Simon Zukas Dies Aged 96

Simon Zukas - a hero of Zambia’s independence struggle - has died at the age of 96. Zukas was one of the foremost figures in the campaign to reintroduce multi-party politics and held several positions within the MMD government.

Born to Jewish parents in Lithuania, Zukas and his family emigrated to what was then the British colony of Northern Rodesia, which, unlike South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, did not limit the number of Jewish settlers allowed into the country. 

In the 1960s, he joined Zambia’s movement for independence - one of the few white men to take up the cause of liberation. He also became a leader of the country’s small Jewish community and was elected chairman of the Council for Zambian Jewry. 

Zukas was educated at the University of Cape Town, where he studied civil engineering. The introduction of apartheid in South Africa while he was a student prompted Zukas to enter politics, campaigning for racial equality and joining the African National Congress. 

Upon his return to Zambia, Zukas became an active participant in the country’s liberation movement, eventually causing him to be deported to Britain. However, following independence, Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda invited him to return to the country in 1965. 

Zukas then tried to convince President Kaunda to embrace multi-party democracy but was initially unsuccessful. In 1990 he joined the MMD and played a major role in ushering the party to power in 1991. 

Latterly, Zukas was the leader of the Forum for Democracy and Development before retiring from politics in 2005.