Updated: President Mugabe confirms VP John Nkomo’s death

By The NewsDay | Jan. 17, 2013 | 2 Min read

Vice President John Nkomo has died. Nkomo died this afternoon aged 79 after battling with cancer for years, highly placed government sources told NewsDay.

President Robert Mugabe has confirmed that VP #JohnNkomo died in Harare at St Anne’s Hospital not South Africa as reported in some media. He was rushed to the Hospital in the morning after his health deteriorated.

Nkomo’s brief political career:

Career: Member of African National Congress, 1958-59; joined National Democratic Party, 1960; joined the Zimbabwe African People’s Union, 1961-; arrested and detained at Gonakudzingwa for two years, 1966-68;

Joined the African National Council becoming deputy secretary-general, 1971; attended Geneva Conference as part of Joshua Nkomo’s delegation, 1976; seriously injured in parcel bomb that killed Jason Ziyapapa Moyo, 1977;

Member of Parliament, Matabeleland North, 1980-1985; deputy Minister of Industry and Energy, 1981; Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s office responsible to the Deputy Prime Minister, 1982-84;

Fired from government as one of only two remaining ZAPU members, 1984; Member of Parliament for Tsholotsho, 1985-1990 ; Minister of Labour, Manpower Planning and Social Welfare, 1988-1995; Member of Parliament for Bulawayo North, 1990-1995;

Re-elected Member of Parliament for Bulawayo North, 1995-2000; Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, 1995; Minister of Local Government and National Housing, 1997; Minister of Home Affairs, 2000;

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Minister of State in the President’s Office responsible for Special Affairs, 2002; Speaker of Parliament, 2005-2008; Minister of State in the President’s Office responsible for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration, 2009; Vice-President, 2009 to date.

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