Chris Munnion dies in Johannesburg – one of the great reporters of his age

He was the African correspondent for The Daily Telegraph and covered many of the wars, revolutions, coups and social unheavals on the continent from the mid-1960s right through to his retirement in the 1990s.

Born in Essex, England, he became a foreign correspondent by following what he called “the traditional route” to Fleet Street, working for weekly and provincial newspapers before getting there at the age of 21.

He worked on a number of foreign assignments in America and the Middle East before being posted to Africa in 1967.

He covered the main events of Chimurenga Two and became one of the best respected foreign correspondents in Zimbabwe after its Independence in 1980.

Chris wrote about events in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa with clarity and insight.

He was the author of the best selling book “Banana Sunday” (William Waterman Publications, 1993) which was described by its publishers as “the adventures and misadventures of journalists assigned to the African continent… an adventure with a difference; a sometimes light -hearted, sometimes despairing, always fascinating journey through a continent in chaos.”

He is survived by his wife Denise and mourned by countless friends and colleagues throughout the world.