Guthrie Munyuki, editor of the Daily News, along with executives from Modus Media, which publishes both the Daily News and the Financial Gazette, met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri, and CIO chief Isaac Moyo at State House on Friday.
The meeting was convened to address a serious error in an advertisement that mistakenly implied the President had passed away.
On September 19, the Financial Gazette published a congratulatory message from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces wishing Mnangagwa a happy birthday, but it concluded with the phrase, “May his soul rest in eternal peace,” causing significant confusion.
The Daily News issued a public apology the same day, attributing the error to a production oversight. George Charamba, Deputy Chief Secretary for Presidential Communications, later reported that Mnangagwa accepted the explanation in good spirits, jokingly asking, “Where are the flowers for the dead man?”
In a letter of apology addressed to Aaron Nhepera, the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Defence, Munyuki expressed regret for the blunder.
He clarified that the Financial Gazette had intended to convey a celebratory message but mistakenly included a condolence phrase due to lapses in their production process. He reassured that measures would be implemented to prevent such errors in the future.
The meeting followed an alarming incident earlier that day when unidentified individuals, posing as law enforcement, raided Munyuki’s home in Harare. Although they did not find him, they temporarily confiscated the phones of his wife and children and searched their messages.
Mistakes in advertisements are not uncommon in Zimbabwean newspapers, often arising from the use of outdated templates with minimal updates. In this instance, it appears the Daily News inadvertently used a condolence template instead of the intended celebratory one.