By A Correspondent- 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.