HARARE: Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who led the ousting of Robert Mugabe, has been airlifted to China for medical care, the presidency announced Monday without disclosing his ailment.
“The Vice President this week left for the People’s Republic of China where he is set to undergo further medical tests,“ presidential spokesman George Charamba said in a statement.
The news came just three days after President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Chiwenga was in South Africa receiving treatment and recovering well.
Chiwenga, 62, who is seen as major power-broker in Zimbabwean politics, has been in and out of hospital since the start of this year.
“His relocation to China, which builds on the satisfactory recovery progress he has been making, follows weekend discussions at the highest level between governments of Zimbabwe and China,“ said Charamba.
He added that medical experts from China, Zimbabwe, South Africa and India were attending him.
Chiwenga, then the army chief, led the military takeover that ended Mugabe’s 37-year rule in 2017.
Zimbabwe’s public health services have practically collapsed and those who can afford seek treatment in South Africa or abroad. — AFP
