Harare (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s agriculture minister Perrance Shiri died from the COVID-19 infection, becoming the first senior government official to succumb to the pandemic, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Thursday.
Shiri, a retired general who helped plot a coup that ousted Robert Mugabe in 2017, died on Wednesday.
The late liberation war veteran was declared a national hero and will be buried on Friday during a closed ceremony.
“Now that it is confirmed that Minister Shiri died of COVID-19, we will follow World Health Organisation regulations on how the funeral should proceed,” Mnangagwa said during a funeral wake at Shiri’s home in Harare.
Zimbabwe has recorded 2,879 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 40 deaths.
Date:
Latest
For Kuwait’s new emir, Saudi ties are seen as key
Kuwait (Reuters) - Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah was named...
Pope Francis deplores Israeli killings of civilians at Gaza church
Vatican City (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday again...
Palestinians must find new path from Israeli rule after war, top official says
Ramallah (Reuters) - Immediately after Israel's war in Gaza...
Israel says it struck Hezbollah sites after attacks from Lebanon
Jerusalem/Beirut (Reuters) - Israel said on Sunday it had...