LUSAKA – Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has died aged 68 after succumbing to chest pains, his political party the Patriotic Front announced on Thursday afternoon.
Lungu who was the sixth president of the copper-rich country from 2015 to 2021, died at Medforum Clinic, a Medical Centre in Pretoria, South Africa on Thursday morning.
“The former president, who has been receiving specialised treatment in South Africa, died today on Thursday, 5th June,” the party said in a statement published on social media.
The party disclosed that Lungu’s daughter Tasila Lungu-Mwansa confirmed the death of his father, Edgar Lungu.
According to the information provided, President Lungu had been under medical supervision in recent weeks.
“His condition was managed with dignity and privacy, with support from wellwishers,” according to his ally Emmanuel Mwamba.
In April this year, the government disclosed that Lungu had been diagnosed with cancer and was receiving medical attention with state support.
He previously received treatment in South Africa during his reign as Zambia’s president for a rare disorder that caused narrowing of the food pipe.
He leaves behind a tainted legacy and a party in disarray embroiled by succession battles with several candidates touted as possible successors among them is Given Lubinda and Christopher Kang’ombe.
