Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga returned home on Saturday after spending four months in China receiving medical treatment for an unknown illness, state-owned media reported. Chiwenga, the 63-year-old former general who led a coup against the late Robert Mugabe two years ago, has spent a large part of the year away from work, also receiving treatment in South Africa and India. His absence from public duties had stoked speculation about the gravity of his illness, which authorities have sought to play down. Local private media have reported that Chiwenga's health deteriorated in July and that he underwent two operations following a suspected poisoning. Government officials in Zimbabwe routinely seek medical treatment abroad while the country's public health system has collapsed and hospitals struggle to provide medicines to patients.

Source: The Star November 23, 2019 08:15 UTC