LUSAKA – Zambia’s sixth president, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has died at the age of 68 while receiving medical care in Pretoria, South Africa.
Lungu passed away on Thursday morning, according to a statement issued by his party, the Patriotic Front. His daughter, Tasila Lungu, a member of Zambia’s parliament, also confirmed his passing through a video message shared online. She revealed that her father had been under medical supervision in recent weeks, battling a rare health condition that required specialist treatment.
Born on November 11, 1956, in Ndola, Copperbelt Province, Lungu trained as a lawyer and served as justice and defence minister under late President Michael Sata. He rose to the presidency in 2015 following Sata’s death and secured a full term in the 2016 election.
During his six-year tenure, Lungu oversaw a large-scale infrastructure development programme, particularly roads, which earned praise in some quarters. However, his leadership also drew criticism for financial mismanagement. By 2020, Zambia defaulted on its international debt, becoming one of the first African nations to do so in the wake of the COVID-19 economic crisis.
His presidency also became associated with political violence. Critics accused him of enabling thuggish behaviour by party supporters and undermining democratic norms. Despite amending the constitution early in his term to reduce presidential powers, Lungu later attempted—unsuccessfully—to reverse those changes to extend his hold on power.
Following his 2021 electoral defeat to opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, Lungu retreated from politics but attempted a comeback in 2023. His return was short-lived; the constitutional court ruled in December 2024 that he was ineligible to run for office again.
Political analyst Lee Habasonda of the University of Zambia described Lungu’s legacy as “checkered,” noting that while he was accessible to the country’s poor, he failed to control the more unruly factions of his support base.
Lungu’s final days were spent in South Africa, where he had previously sought treatment for oesophageal complications shortly after assuming office.
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