Sibusiso Moyo, the Zimbabwean foreign minister and former army-general have reportedly died after being infected with the coronavirus.
Moyo, aged 61, was the one who announced the military takeover that ousted long-serving President Robert Mugabe from power.
A relative confirmed his death on Wednesday. “It’s true my brother, COVID-19. He tested positive yesterday,” the family member told Xinhua media house.
He is the third government minister to succumb to COVID-19 since the pandemic hit the country in March 2020.
He was reported to have died in a local hospital on Wednesday, President Emerson Mnangagwa’s spokesman George Charamba said in a statement.
Mr Mnangagwa described him as a friend and a “true hero”.
“He fought his entire life so that Zimbabwe could be free,” the president said.
Zimbabwe has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases since last December festivities. So far 28,675 have been confirmed and 825 people have died.