HARARE – The Emmerson Mnangagwa administration has once again shown its ruthless intolerance for dissent after Bikita South legislator Hon. Energy Mutodi was abruptly removed from his influential position as Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion.
The dismissal, announced through a letter dated 7 October 2025 and signed by Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda, follows Mutodi’s public confrontation with Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga over allegations of corruption and abuse of public resources.
According to the official letter, the decision was made by the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders (CSRO) and took “immediate effect.”
“This serves to notify you that pursuant to Standing Order No. 19 of the National Assembly, the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders (CSRO) has resolved to terminate your tenure as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion with immediate effect. Consequently, all benefits and entitlements attendant upon the said role shall likewise be discontinued forthwith,” reads part of the letter.
A Pattern of Retaliation
Mutodi’s removal has been widely condemned as yet another example of Zanu-PF’s entrenched culture of silencing reform-minded voices and protecting entrenched corruption networks tied to the ruling elite.
Critics argue that his dismissal was less about parliamentary protocol and more about retribution for daring to question powerful figures linked to Mnangagwa’s inner circle.
One social media commentator wrote:
“If anyone doubted that the Godfather of corruption is @edmnangagwa, this reaction to @energymutodi’s challenge of George Guvamatanga’s corruption should dissolve every doubt. Anyone who challenges the corrupt individuals around the President is punished in one way or the other. Lewis Matutu got ostracised for naming and shaming corrupt individuals in government, business and Zanu-PF. Obert Mpofu was removed from the Zanu-PF Secretary General position for supporting VP Chiwenga’s demands to have Tagwirei, Scott, Chivhayo and Nguwaya arrested.
Now Mutodi finds himself removed from the Chairmanship of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee for questioning Guvamatanga’s corruption at the Ministry of Finance. These changes are pushed through by ED and Tagwirei. Zimbabweans must rise and deal with ED.
He has presided over unprecedented corruption in the country. Zanu-PF, in the interest of the nation, should pass a vote of no confidence in their President and First Secretary. ED has become a threat to national stability; he needs to be impeached.”
From Loyalist to Rebel
Once regarded as a staunch Mnangagwa ally, Dr. Mutodi has had a history of political turbulence. A former Deputy Minister of Information and a vocal defender of Zanu-PF policies during the early years of Mnangagwa’s rule, Mutodi’s political trajectory shifted as he began speaking out against corruption and economic mismanagement within the government.
Sources inside Parliament reveal that Mutodi had recently pushed for a full investigation into the Ministry of Finance, accusing senior officials of siphoning public funds through procurement and investment schemes allegedly linked to businessmen close to the President.
“Mutodi crossed the line when he questioned Guvamatanga,” one MP told The Zimbabwe Mail on condition of anonymity. “He underestimated how far Mnangagwa’s loyalists would go to protect their financial networks. This was political punishment, not a procedural decision.”
A Broader Crackdown
Mutodi now joins a growing list of Zanu-PF figures sidelined or ostracised for speaking against corruption — including Lewis Matutu, who was suspended for exposing graft within the ruling party, and Obert Mpofu, who fell out of favour for backing Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s calls for the arrest of controversial businessmen such as Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Delish Nguwaya, and Wicknell Chivhayo.
Political analysts say these developments highlight an escalating power struggle within the party and expose Mnangagwa’s use of parliamentary and state institutions as instruments of personal control rather than governance.
“Zanu-PF has lost its moral compass,” said a Harare-based political analyst. “Those who speak against corruption are punished while looters are rewarded. The system is collapsing under its own hypocrisy.”
A Threat to National Stability
As Zimbabwe’s economy continues to deteriorate under rising inflation, joblessness, and currency collapse, critics say Mnangagwa’s administration has turned inward, prioritising loyalty over reform.
Calls are mounting within opposition and civil society circles for Zanu-PF to recall or impeach President Mnangagwa, with some arguing that his leadership now poses a direct threat to the country’s stability.
“ED has presided over unprecedented corruption,” reads part of a viral online post. “Zanu-PF, in the interest of the nation, should pass a vote of no confidence in their President and First Secretary. He has become a danger to Zimbabwe’s future.”
For now, Mutodi’s ouster serves as a chilling reminder that in Mnangagwa’s Zimbabwe, speaking truth to power remains a political death sentence — and those who challenge the system’s corruption risk losing everything, from position to protection.
