Harare, July 29 — Zimbabwe’s Minister of Agriculture, Perrance Shiri has succumbed to the novel Coronavirus at the age of 65, becoming the first government minister to be claimed by the virus.
Shiri, notorious for commanding Zimbabwe’s Fifth Brigade army unit that massacred thousands of civilians in the 1980s across western Zimbabwe when government cracked down on opposition Zimbabwe African National Union party (ZAPU), allegedly contracted COVID-19 from his driver who also recently succumbed to the dreaded disease.
Before becoming the country’s Agriculture Minister, he (Shiri), who was commander of Zimbabwe’s Airforce for 25 years, is also known for helping plot the military coup that overthrew the Southern African nation’s former late longtime President Robert Mugabe in 2017.
Without mentioning what killed his minister, turning to his official Twitter account, Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa tweeted ‘I am deeply saddened to inform the Nation of the death of the Minister of Agriculture, Air Chief Marshall (retired) Perrance Shiri, a longtime friend and colleague.’
Shiri is reported to have died in the early hours of Wednesday at a hospital in the Zimbabwean capital Harare.
Although Mr. Mnangagwa did not mention in his statement what killed the Minister, Zimbabwe’s local media said Shiri succumbed to complications from Coronavirus, which has so far infected closer to 3,000 Zimbabweans and killed 40.
On his Facebook page, Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Vangelis Haritatos confirmed the death of his immediate boss.
“Sadly this is true. Hon. Minister Shiri passed on this morning,” Haritatos said.
Meanwhile, the 1980s army massacres, notoriously known as ‘Gukurahundi’ a word in Shona native language which means early rains that wash away the chaff—which Shiri led, remain a source of bitterness for this country’s people in the Matabeleland regions, many of whom lost loved ones during the genocide.