Zambian government has confirmed the passing of veteran politician Guy Scott, who made history as Africa’s first white head of state in over 20 years during his three-month tenure as acting president. He was 82 years old at the time of his death.
Scott breathed his last on Wednesday at his personal farm located in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, according to an official statement released by the administration. Current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has granted Scott the honor of a state funeral, though organizers have not yet finalized and announced a formal date for the memorial service.
Born to European parents with Scottish and English ancestry, Scott built a decades-long political career in Zambia following the southern African nation’s independence from British colonial rule in 1964. He first won a seat in Zambia’s National Parliament in 1991, marking the start of his years in public service. He later took on the role of Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, where he focused on policy related to the country’s key agricultural sector, before being appointed vice president in 2011. That appointment made him the first white politician to hold the vice presidency in Zambia’s post-independence history.
Scott stepped into the acting presidency in 2014, following the sudden death of sitting president Michael Sata while he was still in office. Over the subsequent three months, Scott served as interim head of state, a role that carved out his unique place in African political history. Before Scott, the last white head of state to hold office on the continent was F.W. de Klerk, the final South African leader under the apartheid system. De Klerk left office in 1994 after South Africa’s first multiracial democratic election, which brought anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela to power, meaning 20 years passed between de Klerk’s exit and Scott taking the interim presidency.