Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu Dies at 68

Zambia’s former president Edgar Lungu, who was in power for nearly seven years until 2021, passed away on Thursday in a South African hospital at the age of 68, according to announcements from his family and political party. 

Lungu had been undergoing specialised medical treatment at a clinic in Pretoria, as stated by his political party, the Patriotic Front. 

“My father had been under medical supervision in recent weeks,” his daughter Tasila Lungu-Mwansa announced in a video shared on social media.

He had been dealing with recurrent achalasia, a condition brought on by the narrowing of the oesophagus, which he had been receiving treatment for in South Africa. 

Lungu, who was trained as a military officer and was a lawyer, relinquished the presidency in 2021 when veteran opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema won the elections decisively. 

He had expressed his intention to run for president again in the 2026 elections. 

He assumed office in 2015, following the death of his predecessor, Michael Sata, while in office, and he referred to himself as an “ordinary Zambian from humble beginnings.”