'Sakhile not linked to Mnangagwa's family'

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa's office yesterday denied reports that Sakhile Mnangagwa, who was duped of US$68 000 in a car importation deal, was linked to the First Family.

Presidential Communications permanent secretary Regis Chikowore accused the country's three local dailies of linking Sakhile to the First Family without "verifying facts".

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

"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 have not dragged the First Family into the said court case."

In the court case, Sakhile also gave his home address as Lot 1 Sherwood Block, Kwekwe. It could not be established if it is the President's Sherwood Block's Precabe Farm.

In January, he was also named as the President's son in a case in which a Harare man attempted to bulldoze through Beitbridge Border Post claiming he was running errands for "Sakhile, President Mnangagwa's son".