By Parrot Newspaper 
Zambia Mourns Former President Edgar Lungu, Dead at 68
By Parrot Newspaper Staff Writer
Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu has died at the age of 68, the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) announced on Thursday.
Lungu passed away at a private clinic in Pretoria, South Africa, at 6:00 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT), according to his daughter, Tasila Lungu, who shared the news in a solemn video message.
“My father had been under medical supervision in recent weeks,” she said. “In this moment of grief, we invoke the spirit of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’—the timeless creed that guided President Lungu’s service to our country.”
The cause of death has not been disclosed, though the PF stated he had been receiving specialized treatment in South Africa for an undisclosed illness.
Lungu, a lawyer by training, rose to Zambia’s highest office in 2015 following the death of then-President Michael Sata. Initially elected in a tightly contested special election, Lungu later secured a full five-year term in 2016, narrowly crossing the 50% threshold needed for victory.
However, his presidency was marked by economic turbulence, rising debt, and soaring unemployment. Public frustration grew, and in 2021, Lungu lost re-election in a landslide to opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema—by nearly one million votes.
After conceding defeat, Lungu declared his retirement from active politics. But that retreat proved short-lived. As discontent with the new administration grew, he re-emerged in 2023, rallying his supporters with fiery speeches.
“I am ready to fight from the front, not from the rear, in defence of democracy,” he told a cheering crowd. “Those who are ready for this fight, come along with me—I am ready for anything.”
Despite his ambitions for a political comeback, Lungu’s hopes were dashed in December 2023, when Zambia’s Constitutional Court ruled that he had already served the maximum two terms permitted under the law, effectively ending any bid to run again.
Lungu leaves behind a complicated legacy—a man who rose during a period of national mourning, led through years of economic strain, and exited the stage as a polarizing but significant figure in Zambia’s post-independence political history.
As tributes pour in, Zambians across the political divide reflect on the life and times of a leader whose name will remain etched in the annals of their nation.