Published on: 07/08/2022 – 14:10 Modified on: 07/08/2022 – 14:13
José Eduardo dos Santos ruled Angola for 37 years before finally ending his long political career in 2018 at the age of 76. He died in the Barcelona clinic, where he had been hospitalized since suffering a cardiac arrest on June 23, 2022, the government said on its Facebook page.
The former Angolan dignitary had been ill for many years, but his health had deteriorated significantly in recent months. In June, a Portuguese daily newspaper wrote “between life and death”. He finally died this Friday, July 8, 2022 in Barcelona.
“It is with great pain and dismay that the Angolan government announces the death” of Mr dos Santos, according to a government brief published on social media, which states that the death occurred late this morning.
“Zedu”, as he was called, had started from scratch. The son of a Freemason, José Eduardo dos Santos grew up in the “barrio” of Sanbizanga, a slum in the capital Luanda. A fighter against the Portuguese colonists, he joined the MPLA aged just 19 before joining the armed struggle.
At independence in 1975, “Zedu” was already on the MPLA Central Committee. Then he entered the government, becoming Prime Minister and finally President in 1979, after the death of Agostinho Neto. A superb strategist, “Zedu” will hold the reins of power for almost four decades without ever being elected.