This is exciting on some level. The rumor that the President of Zambia had died was spread by a radio show host in South Africa. This radio DJ claimed that officials from the Zambian High Commision had spoken to him and revealed the news. Here is a passage from the story:
“In an interview in Lusaka on Sunday, Zambian high commissioner to South Africa Leslie Mbula confirmed that Marlone Zaza, who is suspected to have told 702 Talk Radio in South Africa on Thursday morning that Mwanawasa had died, has been identified. He said officers at the Zambian high commission in Tshwane, South Africa, had spoken to him.
We have been talking to him. He was cooperating but when he heard that I had mentioned something about this matter, he now went underground. He has now almost switched off his phone, Mbulasaid. “
How does one almost switch off a phone? I shouldn’t get bogged down in the details.
“The investigations have certainly started but we want to assure him that we are not going to do him any harm; we simply just want to know the truth. We mean no harm, so he should not be scared. We mean no harm to anybody who is going to give us information. “Mbula said Zaza’s nationality had not yet been established. “We don’t know if he is a Zambian or not, it could be anybody and that is what our worry is. That is why we want to get to the root of the matter,” Mbula said. “
How many times can one say “we mean no harm” in one passage. Somebody might explain to this gentleman that there is an inverse relationship with the number of times “mean no harm” is uttered and the positive effect on the recipient.
“He doesn’t work for the Zambian mission, we don’t even know him. There is no such a person as Marlone Zaza at our mission; we don’t have a position of head of protocol at our mission.”
Even went so far as to make up the title of the position. Great journalism. Regardless, you can read the whole story here, if you are interested.