By Farai D Hove| The Presidential spokesman George Charamba has said President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s trip did not at all blow $2,3 million.

Charamba told the state media Mnangagwa did not spend more than $2 million as reported in the private media.

The development has been hailed as the first time in the history of Zimbabwe this has happened that the government has released invoices of proof of costs incurred in a presidential trip.

Charamba was quoted by the state owned ZBC News saying government paid US$1.3 million to hire a private jet for President Mnangagwa’s trip, contrary to some media reports which had speculated that the trip had cost US$2.3 million.

Charamba reportedly “showed the state journalists receipts and invoices of the amount paid to Comlux by government through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.”

The invoices showed a total of US$1,396,000 was paid to Comlux, ZBC reports saying.

Said Charamba, “the first plane which we got would cost us an upward of US$2 million. Air Zimbabwe also gave us a quote of slightly below US$2 million, but which was still very high.”

The Presidential spokesperson has challenged the nation to look at the cost benefit analysis of the President’s trip to China, saying the Asian giant is the world’s second largest economy after the US, hence it is only prudent to engage such an economy and the benefits will be immense.

Meanwhile, the state’s ZBC news reported saying Mnangagwa has been preaching the gospel of a transparent administration and in line with a new thrust.