Zambia's Lungu says 'fit as a fiddle'
Thursday March 22 2018
Zambian President Edgar Lungu says he is in good health, following swirling reports he was unwell.
President Lungu made the remarks after several media reports emerged regarding his recent South African visit, where he met his counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, for what the local press described as a scapegoat for his medical trip.
Speaking when he commissioned the expansion of the Maina Soko Medical Centre, adjacent to State House at which he was treated when he collapsed in 2015, President Lungu said he was fit.
"The other day my childhood friend called me asking if I were sick, so that I'm put on treatment," he said, before muting for a few seconds.
"I told him, I'm not sick, if ever I fall sick you will know. I'm open about these things. You can hide sickness, but you can't hide death.
"If someone [referring to the opposition] does not like you, they won't tell you how beautiful you're."
The president then veered off the speech to speak in the local Bemba language.
The 62-year-old lawyer also said he would not sack any of his ministers to impress those calling for their dismissal on grounds of corruption.
In 2015, President Lungu underwent a throat surgery abroad after earlier reporting that he had malaria.
That followed his collapse while giving a speech to commemorate the International Women's Day in the capital, Lusaka.
The Presidency said he was suffering from a narrowing of the oesophagus which needed "high-tech medical procedure which was currently unavailable in Zambia", pointing out the condition was once treated 30 years ago.
The head of state has often been praised for being transparent about his health status, given previous situations in a country where two presidents have died in office without citizens knowing the full extent of their health problems.