ZANU-PF’s newly appointed Secretary General, Jacob Mudenda, has drawn criticism after issuing a statement containing multiple errors about the late radio personality and socialite Babongile Sikhonjwa.
In the statement, which confirmed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had granted the deceased a state-assisted funeral, Mudenda misspelled Sikhonjwa’s name as “Babonjiwe Sikhonjwe” and incorrectly referred to him as “she.”
“His Excellency, the President and First Secretary of ZANU-PF, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa, has conferred a State Assisted Funeral on the late Babonjiwe Sikhonjwe, who passed on 21 September 2025. He will be buried at Mlozweni Village, Chief Mzimuni, Gwanda,” Mudenda wrote in a letter addressed to Martin Rushwaya, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet.
The statement continued: “His family can be contacted through our Bulawayo Provincial office. I would be most grateful if you would make the usual arrangements for his burial and payment of benefits to his family. She is from Bulawayo Province.”
The errors have sparked public embarrassment for Mudenda, who was appointed Secretary General in a surprise reshuffle of ZANU-PF’s Politburo earlier this week, replacing Obert Mpofu. Observers noted that the missteps have marred the start of Mudenda’s tenure in the party’s top administrative position.
Source – Newsday
