PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa did not seek an invitation to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, but has been invited, Foreign Affairs deputy minister David Musabayana said yesterday.
This follows earlier hoax messages circulating on social media claiming that Mnangagwa’s request to attend the British queen’s funeral slated for September 19 had been turned down over human rights violations.
Musabayana said Foreign Affairs minister Fredrick Shava was likely to attend the funeral on behalf of Mnangagwa.
“It’s possible I cannot confirm, but if the President has a tight schedule, it’s possible that he can delegate. The fact is the President was invited,” Musabayana said.
Queen Elizabeth passed on on September 8 aged 96.
The fake letter circulating on social media had insinuated that Mnangagwa, through Shava, had solicited an invitation to the funeral.
But Musabayana said: “The President was invited, but as to who will attend depends on his schedule, but the important thing to remember is this is an event that happened unexpectedly. We were officially invited. We did not seek an invitation.”
The British embassy also confirmed that Mnangagwa had been invited to attend the funeral.
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The funeral is expected to be attended by hundreds of Heads of State, including leaders from across the Commonwealth which the queen served as head.
The majority of leaders have been asked to arrive on commercial flights and will be bussed en masse from a site in West London.
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