Thandiwe Banda

Rupiah Banda's first wife, Hope Mwansa Makulu, died in 2000.[3] He and his second wife, Thandiwe Banda, married during the 2000s, despite an age gap of nearly forty years.[1] He was around 70 years at the time of their wedding, while she was in her 30s.[1] Thandiwe and Rupiah Banda are the parents of twins, Temwani and Duniya, whose conception came as a surprise to both, according to an interview she gave with BBC Africa.[4][5]

Banda was elected President in 2008, making Thandiwe Banda the youngest First Lady in Zambia's history.[1] During her tenure, Banda advocated for the creation of an official office for the First Lady with a government-funded budget to support her public duties and charities.[4] She focused on women's issues, including healthcare and child care, during her tenure.[2] Banda campaigned for stronger legislation to punish perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence.[2] She was also a proponent of the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Zambia.[2]

On December 20, 2011, the government-run Times of Zambia newspaper published an article alleging that the government had seized several of Thandiwe Banda's properties, including a hotel in Malawi, worth billions of kwacha.[6] Banda called the allegations false and demanded an apology and a retraction, which the newspaper initially refused.[6] In January 2012, she filed a lawsuit for libel against the Times of Zambia and its editor-in-chief.[6] In October 2012, the newspaper issued an apology and retracted the article, but the suit against the newspaper continued.[7] Thandiwe Banda won her defamation suit against the Times of Zambia in May 2014.[8] The court awarded Banda thousands of kwacha in damages as compensation.[8]

Banda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and traveled to neighboring South Africa for medical care.[9] She returned to Zambia on January 10, 2015, following several months of medical treatment.[10]