Plot to oust Mliswa

ZANU-PF Mashonaland West Provincial chairman Temba Mliswa is walking a tight rope as his nemeses in the ruling party have temporarily put their differences aside to depose the outspoken politician from the hot seat. The Financial Gazette can exclusively reveal that the Mashonaland West Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) will meet this morning in Chinhoyi to pass a vote of no confidence in Mliswa, hardly 10 months after he assumed the chairmanship.

On September 29, there was the first clear attempt to eject Mliswa from the position.  An alert Mliswa, who had read through the plans beforehand, foiled the palace coup by refusing to recuse himself from a meeting of the provincial executive so that deliberations would continue in his absence. The meeting had to be aborted after Beauty Zhuwao, wife of ZANU-PF Politburo member, Patrick Zhuwao and a provincial committee member, got physical.

Since then, there has not been any let up to attempts to embarrass the Hurungwe West legislator by those who feel threatened by him. A cross-section of incompatible ZANU-PF politicians whose egos were bruised when Mliswa rose to the throne in December are mounting a spirited fight to bring down the businessman – brought together by their dislike for the fiery legislator.

They include ZANU-PF politicians who were defeated by Mliswa during last year’s provincial elections and hardliners making up a faction linked to Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa. Also included in this group are regionalists who believe that Mliswa should have no space in Mashonaland West because he did not originate from the area.

Mliswa grew up in Waterfalls. He shifted his base to Mashonaland West after he was allocated Spring Farm as part of the controversial land reforms led by the former fighters of the 1970s bush war. His ascendancy within the ranks of the province has been a source of acrimony although there was no direct confrontation. Reports that Mliswa was part of a group receiving money from the United States’ spy agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, have however, provided ammunition to the former fitness trainer’s enemies.

Mliswa has been fingered in the deepening US spy saga in which 12 ZANU-PF Members of Parliament are alleged to have been receiving money from US spies, against a directive from the ruling party which discourages party members from doing so. A series of inter-district meetings were held this week leading to today’s PCC meeting amid intense lobbying among the party’s top brass in the province to pass a vote of no confidence against Mliswa.

Mliswa’s issue was also on the agenda of yesterday’s Politburo meeting. The Politburo is the most influential organ of the party in between congresses. Details of yesterday’s meeting were not immediately available by the time of going to print. The razor-tongued legislator has been at loggerheads with several bigwigs in the province since he assumed office.

“We are having a series of inter-district meetings in Chinhoyi. The meetings started on Monday and the district leaders are gathered here. We will have the PCC meeting which is expected to give the final ruling on Mliswa’s case on Thursday (today). It was timed to make sure we hear from the Politburo on how best we can handle the case because the case is going to be discussed in the Politburo today (yesterday),” said an inside source who has been attending the inter-district meetings.

Mliswa claimed at his press conference on Monday that several bigwigs in his province were after his head because he did not come from the province. He picked ZANU-PF Politburo member, Patrick Zhuwao, whom he said was at the epicenter of the whole plot which also included Local Government Minister, Ignatius Chombo and ZANU-PF national political commissar, Webster Shamu.

“I am the only chairman who leads a province where I do not come from and for the first time, they have a chairman who is not from Zvimba. The people of Zvimba had monopolised the provincial chair and surely, they wouldn’t be comfortable with it,” he said.

“Zhuwao is at the centre of those behind the palace coup on the provincial chairman of Mashonaland West and he is working with Chombo, Shamu and others. They do not really like each other but when it comes to me, I see them together and I always say keep it up, this is great unity. So the coming of Mliswa to Mash West has united them, but for what reason?” he added.

The ZANU-PF Mashonaland West Provincial spokesman, Chris Mutsvangwa, could not be reached for comment. ZANU-PF in Mashonaland West Province has a history of power struggles, plots, sub-plots and counter plots.  For a very long time, none of the province’s chairmen has been able to complete their terms without incidents as votes of no confidence has been used to topple them. Now, history is threatening to repeat itself.

Reuben Marumahoko, the late John Mafa and Philip Chiyangwa are Mliswa’s predecessors who have all been removed from the chairmanship of the province unceremoniously. Ironically, at the time Chiyangwa was removed, he also faced the same charges as Mliswa.

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