Energy Mutodi
Energy Mutodi is a controversial politician and former Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting Services. Mutodi was fired from his job as deputy minister by Emmerson Mnangagwa on 20 May 2020. He is also a business person, Rhumba musician and an academic. He rose to prominence in 2012 when he released his debut album Simbi Yamudhara. He was accused of swindling money from civil servants through his housing co-operative, National Housing Development Trust Zimbabwe. He also took on board members of the Utakataka Express into his own band which was formerly led by the late Tongai Moyo which is now led by his son, Peter Moyo only a few weeks after he had vowed to support Peter after the death of Tongai Moyo. Mutodi was born on 4 August 1978. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) in 2001. He went to South Africa and was enrolled at Witwatersrand where he graduated with a Certificate in Defense Management. In 2011 he was at UZ doing a Masters Degree in Business Administration. He was once married Tariro Chirende and the two had a son, Energy Mutodi Junior. University of Zimbabwe, Witwatersrand University Mutodi is a part time Sungura musician who decided to venture into music in 2012. He has so far released four albums. Some of the songs that made him popular are Angelina, Chigorodanda and Tozosangana. Political career Mutodi is a member of the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF). In the 2013 July 31 harmonized elections, he contested during the ZANU PF primaries to be selected to be the ZANU PF member to contest for the Goromonzi South Constituency. However he was defeated by Beatrice Nyamupinga who was selected to be the Member of Parliament during the coveted July 31 elections. When it was reported that the ousted Vice President of Zimbabwe, Joice Mujuru and her allies were planning to assassinate the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, Mutodi produced his own version of the story pinning Mujuru and his allies. He claimed that he conducted his own investigations and discovered that Mujuru who was accused of fanning factionalism within ZANU PF was guilty of hatching a plot to assassinate Mugabe. He stated that, her allies, namely, Nicholas Goche, Tendai Savanhu and Ray Kaukonde met in South Africa where they resolved on how to kill Mugabe with the aid of a group of mercenaries known as Sandline International (formerly known as Executive Outcomes). According to Mutodi, these people devised 3 strategic ways to kill Mugabe. In the wake of these revelations by Mutodi, it was widely reported that Mutodi was trying desperately to gain favour with by Mugabe so that pending fraud charges could be to be dropped. After Mujuru was expelled from Zanu-PF, Mutodi emerged as a supporter of the new faction led Mnangagwa called Lacoste. Mutodi openly sided with this faction in its fight against the G40 faction in the race to succeed Mugabe. In September 2017, just 2 months before the coup that ultimately saw Mugabe ousted by a coup that favoured Mnangagwa (and G40 defeated) Mutodi posed for a controversial picture with Mnangagwa who was holding a cup printed the words "I Am The Boss". In 2018, Mutodi was appointed Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting Services. He however continuously openly clashed with his senior the Minister of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa just a few months after the appointment. Mutodi claimed that Mutsvangwa wanted him fired so she could have the job given to her loyalist.
Afro Fusion
