Kereke, Mliswa in hotel bust-up

By Gift Phiri

HARARE – Ex-Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) advisor Munyaradzi Kereke was involved in a nasty altercation with another maverick businessman Temba Mliswa at a Harare hotel on Monday.

While the Rock Foundation Medical Centre (RMC) founder did not acknowledge the Daily News’ enquiries on the incident, his newly-found nemesis Mliswa confirmed the fracas — emanating from the former’s attempts to nail the Saltlakes Holdings Limited boss over an alleged $6,5 million fraud.

Mliswa said: “He (Kereke) is causing divisions in the country and misleading everyone (with all sorts of allegations),” he said, adding the RMC founder must instead “come clean” on very damaging reports, including allegations of raping a minor.

The Zimbabwe Economic Empowerment Council (Zeec) president also told this paper that Kereke must “stop his name-dropping act and officially join Zanu PF instead of masquerading as a party cadre”.

“You are talking s**t, abusing security chiefs. Who are you in Zanu PF? Join the structures. You are not an advisor to Zanu PF,” a fuming Mliswa is quoted to have said — to which the young economist retorted: “I will get you arrested.”

So heated was the exchange that the two had to be restrained by hotel security, as bewildered guests watched on. The rumpus, eyewitnesses say, started when a beaming Kereke attempted to greet Mliswa in the hotel lobby, but the latter rebuffed him and bursting into a business-linked tirade.

In fact, Mliswa reportedly accused the ex-Stanbic Bank senior staffer of being a snake and using hugger-mugger tactics in getting at many people, including Central Bank boss Gideon Gono.

Ever since Kereke was ejected from the RBZ earlier this year, he has been on a warpath against Gono and several other parties, including state security agents particularly the Central Intelligence Organisation.

And in a bid to show his mettle, and grit as well, the Zimbabwe Newspapers (Zimpapers) board member is also said to have fired several volleys towards Mliswa, in an unrestrained verbal assault.

Mliswa reportedly shouted that he has been cleared by the courts, and it was high time Kereke had his day in the courts too on the rape allegations.

“If truly you are innocent, why are you not allowing your cases to go to court? For me to be free today, I had to go and be freed by the courts. Why are you afraid of the courts?” Mliswa charged.

Kereke was said to have flown into a rage, with guests, momentarily abandoning their scrumptious meals, watching in amusement as the two squared up.

Kereke reportedly shouted that he would instruct police to come and arrest him, to which Mliswa retorted: “You don’t have power to command the police, you are abusing the names of senior police officers.”

“You think you are untouchable, I will beat you up now,” charged Mliswa, a fitness trainer famed for taking the Warriors senior national soccer team through a tough training regime. Hotel security later stepped in firmly, quelling the rumpus. – Daily News