President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been told to relieve the deputy Minister of Information, Energy Mutodi of his duties following “reckless” remarks on Zimbabweans of Ndebele origins.
Mutodi had in a video in which he castigates Afrophobia in South Africa said:
South Africans, Zimbabweans we are one people, including people from Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, we are all members of Sadc and we are all working towards the same goal of achiev- ing economic success in our countries. For South Africa, you will find out that in Zimbabwe here, if you didn’t know, just about 1836 we accommodat- ed thousands of South Africans who were fleeing from (the then Zulu king) Shaka. They were led by Mzilikazi (the Ndebele king) and they settled on the western part of Zimbabwe, as I am speaking now, at least three million Zimbabweans have South African origins.
The video attracted a backlash from Zimbabweans from various walks of life. For them, Mutodi meant that Zimbabweans of Ndebele origins were mere refugees in Zimbabwe.
Although the former rhumba musician has since apologised, some have questioned why he is still a deputy Minister whilst others questioned how he got the post in the first place. A Daily News editor said that Mnangagwa must swiftly and firmly descend on Mutodi.
Mutodi has been one of Mnangagwa’s most loyal lieutenants particularly during the climax of the warfare between ZANU PF factions, Team Lacoste headed by Mnangagwa and G40 headed by former first lady, Grace Mugabe.
Therefore, it is not automatic that Mnangagwa will offload Mutodi even after his reckless remarks.
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Frankly, I did not see any reason why Energy Mutodi had to apologise for his factual statement about Zimbabweans of South African origin, unless he was not so sure of his facts. For me, Zimbabweans of any origin should be proud of their origins. We have Zimbabweans of Mozambican, Malawian, Zambian and British origins, to mention a few. What is wrong with that!? There are Vendas and Tsongas across both sides of the Limpopo – what is wrong with that!? There are so many Ndebeles who are so proud of their South African origins, and there is nothing wrong with that! I really do not see the crime Energy Mutodi committed, unless this is just about a polarised media.