Government dismisses fake Mnangagwa letter

The government has dismissed as fake a letter circulating on social media claiming that the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) instructed a printing company to produce official portraits of First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa as the "incoming President of the Republic of Zimbabwe."

The purported letter, dated July 14, 2026, alleges that Printflow (Private) Limited had been directed to print 1,000 official portraits of the First Lady, sparking widespread discussion online.

However, Permanent Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Nick Mangwana said the document was fraudulent and identified several inconsistencies that, according to the government, prove it did not originate from the OPC.

"This is a clear fake," Mangwana said in a post on X.

He said the Office of the President and Cabinet does not procure official portraits directly from Printflow, explaining that the Ministry of Information is responsible for distributing official portraits to government ministries, schools and other institutions.

"The OPC doesn't order portraits from Printflow.

"The @InfoMinZW is responsible for distributing all official portraits to Government Ministries, schools and even private shops requesting same," he said.

Mangwana also said the signature attributed to Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Martin Rushwaya was not authentic.

"Dr Martin Rushwaya's signature is nothing like what's on this counterfeit document and he denies ever signing this nonsensical letter.

"That's not the OPC letterhead.

"That's not the colour of OPC official communication paper," he added.

A government source also pointed to what it described as technical flaws in the forged document.

"Confidential documents have a confidential stamp, not typed on the document.

"There is an AI application called Gemini; they forgot to delete that watermark below the date stamp," the source said.

The fake letter claimed there was documented evidence that Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa was being prepared to assume the presidency, assertions the government has categorically rejected.

Authorities have urged members of the public to disregard the document and verify official government communications through the Ministry of Information and other recognised Office of the President and Cabinet channels.

The government said investigations are underway to determine the origin of the forged letter and identify those responsible for creating and circulating it.