Zambia’s former President, Rupiah Banda, is dead
Rupiah Banda, who was Zambia’s fourth president, died at home in Lusaka after a protracted battle with colon cancer, according to his family.
He was 85 years old.
Banda, was born in the former Southern Rhodesia, became involved in politics at a young age as part of the Zambian independence movement.
He was an active participant in the foreign service after Zambia’s independence in 1964.
At the age of 27, President Kenneth Kaunda named him ambassador to Egypt. Three years later, he was named Zambia’s ambassador to the United Nations, and three years later, he was named ambassador to the United States.
Banda served as foreign minister and held other positions before being named vice president of Zambia by then-president Levy Mwanawasa in 1975.
When Mwanawasa suffered a stroke in June 2008, Banda took over as president until Mwanawasa died in August 2008.
