Zimbabwe’s Transport Minister Joel Biggie Matiza Dies

  • VOA

FILE: Joel Biggie Matiza with Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa.

According to the state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, Matiza died Friday evening at St. Anne’s Hospital in Harare. The cause of his death is unknown.

Information Secretary, Nick Mangwana, was unreachable for comment as he did not respond to calls and text messages on his mobile phone.

The Herald newspaper reports that Mangwana confirmed Matiza’s death.

The Ministry of Health reports that 45 people died on COVID-19 on Thursday and 476 tested positive for coronavirus.

In a tweet, the ministry said, "As of 22 January 2021, Zimbabwe had 30,523 confirmed cases, including 21,080 recoveries and 962 deaths."

A few days ago Foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo and Manicaland Provincial Affairs Minister Ellen Gwaradzimba succumbed to COVID-19.

Gwaradzimba was laid to rest Thursday at the National Heroes Acre where Moyo will also be buried.