Zambia’s fourth post-independence president Rupiah Banda died on Friday following a short battle with colon cancer, his family has announced.
The death was confirmed by his son Andrew who said his father succumbed to the disease around 7pm (1700 GMT) at home.
Banda, who served as Zambia’s vice president from 2006 to 2008, took over the reins in mid-2008 in an acting capacity when President Levy Mwanawasa suffered a stroke.
He became Zambia’s fourth president after narrowly winning a snap presidential election called following the death of Mwanawasa that year and served from 2008 to 2011.
The former announced in October last year that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the colon and was receiving medical treatment.
Banda was born on 13 February 1937 in Gwanda, Zimbabwe. His parents had migrated to Zimbabwe where they had to look for survival.
JN/APA