Rupiah Banda, Zambia’s fourth president, died at the age of 85, reportedly due to colon cancer. Learn more about him.
Rupiah Banda was born in Miko, Gwanda, Southern Rhodesia, to parents who had moved there from Northern Rhodesia in search of work.
In 1960, he joined the UNIP’s youth wing and became interested in politics. He is a renowned Rusangu University (Zambia) graduate.
His passing has shocked many people, and they have expressed their grief through condolence messages on social media.
Obituary: Reports Are Rupiah Banda Is Dead From Sickness -President Colon Cancer and Illness Revealed
Rupiah Banda is a Zambian politician has passed away at the age of 85.
In an interview with The New Dawn Newspaper, his son, Andrew Banda, verified the news.
In 2020, he was diagnosed with colon cancer, and it appears that this was the cause of his death; however, official results have yet to be released.
From 2008 to 2011, he served as Zambia’s fourth president.
Following independence, President Banda worked as a diplomat and later as a minister for Kenneth Kaunda’s UNIP.
After retiring in 2005, he was invited back to serve as Vice President to President Levy Mwanawasa in the MMD government.
He then succeeded President Mwanawasa after he died in 2008 and ruled Zambia until 2011 when he was defeated by Michael Sata and the People’s Front in a national election.
Everyone was shocked to learn of his passing, and his condolence messages flooded Twitter.
Who Is Rupiah Banda, Wife And Children?
In 1966, Rupiah Banda married Hope Mwansa Makulu, and the couple had three boys together.
Hope Mwansa Banda was born on August 29, 1941, and died on October 11, 2000, in South Africa. Leopards Hill Cemetery was where she was laid to rest.
Thandiwe Banda, his second wife, and a political science teacher is more than thirty years Banda’s junior.
Thandiwe Banda was Zambia’s First Lady from 2008 to 2011, when he was President.
Banda has two sons from prior marriages and a set of twins from his current marriage to Thandiwe Banda, in addition to his sons with his first wife, Hope Mwansa Banda.
Rupiah Banda Net Worth -How Rich Is He?
Rupiah Banda, a well-known politician, is estimated to have a net worth of $2 million to $5 million; however, his actual earnings have yet to be published.
In the early 1960s, he was the UNIP’s envoy in Northern Europe, and in 1965, he was named Zambia’s Ambassador to Egypt.
Banda was elected to the Munali Constituency as a Member of Parliament in 1978 but lost the seat to Mr. Simeon Kampata in 1983. Despite losing the election in 1988, he pursued the matter to court. He was also a Minister of State for Mines for a period.
Rupiah’s focus as President was on economic development, and he traveled abroad to promote Zambian commerce to other international leaders. He visited Egypt in December 2010 to meet with President Hosni Mubarak.