PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has shown his seriousness to depolarize the nation’s politics by firing Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Energy Mutodi, said Linda Masarira.
The opposition LEAD President told Zimbabwe Voice that the dismissal of Mutodi was long overdue as he had been using his social media platform to take Zimbabwe back to the highly polarized state it was in during the days of former President Robert Mugabe.
“Energy Mutodi’s dismissal was long overdue. The current government has shown seriousness in removing negative, toxic from within.
“Mutodi has been causing unnecessary despondency in the nation, but more so even within his party,” said Masarira.
She added that Mutodi’s undoing was that he failed failed to draw the line between himself as an individual and the other part of him as a Government official.
Masarira expressed hope that a replacement for Mutodi in the information Ministry would be a more stable and mature character that understands the power of information in building a united nation.
Added Masarira: “The replacement for Mutodi must be a credible character that helps disseminate information that unites Zimbabweans despite their differences on political opinion.
“We do not need to go back to the state we were in under Mugabe, where political polarization was so thick you could feel it in the air.”
Masarira said the no-nonsense attitude shown by President Mnangagwa must be commended as such a move helps depolarize the nation’s politics.
Mutodi’s downfall was celebrated across the political divide, with even his own party colleagues admitting he was a powder kerg awaiting to explode any single day.
Although it was not stated why Mutodi was dismissed, many Zimbabweans are agreed that his rants on Twitter were generating more heat than light, further complicating Government’s communications channels as media would rightfully quote him as a Government mouthpiece.
In the two years that he has been in Government, Mutodi has had bust-ups with Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, her husband and former Special Advisor to President Mnangagwa, Christopher Mutsvangwa.
Last week, the volatile Goromomzi West legislator also picked up a fight with Foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Busi Moyo, accusing the former army Lieutenant-General of plotting with Mutsvangwa to assassinate him.
No official reasons for the termination of his employment have been proffered.
Hours before his unceremonious exit, Mutodi took to Twitter for one of his most eccentric tweets ever.
“Details emerge MDC youths Joana Mamombe, Netsai Marova and Cecilia Chimbiri went out for a romantic night to Bindura with their lovers who are artisanal miners.
“They parked their car at a police station for safety but tragedy struck when they demanded foreign currency for services,” he tweeted. – Zimbabwe Voice
