Former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe died from cancer after chemotherapy treatment was stopped because it was no longer effective, a state-owned newspaper quoted President Emmerson Mnangagwa as saying, the first time the government has given the cause of his death.
Mugabe, who led Zimbabwe to independence and crushed his foes during nearly four decades of rule that impoverished his country, died on Sept 6. aged 95 in Singapore.
Mnangagwa told ruling party supporters in New York where he is attending this week's United Nations General Assembly that Mugabe had cancer, but he did not disclose the type.
Mugabe is still to be buried because the government is building a mausoleum at Zimbabwe's national shrine reserved for liberation war fighters in the capital. His body is being kept at his Blue Roof residence in Harare.
"Treatment had stopped, doctors had stopped treatment, chemotherapy, one, because of age and also because the cancer had spread and it was not helping anymore," Mnangagwa said in comments carried by The Herald newspaper on Monday.
In 2011, WikiLeaks released U.S. diplomatic cable that said Mugabe had prostate cancer that had spread to other organs, which government officials denied.
During his time in power, and before he was forced to resign after a coup in November 2017, Mugabe frequently travelled to Singapore to seek treatment.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Hina Khan, Battling Cancer, Shares Pic From Hospital: "Constantly In Pain" Hina Khan Resumes Work After Cancer Diagnosis. Tara Sutaria, Kusha Kapila And Other Celebs Form Her Cheer Squad Watch: Rinku Singh's Hilarious Dressing Room Antics After Being Given 'Fielder Of The Series' Award Travel Influencer Aanvi Kamdar Dies After Falling Off A Waterfall Near Mumbai Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms Trainee IAS Summoned By Pune Cops Over Harassment Claims Against Collector Three Indians On Global Student Prize 2024 Top 50 shortlist Prime Accused In INDIA's Bihar Ally's Brutal Murder Arrested 13 Kg Gold, Electronic Items Worth Rs 10.33 Crore Seized At Mumbai Airport Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.