Mnangagwa's office dismisses malicious story

The Office of the President and Cabinet yesterday said it was dismayed by a malicious story that appeared in three local newspapers linking President Mnangagwa to a court case in which he was not a respondent.

In a statement last night, Presidential Communications Permanent Secretary Mr Regis Chikowore said the stories were outright malice.

"The Office of the President and Cabinet is dismayed by a malicious story appearing in three local dailies linking the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde ED Mnangagwa, to a court case in which the President is not a respondent.

"The said story directly links one, Sakhile Mnangagwa, involved in the case to the First Family, creating an erroneous impression that the First Family is vicariously answerable.

"This is outright malice. If the three dailies had bothered to verify their facts as they should always do before going to print, they would not have dragged the First Family into the said court case story," he said.

The sentiments come after there were reports that a 45-year-old manager with Monicho Enterprise had appeared in court on allegations of defrauding President Emmerson Mnangagwa's son of US$67 776 in a botched goods shipment deal.