Zimbabwe Denies Lungu Held Diplomatic Passport, Sparks Backlash

Zimbabwe officials finally spoke up about wild claims linking their country to a dead African leader. Government workers had stayed quiet for weeks as stories spread across social media platforms. People claimed former Zambian President Edgar Lungu carried Zimbabwe travel documents when he died. The rumors started after court papers mentioned a mysterious Zimbabwean patient at a South African hospital. Nobody from Zimbabwe had said anything until this week.

Nick Mangwana works as the top information officer for Zimbabwe's government. He posted a strong message denying all the passport stories on Tuesday. The official said Lungu never owned Zimbabwe citizenship or diplomatic papers. Court documents from Gauteng High Court had sparked the controversy earlier. Some reports suggested Lungu used the fake name Tendai Munyaradzi during his final trip.

Citizens from Zimbabwe felt angry about their government's late response to the scandal. Many people had already believed the false stories before officials spoke up. Social media users complained that leaders waited far longer than necessary. Some accused Mangwana of writing a weak statement without proper facts. Others questioned why Zimbabwe took so much time to clear up the confusion about their country's reputation.