HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa met foreign media correspondents for tea at State House on Monday, in an apparent attempt to secure positive coverage for his regime.

The off-the-record meeting, lasting an hour and 30 minutes, was convened by Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa and her permanent secretary, Nick Mangwana.

A journalist who attended the meeting said Mnangagwa came across as “desperate for a good story” about his government as he bids to repair relations with western countries in particular.

Journalists from foreign media organisations with bureaus in Zimbabwe including the Associated Press, Reuters, AFP, Al Jazeera, Xinhua and Deutsche Welle attended the meeting.

“I think he realises his efforts to engage western countries might not be such a success without engaging the media that communicates with those audiences. It looked and felt like a PR move, to buy legitimacy and goodwill from the foreign press corps,” the journalist said, asking not to be named.

Mnangagwa, ZimLive understands, discussed foreign policy issues and expressed sadness that British Prime Minister Theresa May was stepping down.

“He said he regretted that Theresa May was leaving because she was warming up to them. He said with Boris Johnson seemingly set to become the new Prime Minister, it was back to the drawing board in terms of resetting relations with the former colonial power,” the journalist said.

On United States President Donald Trump, Mnangagwa is said to have told the journalists that he was “very difficult to read” but expressed hope that they may have found a line to him through a planned meeting with an unnamed US official at the US-Africa Business Summit which gets underway in Mozambique on Tuesday until June 21.

The journalist said Mnangagwa appeared to forget the names of certain historical characters, and repeatedly turned to Mutsvangwa and Mangwana to bail him out.

The 76-year-old Zanu PF leader also appeared to have difficulties with the name of his country’s currency, the journalist said.

“He kept calling it the RTG. Mangwana and Mutsvangwa would lean over and whisper ‘RTGS’ but he didn’t seem to get it and would repeat the RTG. Overall, I left there thinking Zimbabwe is in worse trouble than I previously thought,” he added.

The journalists had also observed Mnangagwa’s hand movements after a recent appearance at CapiTalk fuelled rumours that his right hand may not be functioning properly.

“He actually pulled a coffee table using his right hand. I concluded that he just likes gesticulating with the left hand for some reason,” the journalist added.