Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti has criticised the dismissal of Energy Mutodi from his role as Chair of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Budget and Finance. Mutodi was removed after calling for Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga to be summoned over allegations of multi-million-dollar bribery.
Mutodi had claimed on X that Guvamatanga was soliciting kickbacks from contractors working on government projects across several sectors. He further asserted that these demands discouraged contractors from engaging with the government, as failure to comply would result in withheld payments.
The allegations sparked widespread discussion online, with some Zanu PF members accusing Mutodi of creating internal divisions. Following this, he was replaced by Chipinge East MP Lincoln Dhliwayo—a move Biti described as unconstitutional.
“Citizens, the sudden removal of Honourable @energymutodi from the chairmanship of Parliament’s Budget & Finance Committee represents a blatant unconstitutional overreach by a desperate cartel that has captured the State and seeks to maintain its grip on public funds by any means,” Biti wrote on X on Monday.
Biti stressed that Parliamentarians are constitutionally mandated to hold the executive accountable and should not face repercussions for doing so.
“Members of Parliament have a duty, under Section 119 of the Constitution, to hold the Executive and other institutions accountable. They also enjoy absolute privilege and full freedom of expression when speaking in the chambers of the August House. Honourable Mutodi is constitutionally protected and has an obligation to raise matters of national importance,” he said.
He argued that Mutodi was unfairly made a scapegoat for addressing issues already in the public domain, pointing to alleged misconduct by Guvamatanga that was highlighted in the 2024 Auditor General’s Report.
“The concerns regarding George Tongesai Guvamatanga and the reported bribes are matters of public record and deserve parliamentary scrutiny. The practice of direct payments from the Treasury to suppliers, bypassing line ministries, departments, and agencies, has been documented in Auditor General reports,” Biti noted.
Biti also claimed that Guvamatanga authorized over US$2 billion in direct payments to service providers in violation of the Public Finance Management Act.
“In 2024 alone, Mr Guvamatanga, in his role as Paymaster General, oversaw payments exceeding US$2 billion. These actions contravened Treasury Instructions, the Public Finance Management Act, and the Constitution,” he said.
He further suggested that Mutodi should not have retracted his statements.
“Hon Mutodi did not reveal anything new; all he raised was already publicly known. His error was issuing a retraction and apology. Given his loyalty to Zanu PF, expecting otherwise would be unreasonable—a mosquito cannot cure malaria. Mutodi’s dismissal is a direct affront to the Constitution and the autonomy of Parliament itself,” Biti concluded.
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