This archive report was first published on 29 July 2020.
On July 29, 2020, Zimbabwe's Agriculture Minister Perrance Shiri died of Covid-19 at the age of 65, a day after two legislators tested positive for the disease.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced the death of retired air force marshal Perrance Shiri on Wednesday, expressing his deep sadness.
"I am deeply saddened to inform the nation of the death of the Minister of Agriculture Retired Air Marshall Perrance Shiri, a long time friend and colleague," President Mnangagwa said.
Shiri was a veteran of Zimbabwe's 1970s liberation war and had served as the commander of Zimbabwe's Air Force until the 2017 military coup that toppled long-time ruler Robert Mugabe.
He then joined President Mnangagwa's first Cabinet and was hospitalised on Tuesday just days after his driver succumbed to Covid-19 at the weekend.
Shiri's death comes as Zimbabwe has recorded a spike in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, with the country's caseload shooting to 2,817 after 113 new infections were reported on Tuesday.
The Health ministry said four more people had died, bringing the total number of those that have succumbed to the pandemic to 40.
