Lusaka, Zambia – Edgar Lungu, who served as Zambia’s president for six years, has died at the age of 68. His Patriotic Front (PF) party announced that he passed away in South Africa, where he had been receiving “specialized treatment” for an undisclosed illness.
Mr. Lungu’s daughter, Tasila, confirmed that her father, who had been “under medical supervision in recent weeks,” died at a clinic in Pretoria, South Africa, at 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT) on Thursday. In an emotional statement, she invoked the national motto, “One Zambia, One Nation,” noting it was “the timeless creed that guided President Lungu’s service to our country.”
The specific nature of his illness was not disclosed, though he underwent throat surgery abroad a decade ago for what his office then described as a narrowing of the oesophagus.
Zambia’s current President, Hakainde Hichilema, issued a condolence message, urging “solemnity, unity and an outpouring of love and compassion.” He called for Zambians to “come together as one people, above political affiliation or personal conviction, to honour the life of a man who once held the highest office in our land.”
Mr. Lungu first assumed the presidency in January 2015 following a special election prompted by the death in office of his predecessor, Michael Sata. After completing Sata’s term, he secured a full five-year mandate in 2016 with just over 50% of the vote.
During his six years at the helm, Mr. Lungu oversaw significant Chinese investment and infrastructure development. However, his tenure was also marked by a struggling economy, high unemployment, and rising national debt. Furthermore, his administration faced numerous corruption scandals involving allies and relatives, allegations which Mr. Lungu consistently denied. His party’s youth wing also drew criticism for alleged harassment of opposition supporters and the general public.
In the 2021 election, Mr. Lungu lost decisively to the more pro-Western Hakainde Hichilema, with the electorate widely expressing dissatisfaction with the economic situation. Following that defeat, he initially announced his retirement from politics.
However, as President Hichilema’s popularity waned, Mr. Lungu made a return to frontline politics in 2023. At the time, he told supporters, “I am ready to fight from the front, not from the rear, in defence of democracy. Those who are ready for this fight, please come along with me, I am ready for anything.”
His political comeback was met with legal challenges and claims of police harassment. Late last year, the Constitutional Court barred him from running for the presidency again, ruling he had already served the maximum two terms allowed by law. Despite this disqualification, he remained a highly influential figure in Zambian politics and a vocal critic of his successor.
Mr. Lungu had previously complained of being “virtually under house arrest,” alleging in a May 2024 interview with the BBC’s Newsday programme that he was prevented from leaving his home without police intervention and barred from travelling abroad for conferences or medical treatment. Police had also warned him against his weekly public jogs, terming them “political activism.” The government, however, maintained that Mr. Lungu was never under house arrest and was free to exercise his rights.
A lawyer by training, Edgar Lungu enjoyed a rapid ascent in politics, becoming a Patriotic Front MP in 2011. He quickly rose through government ranks, serving as deputy minister in the vice-president’s office, then minister of home affairs, and later minister of defence and justice. Born on November 11, 1956, he graduated with a law degree from the University of Zambia in 1981 and also underwent military training.
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