Harare,— Independent legislator Temba Mliswa has called for a non-partisan, measured approach to tackling Zimbabwe’s entrenched corruption, warning that political point-scoring only deepens rifts within the ruling ZANU-PF and undermines national efforts to address graft.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday morning, Mliswa argued that Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga should have engaged President Emmerson Mnangagwa privately if the goal was to craft a genuine national anti-corruption strategy.
“Corruption is a national problem which can’t be hijacked for a few political points,” he wrote.
Mliswa praised wealthy businessman Kuda Tagwirei for bankrolling ZANU-PF’s headquarters and supplying vehicles across the party hierarchy, questioning why leaders “besmirch others when all of them have been benefitting.”
Comparing party protocol to village dispute resolution, Mliswa said issues should first be discussed privately—“kuDare”—to preserve dignity and unity. Public attacks, he warned, “only serve to deepen divisions, create rifts and weaken the party,” leaving it exposed to “every political destitute, orphan and passer-by.”
He added that corruption—locally nicknamed zvigananda—is neither new nor confined to any faction, and requires a united national response and a formal government plan. Selective crackdowns, he cautioned, “entertain the public and disembowel the party through infighting,” especially given the “questionable bank balances and property portfolios” of many leaders.
Citing his own land dispute over Rengwe Farm, Mliswa said even court orders are ignored when powerful figures covet private property: “That is corruption too.”
Responding online, commentator George Chings criticised Mliswa for “giving credence to reports about what happened behind closed doors in the politburo” and for “trivialising corruption.”
Mliswa’s remarks highlight growing tensions inside ZANU-PF as Zimbabwe grapples with persistent allegations of high-level graft and factional battles over how to confront it.
