News24
21 May 2020, 16:41 GMT+10
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday fired outspoken deputy information minister Energy Mutodi hours after he insulted three "abducted" opposition officials in a tweet.
A statement from the presidency did not give reasons for the immediate "termination of employment" of Mutodi.
READ | Zimbabwe official charged for 'insulting' president Emmerson Mnangagwa over coronavirus
A prominent opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) lawmaker and two party officials were originally arrested for protesting over food shortages experienced during the coronavirus lockdown.
The all-female trio were then abducted from the police station by unidentified men and taken out of the capital where they said they were beaten up and sexually assaulted.
They were later dumped by a roadside where they were found by party colleagues and taken to hospital.
In his tweet Mutodi claimed the three opposition officials "went out for a romantic night to Bindura (a small town) with their lovers", a couple of miners.
Condemnation
He said the women were beaten up "when they demanded foreign currency for their services".
The incident attracted condemnation from international rights groups and western diplomats.
Heads of mission of the European Union countries and the US based in Harare on Wednesday said they "expect from the government of Zimbabwe a swift, thorough and credible investigation into the abduction and torture" of the opposition members and two others assaulted in the second city of Bulawayo.
"The perpetrators of heinous acts of this kind and other human rights violations need to be identified and prosecuted," they said in a statement.
The axed deputy minister's latest callous remarks came a week after he was reprimanded for criticising Tanzanian President John Magufuli's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mutodi has also been at loggerheads with information minister Monica Mutsvangwa whom he accused of teaming up with her husband to eliminate him.
Last week he tweeted that he was "living in fear" of foreign affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo and the information minister's husband.
Mutodi becomes the second high profile government official to be fired by Mnangagwa, following the removal of former tourism minister Prisca Mupfumira last year.
Get a daily dose of Switzerland Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Switzerland Times.
More InformationSAN FRANCISCO, California: Under pressure from European regulators, Apple has revamped its App Store policies in the EU, introducing...
Karol Nawrocki has said that under current conditions Kiev should not be in NATO either Ukraine must meet specific conditions before...
Aside from victory and sporting glory, the players in the women's Euro 2025 football tournament are playing for more money than ever...
A new law in Denmark subjects 18-year-old females to the draft starting July 1 Women in Denmark are now subject to conscription,...
The inflation is driven by the price of services, which recorded a yearly inflation rate of 3.3 percent in June, up from 3.2 percent...
The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned the prosecution in Moldova of regional head Yevgenia Gutsul as politically motivated repression...
VENICE, Italy: Over the weekend, hundreds of protesters marched through the narrow streets of Venice to voice their opposition to billionaire...
PARIS, France: France is taking stronger steps to reduce smoking. A new health rule announced on Saturday will soon ban smoking in...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed Elon Musk's success has been built on government subsidies. Without...
EVERGLADES, Florida: Over the weekend, a diverse coalition of environmental activists, Native American leaders, and residents gathered...
BEIJING, China: China's national soccer team may struggle to stir excitement, but its humanoid robots are drawing cheers — and not...
]LONDON, U.K.: A World Health Organization (WHO) expert group investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic released its final...