HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — State media say former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe is expected to be buried next Sunday.

Mugabe, an ex-guerrilla leader who became the southern African country's first leader following independence from white minority rule in 1980 and held on to power until he was forced to resign in 2017, died in Singapore on Friday.

His body will arrive in Zimbabwe on Wednesday, the Sunday Mail quoted presidential spokesman George Charamba as saying.

Mugabe enjoyed strong backing from Zimbabwe's people after taking over in 1980 but that support waned following decades of repression, economic mismanagement and allegations of rigging elections.