Mash West trashes anti-Mliswa drive

By Chengetai Zvauya

HARARE – The Mashonaland West Zanu PF provincial inter-district conference on Sunday endorsed Temba Mliswa as the chairperson of the province.

This follows a petition and vote-of-no-confidence against him that was passed by 26 members of the Zanu PF provincial executive committee last week.

A group of Zanu PF officials led by deputy minister of Home Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi, passed a vote-of-no-confidence in Mliswa accusing him of receiving money from America and of dividing the party.

But this was immediately shot down by the politburo, with spokesperson Rugare Gumbo saying Mliswa’s ouster was null and void.

The politburo, the supreme governing body of the ruling party, had earlier on decreed that there would be no suspensions within provincial structures until the elective congress in December.

Kindness Paradza, the provincial secretary for administration, told the Daily News that 780 members of the provincial inter-district conference met in Chinhoyi and reaffirmed Mliswa as their chairman.

“They disregarded the petition that was signed by 26 other members who are in the minority,” Paradza said.

He said the conference also supported Constance Shamu to remain chairwoman of the women’s league in the province and Vengesai Musengi as the provincial youth chairperson.

The provincial inter-district conference is the highest decision-making body in the province.

The meeting was chaired by Mliswa, who is  also Hurungwe West legislator.

Paradza said the conference was oversubscribed with party members from the main wing, women’s league, youth league, provincial and district leadership.

The meeting also endorsed President Robert Mugabe to remain the first secretary and First Lady Grace Mugabe to be secretary of the women’s league.

Paradza said the provincial inter-district conference acted according to the Zanu PF constitution Article 12  section 112 which states that the district shall meet  twice a year to review party programmes and projects and any other matters referred to it by the central committee.

“The delegates said Mliswa should remain the chairperson and were not going to allow anyone to remove him because they had voted for him,” Paradza said.

“They also demanded that we also suspend the 26 provincial executive members who had passed a vote-of-no-confidence in Mliswa.

“We advised them not do so as it was against the politburo decision of suspending party members before the elective congress in December,” added the Makonde legislator. Daily News