Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has died aged 65 after a battle with cancer, party officials have said.

Elias Mudzuri, a vice president of the Movement for Democratic Change party, reported Tsvangirai's death in a post on Twitter on Wednesday.

"It is sad for me to announce that we have lost our icon and fighter for democracy," Mudzuri wrote.

Tsvangirai had been in and out of hospital in South Africa after revealing in 2016 that he had colon cancer.

Read more about Tsvangirai here, and watch a 2009 interview with him here.

He served as prime minister under ex-President Robert Mugabe in a 2009-2013 unity government.

Obert Gutu, a party spokesman, confirmed Tsvangirai's death on Twitter, calling him "a political icon, a humble and tenacious fighter for the creation of a peaceful, stable, democratic and progressive nation-state in Zimbabwe".

Last week, Tsvangirai had taken to Twitter to play down speculation that his illness was terminal.

"I have cancer and [am] not feeling too well, but I am stable and the process is under control. ... I am recovering," he wrote on February 6.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from Harare, said that people in Zimbabwe's capital were "shocked" at the news of his death.

"A lot of people are saying they are going to miss him," she said.

Who was Morgan Tsvangirai?

A powerful public speaker, Tsvangirai was born in 1952 to a bricklayer father in Buhera, in the southeast of Zimbabwe.

At independence from Britain in 1980, Tsvangirai became branch chairman of the National Mine Workers Union, rising through the ranks to become secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) in 1988, a post he relinquished when he formed the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in 1999.

In the 2008 elections, he was the main challenger to Mugabe and his ZANU-PF. He managed to win 47 percent of the vote, against Mugabe’s 43 percent, but fell short of the threshold needed to avoid a second round.

Tsvangirai then boycotted the runoff, citing intimidation and harassment of his supporters, handing Mugabe the victory.

Regional leaders and the international community intervened, and after months of negotiations, Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister in 2009. It was a temporary power-sharing government but Mugabe was still the president.

In the 2013 presidential elections, Tsvangirai's MDC lost by a huge margin. His critics said he had ignored the plight of the poor and got caught up in the trappings of wealth and power.

Tsvangirai's death comes a few months before Zimbabweans are expected to head to the polls to elect a new president following the resignation of Mugabe, who has been succeeded by Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Lance Guma, editor of Nehanda Radio, said Tsvangirai's death dealt "a severe blow to the opposition".

"Finding someone new and trying to build their profile within the country within a space of four months is going to be a mammoth task," he said.

Alex Magaisa, a former adviser of Tsvangirai, called the late opposition leader a "brave and courageous man".

"In 2008, he did something very incredible," Magaisa said from Canterbury, in the UK.

"He won the election, he was the most popular politician at the time. He could have been stubborn, but he decided to do what was necessary for the people of Zimbabwe. He compromised and worked with Mugabe."</s>Morgan Tsvangirai, the long-time leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition party, has died at age 65.

Mr Tsvangirai had been battling colon cancer, but his exact cause of death has not been disclosed.

The vice president for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) confirmed Ms Tsvangirai's death.

"I can confirm that he died this evening. The family communicated this to me," Elias Mudzuri told Reuters.

More to come.</s>Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai died Wednesday at age 65, ending a long campaign to lead his country that brought him jailings, beatings and accusations of treason.

Tsvangirai died Wednesday evening in a Johannesburg hospital, said Elias Mudzuri, a vice president of the Movement for Democratic Change party. The opposition leader had been battling colon cancer for two years.

Tsvangirai for years was longtime ruler Robert Mugabe's most potent challenger and even became prime minister in an uncomfortable coalition government for a few years. Mugabe, 93 and in power for 37 years, resigned in November after pressure from the military and ruling party.

In January, the ailing Tsvangirai suggested that he would be stepping down, saying he was "looking at the imminent prospects of us as the older generation leaving the levers of leadership to allow the younger generation to take forward this huge task."

His death leaves the opposition in disarray just months before national elections. An opposition alliance had endorsed him as its candidate, even as his deputies tussled to act as party leader while he was out of the country for treatment.

Those power struggles are now likely to intensify, which may give an edge to the ruling party, ZANU-PF, and its candidate, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

"We are still mourning. This is not the time to talk about that," MDC party spokesman Obert Gutu said.

Tsvangirai came tantalizingly close to the presidency in 2008 when he won the most votes in the election. But the results, delayed nearly a month as Mugabe's officials "verified" the count, gave him just 47 percent, shy of the more than 50 percent majority needed to win outright. Tsvangirai boycotted the runoff, citing widespread violence against his supporters, handing Mugabe the victory.

Negotiations then led to the coalition government, an uneasy alliance that ended in 2013 when Mugabe won elections amid charges of intimidation and rigging.

Being Mugabe's most prominent opponent brought Tsvangirai considerable hardship. He was jailed several times and charged with treason. He suffered a fractured skull and internal bleeding when he and more than a dozen other leaders of his party were arrested and beaten with gun butts, belts and whips in 2007.

In an earlier incident Tsvangirai was almost thrown from his office window by a government agent.

"Morgan Tsvangirai will be remembered as one of Zimbabwe's great patriots," opposition figure and human rights lawyer David Coltart said Wednesday night. "Although, like all of us, he made mistakes none of us ever doubted his commitment to transform Zimbabwe into a modern, tolerant state."

Born March 10, 1952 in the rural Buhera area southeast of the capital, Harare, Tsvangirai was the oldest of nine children. After graduation from secondary school he worked at the Bindura Nickel Mine for 10 years, eventually becoming plant supervisor. It was during the years of the nationalist war against white minority-ruled Rhodesia. Tsvangirai later said he did not join the guerrilla fighters because his salary supported the education of his younger siblings.

When Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, Tsvangirai joined Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and became active in trade unions, rising to become secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. The labor organization had been a rubber stamp supporter of Mugabe and ZANU-PF, but under Tsvangirai's leadership it became a vocal critic of Mugabe's government.

The labor federation became a key component of an emerging network of anti-government civil society groups including lawyers, students and churches demanding an end to worsening human rights abuses and deepening economic problems.

In 1999 he founded the MDC, which attracted support from blacks and whites and in rural and urban areas. The party quickly became a serious challenge to Mugabe's party.

Tsvangirai was also leader of the National Constitutional Assembly, a coalition of civil society groups that successfully campaigned in a 2000 referendum against a new constitution they alleged gave Mugabe too many powers. Most of the organization's leaders joined Tsvangirai's MDC.

Nine months after its formation, the MDC won 57 seats in parliament, five short of the ruling party's 62, the first time Mugabe's party came close to losing its parliamentary majority.

Tsvangirai then continued for years as the country's opposition leader, facing significant repression from Mugabe and ZANU-PF.

Shortly after becoming prime minister in 2009, Tsvangirai suffered a serious blow when his wife, Susan, died when the car they were travelling in overturned. Without his wife, Tsvangirai lost domestic stability and became involved in romances that were widely publicized by the Zimbabwean press.

His time as prime minister was criticized as being marked by his search for a new wife and also by his enjoyment of the trappings of power, but Tsvangirai was also credited with encouraging stability, civility and international goodwill. His long struggle as Mugabe's main challenger was credited with helping to keep a measure of democratic space open in Zimbabwe.

"Thank you for making it possible for people like me to find the courage to say enough is enough," said pastor Evan Mawarire, who led large anti-government protests in 2016. "Zimbabwe owes you a great debt."

This story was corrected to show that Tsvangirai successfully campaigned against Mugabe's constitutional referendum in 2000.</s>Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of Zimbabwe’s opposition party, has died after a long battle with cancer.

Mr Tsvangirai, who was 65, was a former Prime Minister and was leader of the Movement for Democratic Change.

Elias Mudzuri, the vice-president of the party said tonight: “I can confirm that he died this evening. The family communicated this to me.”

A powerful orator from humble beginnings, Morgan Tsvangirai was arguably Zimbabwe's most popular politician and came within a whisker of unseating Robert Mugabe only to be outmanoeuvred and ultimately outlived by his long-time nemesis.

At the peak of his career, the self-taught son of a brick-layer served as prime minister to Mugabe's president in a 2009-2013 unity government cobbled together after a disputed and violent election in which scores of his supporters were killed.

His presence helped stabilise an economy in freefall but Mugabe reneged on pledges to overhaul the former British colony's partisan security forces and Tsvangirai was shunted back into his familiar role as opposition gadfly.

A hefty electoral defeat in 2013, blamed in part on Tsvangirai's involvement in two sex scandals, put paid to his dreams of one day leading the southern African nation and three years later he revealed he was being treated for colon cancer.

He died on Wednesday aged 65, after 18 months of treatment in neighbouring South Africa.

Despite their rivalry, 93-year-old Mugabe harboured grudging respect for an opponent who suffered multiple abuses at the hands of security forces, including a police beating in 2007 that left him with deep gashes in his head.

During their time in power together, the two men developed an uneasy working relationship, squabbling frequently but also taking afternoon tea every Monday and even joking about their frequent head-butting.

"I've got my fair share of criticisms and also dealt back rights and lefts and upper cuts. But that's the game," Mugabe said on the eve of the 2013 vote, mimicking the movements of a boxer.

"Although we boxed each other, it's not as hostile as before. It's all over now. We can shake hands."

In the coalition's early days, Tsvangirai even said he found Mugabe to be "very accommodative, very charming".</s>JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Zimbabwe's veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has died at age 65, bringing an end to his long campaign to lead his country. He had been seeking treatment in neighboring South Africa after announcing in 2016 that he had colon cancer.

Tsvangirai for years was the most potent challenger to longtime ruler Robert Mugabe and even became prime minister in an uncomfortable coalition government for a few years. Mugabe resigned in November after pressure from the military and ruling party, and this year's election will be the first without the man who led the southern African nation for 37 years.

In January, Tsvangirai suggested that he would be stepping down, saying he was "looking at the imminent prospects of us as the older generation leaving the levers of leadership to allow the younger generation to take forward this huge task."

Tsvangirai came tantalizingly close to the presidency in 2008 when he won the most votes in the election. But the results, delayed nearly a month as Mugabe's officials "verified" the count, gave him just 47 percent, shy of the more than 50 percent majority needed to win outright. Tsvangirai boycotted the runoff, citing widespread violence against his supporters, handing Mugabe the victory.

Negotiations then led to the coalition government, an uneasy alliance that ended in 2013 when Mugabe won elections amid charges of intimidation and rigging.

Being Mugabe's most prominent opponent brought Tsvangirai considerable hardship. He was jailed several times and charged with treason. He was severely beaten by Zimbabwean authorities, suffering a fractured skull and internal bleeding, in 2007 when he and more than a dozen other leaders of his party, the Movement for Democratic Change, were arrested and beaten with gun butts, belts and whips. In an earlier incident Tsvangirai was almost thrown from his office window by a government agent.

"Morgan Tsvangirai will be remembered as one of Zimbabwe's great patriots," opposition figure and human rights lawyer David Coltart said Wednesday night. "Although, like all of us, he made mistakes none of us ever doubted his commitment to transform Zimbabwe into a modern, tolerant state."

Born March 10, 1952 in the rural Buhera area southeast of the capital, Harare, Tsvangirai was the oldest of nine children. After graduation from secondary school he worked at the Bindura Nickel Mine for 10 years, eventually becoming plant supervisor. It was during the years of the nationalist war against white minority-ruled Rhodesia. Tsvangirai later said he did not join the guerrilla fighters because his salary supported the education of his younger siblings.

When Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, Tsvangirai joined Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and became active in trade unions, rising to become secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. The labor organization had been a rubber stamp supporter of Mugabe and ZANU-PF, but under Tsvangirai's leadership it became a vocal critic of Mugabe's government.

The labor federation became a key component of an emerging network of anti-government civil society groups including lawyers, students and churches demanding an end to worsening human rights abuses and deepening economic problems.

In 1999 he founded the MDC, which attracted support from blacks and whites and in rural and urban areas. The party quickly became a serious challenge to Mugabe's party.

Tsvangirai was also leader of the National Constitutional Assembly, a coalition of civil society groups that successfully campaigned against a "no" vote in a 2000 referendum for a new constitution they alleged gave Mugabe too many powers. Most of the organization's leaders joined Tsvangirai's MDC.

Nine months after its formation, the MDC won 57 seats in parliament, five short of the ruling party's 62, the first time Mugabe's party came close to losing its parliamentary majority.

Tsvangirai then continued for years as the country's opposition leader, facing significant repression from Mugabe and ZANU-PF.

During his time as prime minister, Tsvangirai was credited with bringing stability and international goodwill. His long struggle as Mugabe's main challenger was credited with helping to keep a measure of democratic space open in Zimbabwe.

"Thank you for making it possible for people like me to find the courage to say enough is enough," said pastor Evan Mawarire, who led large anti-government protests in 2016. "Zimbabwe owes you a great debt."

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has died at age 65, party spokesman says.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai — has died at 65. He had been suffering from colon cancer. As the arch political rival of then-president Robert Mugabe, Tsvangirai came to symbolize courageous resistance to Mugabe's repressive regime.



Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.</s>Morgan Tsvangirai, the veteran Zimbabwean opposition leader who fought President Robert Mugabe's regime for many years, died Wednesday at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer, a party official said.

"It is sad for me to announce that we have lost our icon and fighter for democracy," said Elias Mudzuri, a vice president of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, in a post on Twitter.

The self-taught son of a bricklayer served as prime minister to President Mugabe in a 2009-2013 unity government cobbled together after a disputed and violent election in which scores of Tsvangirai's supporters were killed. His presence helped stabilise an economy in freefall but Mugabe reneged on pledges to overhaul the former British colony’s partisan security forces and Tsvangirai was shunted back into his familiar role as opposition rival.

Tsvangirai challenged Mugabe's re-election in a 2013 vote, saying the poll was manipulated and did not meet regional election standards. Some observers blamed his electoral defeat in part on Tsvangirai’s involvement in two sex scandals.

Late last year in an interview with FRANCE 24, Tsvangirai dicussed the political situation in his country following Mugabe's resignation.

>> Video: 'Free and fair elections, that is our mantra,' Tsvangirai tells FRANCE 24

Mugabe's government had detained Tsvangirai on numerous occasions over his vocal criticism of the regime.

Security forces swooped in on him in 1989 after he bluntly warned about the rising tide of political repression in the country.

Tsvangirai also claimed to have been the target of four assassination attempts – including one in 1997 in which he said attackers attempted to throw him out of his office window.

Despite their rivalry, 93-year-old Mugabe harboured grudging respect for an opponent who suffered multiple abuses at the hands of security forces, including a police beating in 2007 that left him with deep gashes in his head.

During their time in power together, the two men developed an uneasy working relationship, squabbling frequently but also taking afternoon tea every Monday and even joking about their frequent head-butting.

“I’ve got my fair share of criticisms and also dealt back rights and lefts and upper cuts. But that’s the game,” Mugabe said on the eve of the 2013 vote, mimicking the movements of a boxer.

“Although we boxed each other, it’s not as hostile as before. It’s all over now. We can shake hands.”

In the coalition’s early days, Tsvangirai even said he found Mugabe to be “very accommodative, very charming”.

In 2016 Tsvangirai revealed he was being treated for colon cancer. He died on Wednesday after undergoing 18 months of treatment in neighbouring South Africa.</s>Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has died at the age of 65, bringing an end to his long campaign to lead his country.

Elias Mudzuri, a vice president of his Movement for Democratic Change party, said Mr Tsvangirai died on Wednesday evening in a Johannesburg hospital. He had been fighting colon cancer for two years.

Mr Tsvangirai was for years the most potent challenger to long-time ruler Robert Mugabe and even became prime minister in an uncomfortable coalition government.

He came tantalisingly close to winning power in 2008 when he got the most votes in the national election, but according to official results, he was just short of the more than 50% majority needed to win outright.

He boycotted the run-off, citing widespread violence against his supporters, handing Mr Mugabe the victory.

Mr Mugabe resigned in November after pressure from the military and ruling party, and this year’s election will be the first without the man who led the southern African nation for 37 years.

In January, Mr Tsvangirai suggested he would be stepping down, saying he was “looking at the imminent prospects of us as the older generation leaving the levers of leadership to allow the younger generation to take forward this huge task”.

Being Mugabe’s most prominent opponent brought Mr Tsvangirai considerable hardship, and he was jailed several times and charged with treason.

He suffered a fractured skull and internal bleeding in 2007 when he and more than a dozen other leaders of the MDC were arrested and beaten with gun butts, belts and whips.

In an earlier incident Mr Tsvangirai was almost thrown from his office window by a government agent.

“Morgan Tsvangirai will be remembered as one of Zimbabwe’s great patriots,” opposition figure and human rights lawyer David Coltart said.

“Although, like all of us, he made mistakes none of us ever doubted his commitment to transform Zimbabwe into a modern, tolerant state.”

“Thank you for making it possible for people like me to find the courage to say enough is enough,” said pastor Evan Mawarire, who led large anti-government protests in 2016.

Born on March 10 1952 in the rural Buhera area south-east of the capital, Harare, Mr Tsvangirai was the oldest of nine children.

After graduation from secondary school he worked at the Bindura Nickel Mine for 10 years, eventually becoming plant supervisor.

It was during the years of the nationalist war against white minority-ruled Rhodesia, and Mr Tsvangirai later said he did not join the guerrilla fighters because his salary supported the education of his younger siblings.

When Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, he joined Mr Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and became active in trade unions, rising to become secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.

It had been a loyal supporter of Mr Mugabe and ZANU-PF, but under Mr Tsvangirai’s leadership it became a vocal critic of the government.

The labour federation became a key component of an emerging network of anti-government civil society groups including lawyers, students and churches demanding an end to worsening human rights abuses and deepening economic problems.

In 1999 he founded the MDC, which attracted support from blacks and whites and in rural and urban areas.

The party quickly became a serious challenge to Mr Mugabe’s party.

Nine months after its formation, the MDC won 57 seats in parliament, five short of the ruling party’s 62, the first time Mr Mugabe’s party came close to losing its parliamentary majority.

Mr Tsvangirai then continued for years as the country’s opposition leader, facing significant repression from Mr Mugabe and ZANU-PF.

During his time as prime minister, Mr Tsvangirai was credited with bringing stability and international goodwill.

His long struggle as Mr Mugabe’s main challenger was credited with helping to keep a measure of democratic space open in Zimbabwe.</s>Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has died aged 65. Tsvangirai who had reportedly been suffering from colon cancer died Wednesday in a South African hospital where he was receiving treatment. Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) acting president Elias Mudzuri announced the …
Morgan Tsvangirai, opposition politician in Zimbabwe, dies of colon cancer at the age of 65, only months before a presidential election.