Veteran human rights activist Linda Masarira has died at the age of 43.

Masarira, who led the small Labour Economists and African Democrats (LEAD) opposition party, died in Harare early on Sunday, according to colleagues.

“It is with deep sorrow and a heavy heart to announce the passing on of a close friend and associate, a comrade to many, LEAD president Linda Tsungirirai Masarira, today, Sunday, 24 May 2026,” her friend Abigale Mupambi said in a death notice.

Masarira had been battling poor health for sometime, but recently appeared to be on the mend, Mupambi said.

Masarira was a leading advocate for the rights of women and children.

She entered politics first as a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) then led by Tendai Biti, before serving as spokesperson for the Thokozani Khupe-led Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T).

She founded LEAD in April 2019. In 2023, she failed to run for president after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission raised nomination fees from $1,000 to $20,000.