By Tatenda Chitagu

HARARE-A post on X, supposedly from state controlled broadcaster, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has claimed that ZANU PF Bikita South legislator Energy Mutodi has been dismissed as chair of parliament’s budget, finance and economic development committee and replaced by Tafadzwa Mugwadi, the party’s Buhera West legislator.  

Another online publication, The Harare Times, also carried the message on its X handle.

However, the message was not available on ZBC’s official X page.

ZimTracker sought to fact check the message, which has gone viral and was trending on most social media platforms.

The message trended because it came days after Mutodi, former Information Deputy Minister, had made damning corruption allegations on X against treasury secretary George Guvamatanga-believed to be close to president Emmerson Mnangagwa.

George Guvamatanga (pic sourced online)

Mutodi claimed Guvamatanga was allegedly demanding kickbacks of between five and 10 percent from contractors, ministries and government departments for him to expeditiously release the payments-a charge the former later retracted.

ZimTracker has established that while it is indeed true that Mutodi has been stripped of chairing parliament’s budget, finance and economic development committee, he has not been replaced by Mugwadi.

Instead, Chipinge East legislator, Lincoln Dhliwayo, who also sat in the same committee, has replaced Mutodi, according to high placed sources in parliament and ZANU PF not authorised to talk to the press. Parliament had not responded to media queries.

While Parliament had not posted Mutodi’s replacement, Mugwadi, former ZANU PF information director, took to Facebook to issue the correction.