Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu Passes Away at 68
Natalie Nyathi
Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the former President of Zambia, has died at the age of 68. Lungu passed away today, June 5th, while receiving specialized medical treatment in Pretoria, South Africa. The news was confirmed by his family and the Patriotic Front (PF), the political party he once led.
Lungu’s daughter, Tasila Lungu-Mwansa, a Member of Parliament, shared the somber announcement in a video posted on the Patriotic Front’s Facebook page. “I wish to inform the nation and the world at large that our beloved father, husband, and leader, His Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the sixth president of the Republic of Zambia, has passed away,” she stated, her voice filled with emotion.
The Patriotic Front’s acting president, Given Lubinda, also released a statement acknowledging the painful loss for both the party and the country. Details regarding funeral arrangements are expected to be released in due course. While the specific cause of death was not initially disclosed, reports indicate Lungu had been undergoing treatment reportedly related to cancer. A decade prior, he underwent throat surgery to address a narrowing of the esophagus.
Edgar Lungu served as Zambia’s president from 2015 to 2021. A lawyer by training, he ascended to the presidency following the death of Michael Sata in 2014. Lungu completed Sata’s term after winning a special election in January 2015 and secured a full term in the 2016 general election, narrowly defeating Hakainde Hichilema, the current president.
During his time in office, Lungu’s administration oversaw significant infrastructure development projects. However, his leadership was also marked by economic challenges, including rising debt and fluctuating copper prices, as well as accusations of democratic backsliding and increasing authoritarianism.
In the 2021 election, Lungu suffered a heavy defeat to Hichilema and initially retired from politics. However, he re-emerged in 2023, citing concerns over the “deterioration of democratic freedoms” under his successor and positioned himself to lead a new opposition alliance for the 2026 general election. His ambitions were cut short in December 2024 when Zambia’s Constitutional Court ruled that he was ineligible to run for president again, citing the constitutional two-term limit. Lungu and his allies claimed political interference in the court’s decision.
President Hakainde Hichilema, who was on a development tour in Northern Province, has cut short his trip following the news. In a statement, Hichilema expressed his condolences to the Lungu family and declared a seven-day period of mourning, with flags to be flown at half-mast. “President Lungu served our country at a critical time. We may have differed politically, but he was a patriot and a son of this soil,” Hichilema said.
Messages of condolence have also poured in from regional leaders, including Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who remembered Lungu as a dedicated statesman and contributor to regional peace and cooperation.
Edgar Lungu is survived by his wife, Esther, and several children, including his daughter Tasila. The Zambian government is expected to collaborate with the Lungu family and the Patriotic Front to organize a state funeral befitting a former head of state.