LUSAKA — Edgar Chagwa Lungu, Zambia’s sixth president and one of the country’s most polarising political figures, has died aged 68, his party confirmed Thursday.
The former head of state passed away at a private clinic in Pretoria, South Africa, where he had been undergoing medical treatment for an undisclosed condition.
His daughter, Tasila Lungu, shared the news in an emotional video statement: “My father was under medical supervision in recent weeks. He died peacefully this morning at 6:00am,” she said. “In this moment of grief, we invoke the spirit of One Zambia, One Nation a creed that guided his service.”
The Patriotic Front (PF), the party Lungu led for nearly a decade, said he had been receiving “specialised treatment” in South Africa but gave no further details. While his recent condition remains unclear, Lungu had a history of throat problems and reportedly underwent surgery abroad a decade ago to treat a narrowing of the oesophagus.
A Sudden Rise and a Sharp Fall
A lawyer by profession, Lungu entered frontline politics relatively late. He won a parliamentary seat in 2011 as a PF candidate and quickly climbed the ranks, serving as home affairs minister, then defence and justice minister under President Michael Sata.
Sata’s death in 2014 triggered a snap election. Lungu, relatively unknown to the wider public, was thrust into the spotlight and narrowly won. He was confirmed in office again in 2016 with a slim majority.
As president, Lungu positioned himself as a pragmatic leader, courting Chinese investment for infrastructure projects while maintaining old ties with international lenders. But his presidency became defined less by development and more by economic trouble, corruption allegations, and democratic backsliding.
The economy teetered under rising debt, youth unemployment soared, and the kwacha weakened. His government was repeatedly accused of suppressing dissent, with critics pointing to police crackdowns and intimidation of the opposition.
Lungu always denied involvement in any wrongdoing. “I have never stolen. I have never allowed corruption,” he once said in response to critics.
A Contentious Exit, A Return, and Final Bow
In 2021, Lungu suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, who secured victory by nearly a million votes. The margin was decisive. The public, especially the young, had grown weary.
“I accept the results,” Lungu said at the time, before announcing his retirement from active politics.
But the retirement didn’t last.
By 2023, with Hichilema facing mounting domestic pressure, Lungu resurfaced, declaring his intent to challenge again. “I am ready to fight from the front, not from the rear, in defence of democracy,” he told supporters.
That ambition was halted by the courts. In late 2023, Zambia’s Constitutional Court ruled that Lungu had served two full terms and was therefore ineligible to run again. Still, he remained an active voice in the country’s political conversation, often critical of his successor’s policies.
His return to the public stage wasn’t without friction. He claimed police harassment, alleging he was being prevented from leaving his home or travelling abroad. In one interview with the press last month, he said, “I am virtually under house arrest.”
Authorities rejected the claims. “Mr Lungu is free, like every Zambian, to move about and exercise his rights,” a government spokesman said at the time.
Even his public jogging sessions a fixture of his reemergence sparked controversy. Police warned that his weekly runs were veiled political rallies. Supporters, however, cheered his commitment to staying visible.
A Complex Legacy
Lungu’s legacy is as complicated as his political career was unpredictable. He inspired loyalty in parts of the country, especially in the PF strongholds, where he was seen as a man of the people. His critics, though, point to his record on rights, transparency, and economic management.
“He was a good foot soldier, lawyer and politician, father, husband and grandparent,” said a close friend who spoke anonymously. “He loved Zambia, even when others didn’t love him back.”
Born on 11 November 1956, Lungu studied law at the University of Zambia before briefly working in banking and mining. He trained at the Miltez military college in Kabwe and practised law privately before joining politics.
His wife, Esther Lungu, and their children survive him. As Zambia comes to terms with his death, tributes and debates over his legacy are sure to follow.
For now, the country mourns a leader whose life was shaped by power, pressure, and a political stage that never quite let him go.
