Harare, Zimbabwe – Daily News editor Guthrie Munyuki and executives from Modus Media, the publishers of the Daily News and Financial Gazette, met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and top government officials at State House on Friday to personally apologize for an advertisement mistakenly suggesting the President had passed away.
The incident occurred on Thursday, September 19, when The Financial Gazette published a Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) advertisement congratulating Mnangagwa on his birthday. However, it erroneously concluded with the phrase, “May his soul rest in eternal peace,” sparking widespread shock and confusion.
The Daily News swiftly issued an apology the following day, citing a production error as the cause of the mistake.
In response, Deputy Chief Secretary for Presidential Communications, George Charamba, said President Mnangagwa was satisfied with the explanation provided by the Modus Media team. In a lighthearted moment during the meeting, Mnangagwa reportedly joked, “Where are the flowers for the dead man?” signalling his acceptance of the apology.
Munyuki also sent a formal letter of apology to Aaron Nhepera, the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Defence, in which he expressed regret over the “mortifying” mistake. He assured the President, the ZDF, and the public that internal measures were being taken to prevent such errors from happening again.
The apology came after an unsettling incident earlier that Friday when Munyuki’s home in Harare was raided by unidentified gunmen claiming to be police officers. The men, in two vehicles, temporarily confiscated the phones of Munyuki’s family members before searching through their messages. Munyuki was not at home at the time.
Errors in newspaper advertisements are not uncommon in Zimbabwe, often attributed to advertising staff reusing old templates for regular clients. In this case, it appears a condolence message was mistakenly used, with staff failing to replace the phrase “May his soul rest in eternal peace” with celebratory expressions like “Makorokoto, Amhlope, Congratulations!”
The meeting at State House sought to resolve the issue amicably, with all parties agreeing to move forward following the apology.