Zambia’s former First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa has died at the age of 61.
According to family sources, she succumbed late Tuesday after a brief illness at a hospital in the capital, Lusaka.
The former first lady was married to the country’s third President, Levy Mwanawasa, who ruled Zambia from 2002 until his death in 2008.
President Hakainde Hichilema described her death as a “deep shock”.
A lawyer by profession, Mwanawasa was an active advocate for social justice, community development and public health issues.
She ran a law firm with her husband until he joined politics and was actively involved in her husband’s successful presidential bid in 2001.
She was considered a potential candidate to succeed her husband before his death in 2008, but she did not seek to stand after he died.
In 2016, Mwanawasa contested for the position of mayor of Lusaka but was not successful.
She was a founding member and former president of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS, currently known as the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development.
Her efforts in community development earned her several awards, including the International Hope Award from World Vision in 2006.
Source: BBC News
