Information secretary Nick Mangwana mocked for ‘poor bootlicking skills’

By Nyashadzashe Ndoro | Nehanda Politics |

Information permanent secretary Nick Mangwana Wednesday received backlash after he posted a story that claims Zambian President-elect Hakainde Hichilema followed President Emmerson Mnangagwa to his hotel where they held a 30-minute closed-door meeting after his inauguration.

But the story was dismissed by observers because visuals showed that the same room that Mnangagwa was seen with Hichilema, is the one where Chamisa was captured with the Zambian leader.

“Soon after the inauguration, President Hichilema followed President Mnangagwa to his hotel where they held a 30-minute closed-door bilateral meeting, focusing on trade and relations between the two countries,” read the article shared by Mangwana.

Exiled former cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo said the pictures that Mangwana shared did not even show that Mnangagwa followed Hichilema.

“Secretary @nickmangwana, it’s infantile of you to say @HHichilema followed @edmnangagwa to his hotel. Even your picture does not show a follow. You should have said: ‘After the inauguration, President Hichilema paid a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa at his hotel’. Simple!” He said.

Mangwana responded saying he did not write the article “and believe it or not; I don’t tell them what to write. And I am sure Freedom of the Press also imply that nobody should. So they wrote how they saw it. I shared.”

But Moyo told him that his “explanation save to say that you effectively endorsed the newspaper’s clear and ridiculous misrepresentation by quoting it in your tweet, when you should have corrected it. Freedom of the Press is not Freedom to Lie or Misrepresent!”

MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Biti said: “Condescending, puerile , vile , false and desperate.”