VP Rests at 82
Zambia's former Vice President Guy Scott has died at the age of 82 following an illness.
Scott rose to become Vice President (2011–2014) and briefly Acting President (2014–2015), the first head of state of European descent in mainland Africa since F.W. de Klerk in 1989.
Scott’s upbringing blended privilege with exposure to Zambia’s realities. He attended Springvale School and Peterhouse Boys’ School in then-Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), then earned a BA in Economics from Trinity Hall, Cambridge, in 1965.
He returned to newly independent Zambia as a planner in the Ministry of Finance and deputy editor of The Business and Economy of East and Central Africa.
Scott’s career had notable lows. Sacked by Chiluba in April 1993 amid alleged coup-plot rumors (which he denied), he faced the volatility of Zambian politics.
Scott died at 82 on his Lusaka farm after an illness, mourned nationally. His life defies simple categorization: a white African who thrived in Black-majority politics through merit, relationships, and shared vision rather than identity politics. He proved Zambians could embrace leaders based on competence and loyalty to the nation.
President Hakainde Hichilema has accorded him a state funeral.
May He Rest in Eternal Peace.