Edgar Lungu, former president of Zambia, has died at the age of 68 while undergoing specialised medical treatment in South Africa, his party, the Patriotic Front (PF), announced on Thursday.
Lungu served as Zambia’s head of state from 2015 to 2021, steering the Southern African nation through a period marked by economic turbulence and political transition. His death was confirmed in a statement posted by the Patriotic Front on Facebook, which read: “The former president, who has been receiving specialised treatment in South Africa, died today on Thursday, 5th June.”
Read also: Lessons from Zambia: How Nigeria can manage its solid minerals for sustainable development
His daughter, Tasila Lungu, a member of parliament, also announced his passing in a video shared on the party’s social media page. “My father… had been under medical supervision in recent weeks. This condition was managed with dignity and privacy,” she said.
Edgar Lungu, a trained lawyer, entered politics through the Patriotic Front, initially serving as minister of justice and later defence minister under president Michael Sata. Following Sata’s death in office in 2014, Lungu rose through the ranks and won the presidential by-election in January 2015.
Read also:Zambian-born Vaughan Gething to become Wales first black leader
He secured a full five-year mandate in the hotly contested 2016 general election, remaining in office until his defeat in 2021 by long-time opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, now Zambia’s president.
After stepping down, Lungu initially announced his retirement from politics. But in 2023, he returned to the political arena and was eventually accepted as the leader and presidential candidate of an opposition alliance that included the Patriotic front. However, his comeback was short-lived: in December 2023, Zambia’s constitutional court ruled that he was ineligible to run for another term, effectively ending his political ambitions.
Lungu’s presidency was defined by significant infrastructure investment, an increasingly strained economy, and growing concerns over democratic backsliding. His administration faced criticism for its handling of press freedom, public debt, and civil liberties.
Details surrounding funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.
