Zimbabwe's VP apologizes over wrong speech by Mugabe

Zimbabwean Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday apologized to the nation for the error that resulted in President Robert Mugabe reading a wrong speech while opening parliament on Tuesday.

The VP made the apology in parliament after a request by opposition legislators who demanded explanation on why the error occurred.

"The mistake is regrettable. It is true that officials presented to the Head of State the incorrect statement as a mix-up. This is what we are correcting," said Mnangagwa, who is also leader of government business in the National Assembly.

In Tuesday's address, Mugabe repeated the state of the nation address he made in parliament in August, an error which has been attributed to his secretarial office.

Mnangagwa then moved a motion seeking parliament to discard the wrong speech and replace it with the correct one.

A heated debate then ensued during which opposition legislators demanded an apology and full explanation before the correct speech could be tabled in parliament.

During the debate, opposition member Nelson Chamisa said after the error, heads must roll in the president's office to avoid the mistake happening in the future.

After fierce criticism from opposition members over the error, Mnangagwa apologized and assured the nation that the matter will be thoroughly investigated.

He then tabled the correct speech in parliament, which outlines the legislative agenda for the coming year. Endit