LUSAKA – President Hakainde Hichilema has expressed his deep condolences following the passing of Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) President and former Finance Minister, Hon. Edith Zewelani Nawakwi, who died in the early hours of Monday morning at Coptic Hospital in Lusaka. She was 66.
In an official statement issued shortly after news of her passing broke, President Hichilema said:
“We are saddened by the passing of former Finance Minister Madam Edith Zewelani Nawakwi. We offer our deepest condolences to her family, the FDD fraternity, colleagues, friends, and the nation at large. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this challenging time. May her soul rest in eternal peace.”
The President’s tribute comes at a time when the nation is grappling with the shock of losing one of its most iconic female political figures. Nawakwi, an economist by profession, made history in 1998 when she became Zambia’s first female Minister of Finance, a position she held with distinction. She was also the first woman to serve in that role in the SADC region.
What stands out most in President Hichilema’s response is his tone of unity and compassiondespite the contentious political relationship that existed between him and the late Nawakwi. In recent times, she had been a fierce critic of his administration and was facing court proceedings related to seditious allegations. However, in this moment of national grief, the President has put humanity before politics.
Yet again, he has reminded the nation of the core values enshrined in “One Zambia, One Nation” by choosing empathy over rivalry and respect over resentment.
While some critics and skeptics may continue to view their past political battles through partisan lenses, President Hichilema’s show of empathy is likely to draw widespread commendation in the coming days. His message is expected to resonate as a moment of true statesmanship and emotional intelligence qualities that are vital for a nation navigating diversity and democratic maturity.
As the nation mourns Edith Nawakwi, a woman who dared to lead, challenge, and shape Zambia’s political landscape,President Hichilema’s heartfelt message stands as a powerful symbol of unity and respect beyond political lines.
Hypocrite of the all this man has no shame look at what you are doing to GBM
When we mourn, we don’t look at other people’s faces. Don’t judge please.
Nawakwi was clean, she looked 45. She was 66, she looked way younger than Bana Lumango, your speaker Miti, Mumbi Phiri, Jean Kapata, Nkandu Luo.
She was the only Opposition Leader who spoke sense on areas the UPND govt had to work on. She spoke about inflation, the exchange rate and the lack of proper economic management by the likes of Musukotwane.
The day they remove Musukotwane and Kaliyeye as Finance Minister and BOZ governor respectively the economy will begin to improve.
Otherwise we are left with no opposition to highlight key areas, just drunk lumpens shouting at their own shadows.
Crocodile tears
Politicians are wicked morons….they punish their opponents till they die and then they shed crocodile tears….i always stay away from Politicians and i will never be a Politician…hypocrite pompwes
Are you blind, deaf or a moron. Nawakwi died of Cancer not through punishment.
So, what did you people expect HH to say?
We expected him to keep quiet How do you mourn someone you detained at the airport on her way for medical treatment?
How do you mourn someone you kept on arresting over flimsy charges? Be truthful and rejoice
Deja Vu
Ati flimsy charges….????
Nawakwi had plenty libel cases against her……..
She would make allegations she could prove in courts ?????
You people think you just open your mouth carelessly and god will provide the evidence ???
No, you make allegations, be prepared to provide evidence…….
Like how you were shouting about the arrest of a whistleblower, munior Zulu ????
When is your whistleblower providing the evidence……???
We are waiting, the courts are waiting…….
Ehhh , badala
FED2031
@Spaka just keep quiet. The charges are trumped simple and straight forward. I don’t need a reply from you because I know exactly what you are going to say.
This should be page 2 or 3 Everything that HH does does’nt make it headline material
So journalists to blame
Keeping quiet will be the best our President should whilst we mourn our own Irony lady a woman who loved and fought for Democracy until her last breath.May Allah remove her bad deeds with the good she did for this country.Allah may you grant her Jannah
Politicians spend their lives trying to kill each other and when when one of them dies they’re the first ones to cry the loudest….typical hypocrites…HH should have kept quiet…that could have made more sense …..
Lets learn to put our differences aside and work together as Zambians…lets genuinely promote peace and love…not hatred…if someone is not UPND or he/she hails from a different province it doesn’t mean that person is your enemy…LET LOVE LEAD AND PLANT MORE TREES…STOP CORRUPTION AND LETS KEEP OUR SURROUNDINGS CLEAN
So Sad mama
Another moron. I repeat Cancer killed Edith. There is no cure for cancer especially if it is in advanced stages. Stop blaming people for trying to kill her. HH is president and knows she previously held a cabinet post.
my condolences to the family and zambia for a great lose,of our freedom fighter ,the mother with a heart for zambians.
Now that she is gone you will hear the superlatives from the tormentors. I thank madam Nawakwi for leaving us a signal on who to remove as President in 2026, though we will just have to navigate who to put as she did not leave us that signal. Go well RIP
As a matter of fact I worked with Nawakwi at one of the Ministries she was assigned to. As a matter of fact we did not get well along. As a matter of fact I left public service because of her. However when I heard of her passing I away was very sad. I do not think that those that we differ with politically as humans we should be very sad when we hear that something bad has happened to them.
MHSRIP…….
Despite Mr Nawakwi having an impact on governance in Zambia…..
She was by all intents and purposes very toxic, with a sometimes seemingly one mission agenda to slander HH , at every opportunity……..
Despite having an education as an economist, she could not survive out side GRZ and the dirty accusations in Zambian politics ……….
Being a former finance minister is a badge of honour that usually leads to a very comfortable life after politics because of the skills as an economist that took you to that post in the first place………, alas not in this case………or there were no economists skills
FED2031
Hey Hey Zambian custom allows even the devil to become an Angel that’s just how we are
@Spaka
Don’t forget that all Politicians are the same…very toxic and always slandering each other…you’re not a Politician so you don’t really understand….same thing here in the USA…always bringing each other down
Anonymous
No . No..No…….
Not with unsubstantiated lies…….
FWD2031
Does it mean that even the millions of dollars Zambia lost in the Carlington Maize Scandal are now also dead? Awe sure, we want our money dead or alive!
This article is incomplete, what killed Nawakwi? We must desist from this culture of hiding sickness, imagine she or Kambwili or GBM became president, are these now mobile state funerals we are playing with? Zambian politicians all knew Sata’s carcinoma cancer was so advanced that his head had started saturating with “amasalamusi” but they inaugurated him, what followed with the most shameful episode in Zambia politics.
Are you for real? Why do you want to know that? Elyo uchite inshi ngawaishiba? Kachepa. Echomulowela. Please you should come and post your father’s death and your children. Please don’t forget the cause. Who told you that dead people have no privacy?
Rest well, in death we all shall be one. As usual when one dies we blame others. The holier than thou sydrome is powerful in this country, anyway may we stop mulomo and grow.
Well said Muntu, the self righteousness here is very toxic.
The Bard put it well as usual:
“THE GOOD IS OFT INTERRED WITH THEIR BONES”
Ba LT it’s time you learnt how to write am obituary. Nawakwi wasn’t born in 1998. Where did she go to school? Did she have a husband? Kids? How did she form her party? The quarrels with HH over privatisation? Go see how your colleagues in the Economist, Newsweek, Time write when any of our leaders die. No tuchawa olo crocodile mourning. If anything obituaries aren’t written when a newspaper dies. They are always written and edited before then filed in the library. They are only updated when one passes away.
* If anything obituaries aren’t written when a newsmaker dies….
Didn’t HH ask the courts to go her home and try her from there even as she was sick. HH must be the worst evil leader Zambia has ever seen. How do you try someone in their death bed? Is that normal in bweengwa?
This issue of ” evacuating” just a “selected” few individuals for specialized medical treatment using tax payers money should come to an end….how much tax payers have we wasted for the past 40 years evacuating a selected few for specialized medical treatment….don’t you think that money is enough to build world class Hospitals in Zambia so that ALL ZAMBIANS can have access to “Specialized medical treatment “….
True but we’re cursed. I have seen how our friends treasure their equipment. Not here baba. Kitwe Teaching Hospital equipment is run down and see how quickly doctors refer you to private labs even for simple tests
It’s a very sad situation that a lot of money is spent on medicals in foreign countries …
It could be personal or public money but still remains a drain in our national coffers.
GBM needs treatment lets not eulogies him God forbid when he is gone. Lets learn to speak life in other people.
Puts Humanity Before Politics
But politics is part of humanity. Even in politics we must act humanely regardless.