PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s decision to fire his long-blundering Information deputy minister Energy Mutodi on Wednesday did not come as a surprise because that decision was long overdue given the many incidents of embarrassing gaffes by the former junior minister.

Like we indicated before, Mutodi had indeed crossed the rubicon with his unflattering remarks about Tanzanian President John Magufuli, his public spat with Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo and the latest incident in which he claimed in an embarrassing tweet that tortured MDC youth leaders Joanah Mamombe, Netsai Marova and Cecilia Chimbiri had gone out for a “romantic night” with artisanal miners in Bindura when they were bludgeoned and left for dead in a vicious political attack.

Such a reckless minister would be an embarrassing loose cannon and any government worth the name would have acted on that sooner or later.

Against this backdrop, Mutodi’s removal from government is a welcome move.

But over and above that, the whole embarrassing development vividly illustrates the folly of appointing uncouth, unqualified and undeserving individuals to key government ministries and posts.