Zimbabwe vice president diesHARARE: Zimbabwean vice-president John Nkomo has died after a long battle with cancer, President Robert Mugabe said yesterday.

Nkomo, 78, was said to have died at St Anne’s hospital in Harare. 

“We have lost our vice-president John Landa Nkomo, he was suffering for a long time with cancer,” said Mugabe

“We have lost a real revolutionary, a fighter of freedom, a friend of the people. He will be dearly missed by all of us.”

Nkomo was appointed to one of the country’s two vice-presidencies under Mugabe in late 2009.

Responsible for overseeing financial, economic and environmental policy Nkomo, a former speaker of parliament, was seen as loyal to Mugabe. AFP