Journalist David Hundeyin has accused Zimbabwe’s permanent secretary in the Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Service Nick Mangwana of telling “half-truths”.
Mr Mangwana revealed Mr Hundeyin’s asylum status on Twitter on Wednesday after the journalist was detained at Harare Airport over his papers.
The permanent secretary noted that Hundeyin, while carrying a Nigerian passport, sought asylum in Ghana and travelled to Zimbabwe with same papers, adding that he was supposed to come to Zimbabwe with a valid visa.
Replying Mangwana on Thursday after his release, Hundeyin tweeted, “I wasn’t aware that it is standard operating procedure in Zimbabwe for the country’s minister of information to tweet the asylum status of a foreigner, but since you’ve resorted to telling half truths, perhaps you should mention to your audience that I came into Zimbabwe with this valid Ghanaian refugee passport, which I have used to travel extensively over the world for 2 years.
“I’m sure you saw the valid UK Visa inside it. I’m also sure that you saw the numerous entry and exit stamps inside it belonging to multiple jurisdictions inside and outside Africa. Only in Zimbabwe have I EVER had an issue travelling with this document.
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“You might also want to share with your audience that I put a call through to the Zimbabwean embassy in Accra before I travelled to confirm that I did not need a visa, and that J was expressly advised that as long as the airline was happy to recognise the travel document, I would have no problem coming into Zimbabwe visa-free.”
Hundeyin, who has been on the run from Nigerian authorities over his reports, added that he was sure Mangwana’s behaviour did not represent the behaviour of the generality of Zimbabweans.
“Whatever you thought you achieved by doing this, I assure you that you should have completed the job yesterday because you will not like what happens next,” he said.
