brief video message, stating her father had been under medical supervision in recent weeks and died at 6 a.m. local time. “In this moment of grief, we invoke the spirit of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ — the timeless creed that guided President Lungu’s service to our country,” she said.
No details were provided about the illness that led to his death, though Lungu had previously undergone throat surgery abroad in 2014 for a narrowing of the esophagus.
Lungu served as Zambia’s sixth president from 2015 to 2021, ascending to the country’s highest office after the death of President Michael Sata. Initially elected in a special election to complete Sata’s term, Lungu secured a full five-year mandate in 2016, winning just over 50% of the vote.
His presidency was marked by close ties with China, including efforts to draw infrastructure investment from Beijing. However, his administration faced mounting criticism over rising national debt, economic instability, high unemployment, and corruption scandals involving close associates. Lungu denied any wrongdoing.
In the 2021 general election, Lungu was decisively defeated by Hakainde Hichilema, who garnered nearly a million more votes in an election widely seen as a rejection of the PF government’s economic record and heavy-handed tactics. Despite initially announcing his retirement from politics, Lungu returned to the political arena in 2023 as Hichilema’s popularity declined.
The Constitutional Court ruled in late 2024 that Lungu could not run for the presidency again, stating that he had already served the constitutional limit of two terms. Nevertheless, Lungu remained a prominent political figure and vocal critic of Hichilema’s administration.
Following his return to politics, Lungu frequently alleged that he was being harassed by police. In a May 2024 interview with the BBC, he claimed he was effectively “under house arrest” and had been blocked from traveling abroad for medical care. He also faced public restrictions, including a police warning against jogging in public, which authorities deemed a form of “political activism.” The government, however, denied placing any limits on his movements or rights.
President Hichilema offered his condolences in a statement urging unity: “Let us come together as one people, above political affiliation or personal conviction, to honor the life of a man who once held the highest office in our land.”
Before rising to national prominence, Lungu was a trained lawyer who began his political career in 2011 when he won a seat in parliament as a PF candidate. Within a year, he became deputy minister in the vice president’s office and later held several senior cabinet positions, including minister of home affairs, defense, and justice.
Lungu was born on November 11, 1956, and earned a law degree from the University of Zambia in 1981. He also received military training at the former Miltez Army College in Kabwe. Prior to his political career, he worked at Andre Masiye and Company Advocates, Barclays Bank, and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines.
Remembered by allies as a committed public servant, Lungu was described by a longtime friend as a “good foot-soldier, lawyer and politician, father, husband, and grandparent.”
bbc.com
