LUSAKA, Zambia — The Zambian government announced Wednesday that Guy Scott, the politician who made history by briefly serving as Africa’s first white head of state in over two decades, has died at the age of 82.
Scott held the position of vice president of Zambia and stepped into the role of acting president for a period of three months in 2014, following the in-office death of President Michael Sata.
His time as acting president marked a historic milestone — he became the first white head of state on the African continent since South Africa’s F.W. de Klerk, who was the final leader under the apartheid system. De Klerk left office after South Africa held its first all-race elections in 1994, which brought Nelson Mandela to power.
According to a government statement, Scott passed away at his farm located in the capital city of Lusaka. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has authorized a state funeral for Scott, though an official date has not yet been announced.
Scott, who was of Scottish and English descent, first won a seat in Zambia’s Parliament in 1991. He went on to serve as minister of agriculture, food and fisheries before being appointed vice president in 2011.
Those roles made him the first white person to serve as both vice president and, later, president of Zambia since the country gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1964.
