Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been confirmed dead in a South African hospital after a long battle with colon cancer.
His Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party confirmed his death Wednesday evening. “He died this evening. The family communicated this to me,” MDC vice president Elias Mudzuri told Reuters.
The 65-year-old longtime opponent of former president Robert Mugabe has once served as prime minister after the country’s 2008 elections. His loss followed a long political struggle with the government that turned violent and resulted in a power-sharing deal.
Tsvangirai failed to win the 2013 elections and he has since been on and off the political scene following his reported ill health.
His successor in the MDC party is yet to be announced.
