Zimbabwe army commander Lieutenant General Edzayi Chimonyo dies in hospital. [Courtesy]
Zimbabwe's army commander died early on Thursday after succumbing to cancer, the presidential spokesman said.
The army holds an outsized influence in Zimbabwean politics. In November 2017, the army stepped in to oust the late Robert Mugabe and pave way for incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Lieutenant General Edzayi Chimonyo, who was appointed to the position after the coup, had been battling cancer, George Charamba, the presidential spokesman wrote on Twitter.
Chimonyo, like all the current crop of military generals in Zimbabwe, is a former fighter in the country's 1970s war of independence.
READ MORE
Nairobi targets system gaps as late cancer diagnoses strain care capacity
MPs call for overhaul of cancer treatment access and funding
Africa urged to prioritise domestic health to tackle rising burden of NCDs
Ending cervical cancer: Why boys must get the HPV vaccine too
The opposition often accuse the army of openly siding with the ruling party in violation of the constitution.
