Mliswa calls for confrontation in 2018

Former Hurungwe West MP Themba Mliswa

He made the remarks in a lengthy solidarity speech at the MDC-T’s 16th anniversary celebrations held at Nharira business centre near Chivhu over the weekend.

Mliswa, a former Zanu (PF) provincial chairperson for Mashonaland West, was expelled from the party early this year during a purge of sympathisers of former VP Joice Mujuru. “It is clear that Zanu (PF)’s time is nigh and the party will resort to its traditional strategy of violence in the coming elections in order to maintain a stranglehold on power. I am urging all leaders of opposition parties and their parties to confront the warmongers pound for pound. In the strictest terms that will be self-defence and even our own courts acknowledges that fact.

Simply defending oneself is not a crime,” said Mliswa. He added that opponents of Zanu (PF) and President Robert Mugabe should prepare for worse things in the next elections as it is always “an uphill task to uproot dictatorship.” “This game of politics is always known to be dirty especially here in Zimbabwe. So my advice is that opposition supporters should be strong both mentally and physically. If it takes doing physical exercises like press-ups and body building, then so be it. I myself do that in order to defend myself when put into a corner by violence mongers from Zanu (PF) so let’s all do that in preparation for any forms of violence against us,” said Mliswa.

The outspoken politician pointed to cases of violence in the Hurungwe West by-election where he contested as an independent candidate as “recent evidence of how Zanu (PF) can be deadly when desperate to maintain power.”

According to the Zimbabwe Peace Project, violence and intimidation by Zanu (PF) supporters escalated in most of the 16 constituencies ahead of the June 10 parliamentary by-elections held to replace expelled legislators. The ruling party has been accused for causing a wave of violence every time there are elections. In the 2008 presidential run-off, an estimated 20,000 MDC-T supporters countrywide were killed or maimed in politically motivated violence.