Tempers flare at Zec meeting… Temba Mliswa left fuming

By Blessings Mashaya

A crucial stakeholders’ indaba called by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) was yesterday aborted towards the end after an emotionally-charged former Zanu PF MP Temba Mliswa felt he was being denied the right to air his grievances.

Mliswa, who is contesting the Norton by-election next month as an independent candidate, was left fuming after Zec commissioner Daniel John Chigaru — who was chairing a plenary session — called him to order after he overshot the time allocated to him.

Zec had called the meeting as part of its ongoing efforts to engage political parties, civic society and churches in a bid to formulate a plan that would lead to an acceptable electoral process.

“You cannot stop me; people are bused in to register in Norton by Zanu PF. I am being barred from holding meetings by the police. You can’t talk about 2018 elections, while you are failing to handle the by-elections in Norton,” fumed Mliswa.

“You are a disgrace to the nation. You have got blood on your hands. People are being beaten and killed because you are failing to handle elections.

“You are acting like you are an extension of Zanu PF. I was once a member of Zanu PF, we never notified the police for us to hold rallies,” he added.

The bellicose former Hurungwe West MP and Zanu PF Mashonaland West provincial chairman is bidding to win the Norton by-election next month following the sacking of Christopher Mutsvangwa from Zanu PF.

Mliswa said he had written to Zec many times, outlining the problems he was facing to hold meetings and campaigns in Norton but he was being ‘‘ignored’’.

Zec chairperson Rita Makarau tried to calm down Mliswa by inviting him to her office to raise his concerns, but Mliswa would have none of it.

“You are toothless. I wrote several letters to you complaining about how the police are treating us in Norton but to my surprise you never replied,” charged Mliswa.” I don’t want to come and have tea at your office.”

Mliswa was further angered by Zanu PF director of commissariat Kizito Kuchekwa, who was given the floor to respond to him.

Mliswa stormed out of the meeting despite spirited efforts to calm him down.

Riot police had to be called in to calm and monitor the situation, forcing Makarau to abort the meeting.

“We need to reflect and say when we come to these meetings what do we have exactly in mind. I think some use this platform not for engagement purposes but for venting out anger,’’ Makarau told the Daily News after the aborted meeting.

“Some use this platform for venting anger, like you have seen today. When you invite a person to say come let’s sit down but he says I don’t want to sit down; I want an answer now.  This is an attitude which betrays the whole essence of stakeholders’ engagement.

“This is supposed to be an engagement platform. This does not deter us and we will not stop engaging. We will engage the stakeholders again.

“We are going to meet political parties on their own and civic societies on their own. Like he (Mliswa) indicated he wrote several letters to us; he is a prolific writer, he writes a lot. We are going to respond to some of his letters directly to him.” Daily News