PRESIDENT LUNGU MOURNS ‘GALLANT POLITICAL SOLDIER’
Lusaka | April 7, 2025
Zambia is mourning the death of Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) President and former Minister of Finance, Hon. Edith Zewelanji Nawakwi, who passed away in the early hours of today at the age of 66.
Former President Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu has led the tributes, describing Nawakwi as a “close family friend, a true sister, and gallant political soldier.” In a strongly worded statement, Dr. Lungu expressed both sorrow and anger, blaming the current administration for abandoning Nawakwi during her time of need.
“She was admitted to Coptic Hospital and preparations were underway to evacuate her to India. But our government did nothing to help facilitate this urgent treatment abroad due to politics of bitterness and vengeance against opposition leaders,” Dr. Lungu said.
Nawakwi, the first female Minister of Finance in Zambia and the SADC region, served in various cabinet portfolios under President Frederick Chiluba between 1992 and 2001. These included Minister of State for Energy and Water Development, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, and Minister of Labour and Social Security.
Dr. Lungu likened Nawakwi’s suffering to that of other opposition leaders under the current government, accusing authorities of cruelty and inhumane treatment. He recalled that in April 2023, police stormed the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) where Nawakwi was admitted, intending to arrest her in connection with the Hatembo family case.
“This was an act of historical violence against a sick citizen,” he said, describing the move as “morally regrettable.”
The former head of state also criticized the state prosecutor’s controversial application to move court proceedings to Nawakwi’s residence on March 18, 2025, as she was too unwell to attend trial.
“This act was certainly another inhumane political vengeance against her. It loaded more mental, emotional, and physical burden on our sick former Minister of Finance,” he said, drawing parallels with the ongoing legal challenges faced by former Defence Minister Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM).
Dr. Lungu lamented that Nawakwi died “traumatized, humiliated and abandoned by her own state and government,” despite her historic contribution to national service.
“She served this country diligently, yet in the end, she was treated as though she had never held office,” he said.
As tributes pour in from across the nation, Dr. Lungu called on Zambians and the broader Tonse Alliance to mourn Nawakwi with “true love, grace, patriotism, and national unity as ‘One Zambia, One Nation.’”
May Her Soul Rest in Eternal Peace.