Former President His Excellency Rupiah Bwezani Banda has died at the age of 85.
Mr. Banda died today Friday around 19:00 hours from his house in the capital City Lusaka.
The former President has been battling with cancer for years now.
Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda (born 19 February 1937) was a Zambian politician who was the fourth president of Zambia from 2008 to 2011.
During the presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, Mr. Rupiah Banda held important diplomatic posts and was active in politics as a member of the United National Independence Party (UNIP).
Years later, he was appointed as vice-president by President Levy Mwanawasa in October 2006, following the latter’s re-election.
He took over Mwanawasa’s presidential responsibilities after Mwanawasa suffered a stroke in June 2008, and following Mwanawasa’s death in August 2008, he became acting president.
As the candidate of the governing Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), he narrowly won the October 2008 presidential by election, according to official results.
Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front defeated Mr. Banda in the September 2011 presidential election, and Sata accordingly succeeded Banda as president on 23 September 2011.
Source: Prince Kaliza Jnr.