HARARE – Kuda Tagwirei’s ally Temba Mliswa has unleashed a scathing attack on party spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa, accusing him of using his position to pursue personal vendettas instead of addressing matters of national importance.
Writing on his X platform on Wednesday, Mliswa said, “Mutsvangwa has morphed into a petty spokesperson driven more by personal ambitions than by positional mandate. His constant frolick in trivial pursuits against his perceived political rivals like Tagwirei is an embarrassment.”
Mliswa singled out Chinese involvement in Zimbabwe’s mining sector as the issue Mutsvangwa should be tackling. “If he was serious about his duties, he should be talking about the Chinese, how they are undermining the very independence which they initially supported us to get. Why is he silent about the Manhize heist, in which we are being fed optics of a huge iron-producing project while real money is going China’s way?” he wrote.
The legislator further criticised the handling of the Manhize project, claiming Zimbabwe’s share of a resource worth around US$7 trillion is minimal. “All talk about Manhize is merely bluster or propaganda. Why are we not stampeding against this clearly unjust arrangement instead of undermining locals who have managed to succeed in business and went on to stand with the party?” he said.
Mliswa also defended established business figures like Tagwirei, arguing that they should not have their political ambitions blocked. “Yes, there are many upstarts who have emerged lately and should indeed be corralled, but people like Tagwirei have been there when it mattered most, such that even Chris owes his seat to them,” he said.
He concluded with a direct challenge to Mutsvangwa: “The Chinese are a more pressing matter with their wanton and extractive approach to business. It is them whom Mutsvangwa should be talking about daily, not petty rivalries.”
Mliswa’s comments highlight growing tension within ZANU-PF, raising questions about priorities in party leadership and the role of foreign influence in Zimbabwe’s economy.
