Staff Reporter
LUSAKA – Former Zambian Vice President and former Acting President Guy Scott has died at the age of 82 after an illness, the Zambian Government announced on Wednesday.
President Hakainde Hichilema has directed that Scott be accorded a State funeral in recognition of his distinguished service to Zambia.
Scott served as Vice President under the late President Michael Sata from 2011 until Sata’s death in October 2014.
Following Sata’s passing, Scott assumed the role of Acting President and led the country until January 2015, becoming the first white head of state in mainland Africa in more than two decades since South Africa’s F.W. de Klerk.
In a statement, President Hichilema paid tribute to Scott’s contribution to national development and public service.
“Former Vice President Guy Scott dedicated many years of his life to serving our country with commitment and distinction. In recognition of his contribution to the nation, Government has accorded him a State funeral,” President Hichilema said.
Born in Livingstone in 1944 to Scottish parents, Scott studied economics at the University of Cambridge before embarking on a political career that saw him become one of Zambia’s most prominent political figures.
Although he served as Acting President, Scott was constitutionally barred from contesting the 2015 presidential election because Zambia’s Constitution at the time required both parents of a presidential candidate to be Zambian by birth.
He handed over power after Edgar Lungu was elected President in January 2015.
The Zambian Government said Scott died at his farm in the Leopards Hill area of Lusaka.
Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the Government in due course as the nation prepares to honour one of its veteran political leaders.
