Zambia’s Hichilema: the ‘cattle boy’ secures a second presidential term
Hakainde Hichilema has secured a second term as Zambia’s president, returning the southern African country’s leader to office after a campaign in which he cast himself as a man of ordinary rural origins, according to The Africa Report.
The presidency is the latest chapter in a political journey that began far from the halls of state. Before entering politics full-time, Hichilema built a business empire spanning finance, ranching and other sectors, accumulating a fortune that made him one of Zambia’s wealthiest businessmen. That business record, however, has often sat uneasily with the image he projects publicly: that of a self-described “cattle boy” who grew up in a rural part of the country and remains, in his telling, close to those same roots.
A 2021 breakthrough
Hichilema first won the presidency in 2021, a victory that ended the rule of the Patriotic Front and its leader, Edgar Lungu, and ushered in a change at the top of the Zambian government following years of political tension between the two men. He went on to win a second term in the latest election.
Zambia’s political context
Zambia is a landlocked country in southern Africa, bordered by eight neighbours including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Its economy has long been anchored by copper mining, a sector that has shaped both its prosperity and its politics. The country has a record of peaceful transfers of power since the 1990s, even when elections have been closely fought, and Hichilema’s re-election extends that tradition.
As The Africa Report noted, Hichilema’s continued appeal to his “cattle boy” identity reflects a broader effort to present himself as accessible to ordinary Zambians, even as he leads a country navigating heavy debt loads and persistent economic pressures.
Sources
This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.
- The Africa Report — Zambia’s Hichilema: The ‘cattle boy’ now a two-time president
- standardmedia.co.ke — Zambia’s Hichilema: ‘cattle boy’ and two-time president
