Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu Dies in South...

Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu Dies in South Africa at 68

Zim Now Writer

Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has died at the age of 68 while receiving medical treatment in South Africa, his political party, the Patriotic Front, confirmed on Thursday.

Lungu, who served as Zambia’s sixth president from 2015 to 2021, passed away earlier today, according to a statement released by the PF and corroborated by his family and legal representatives. Details of the illness leading to his death have not been disclosed.

Born on November 11, 1956, in Ndola, Lungu was a lawyer by training and rose through the ranks of Zambia’s political establishment under the late President Michael Sata. He held key cabinet posts, including Minister of Justice and Minister of Defence, before being elected president in January 2015 following Sata’s death.

He won a full five-year term in 2016 but lost his re-election bid in August 2021 to current President Hakainde Hichilema. After initially retiring from public life, Lungu made a return to politics in 2023, a move that sparked tensions within the PF and reignited national debate over his political legacy.

In December 2024, Zambia’s Constitutional Court ruled Lungu ineligible to run for office again, declaring that he had already served two terms in line with the country’s constitutional limits.

Lungu’s death marks the end of a turbulent yet consequential chapter in Zambia’s post-independence politics. Known for his tough stance on governance and his controversial economic policies, he remained a polarising figure long after leaving office.

The Zambian government is expected to announce funeral arrangements and national mourning plans in the coming days.