Edgar Chagwa Lungu died on June 5, 2025, in Pretoria, South Africa, after an illness. He was eulogized as a distinguished statesman who served diligently and with complete dedication to Africa’s advancement. The country declared seven days of national mourning as burial plans continue to be made. In this article, we review the legacy of Edgar Lungu.
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Early Life and Education
Edgar Chagwa Lungu was born on 11 November 1956 in Ndola. He graduated with an LLB in law from the University of Zambia, after which he worked at the Andrea Masiye law firm. He then joined the military officer training in Militez Kabwe under the Zambia National Service. After, he returned to practising law and then joined politics.
Political Career
In 1996, Edgar Lungu ran for the Chawama constituency as an independent candidate but lost. Two years later, he joined the United Party for National Development. In 2001, he changed parties again, joining the Patriotic Front and running for the Chawama constituency seat again, but lost with 2.43% of votes.
Despite the two losses, he bid for the seat again in 2011 and won, becoming a junior minister in the vice president’s office. From there, he worked as the Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Defence, Minister of Justice and acting president when Michael Sata was ill between 2013 and 2014. In his party, Lungu has held positions such as Chair of the PF Central Committee on Discipline.
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Rise to the Presidency
Unfortunately, Sata died in October 2014, leading to a presidential by-election. In the lead up to the election, Lungu was dismissed as the secretary general of his party by Guy Scott who was ineligible because his parents were not born in the country.
Later, Scott reinstated him, opening the path for him to contest for the presidential seat. He was elected the president of the Patriotic Front, contested for the election and beat his closest rival Hakainde Hichilema by 27,757 votes (1.66%). In January 2014, Lungu was declared the winner by the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
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Completing Sata’s Term
On 26 January 2015, Edgar Lungu was sworn in as the president of Zambia and chose Inonge Wina to deputize him, becoming the country’s first female Vice president. He promised to lower the interest rate, instituted the National Day of Prayer, and promoted the diversification of Zambia’s economy away from copper mining.
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First Full-Term
After completing Sata’s term, Lungu campaigned for his first full term and beat Hichilema after garnering 50.32% of the votes. However, Hichilema called for the cancellation of the results due to irregularities, but the courts dismissed his case, paving the way for Lungu’s swearing-in.
However, in the next election, Hichilema finally defeated him, and Lungu conceded defeat. After this, Lungu announced his retirement from active politics. However, this didn’t last long as he announced a return on October 23, 2023.
However, his party split into two factions, leading him to join the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA). Although he was being flagged as the party’s presidential candidate, the decision was contested as he had already served two terms. As a result, the courts eventually decided he was ineligible.
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Personal Life
Edgar Lungu married Esther Lungu, with whom he had six children. Throughout his public life, Lungu was treated for various illnesses, like achalasia. He collapsed during a televised military event and was treated for a hypoglycaemic attack, a complication of achalasia. In 2025, he travelled to South Africa to receive treatment for an undisclosed illness. Despite news that he was in a stable condition, Lungu died on 5 June 2025 due to cardiac arrest.
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