Drama rocks Copac

The Second All-Stakeholders’ Conference degenerated into near-chaos yesterday when a Zanu PF delegate, Temba Mliswa, grabbed a Copac video camera and fled with it while traditional chiefs had a nasty verbal exchange with MDC-T officials over their committee deliberations.

Report by Everson Mushava Chief Reporter

Sources told NewsDay that Mliswa realised he was being filmed while blaming his party “for failing to coach the delegates well” and demanded that the cameraman delete the recording. The cameraman reportedly refused and Mliswa wrested the camera from him and went away.

The camera contained recordings of the entire two-day proceedings of the General Provisions thematic committee in which Mliswa was a member.

When NewsDay caught up with Mliswa and asked him about the camera debacle, the former physical fitness trainer claimed he had taken it to Harare Central Police Station – about three kilometres away from the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC),  the venue of the conference – but would not say why. Copac spokesperson Jessie Majome, who witnessed Mliswa taking the camera away,said police had seen the incident and that she had asked for their intervention, but they had stood akimbo, apparently refusing to act.

“I reported the matter to the police, but they watched him (Mliswa) leaving with the camera without doing anything,” Majome told NewsDay.

MDC-T supporters said it was a Zanu PF ploy to sabotage deliberations against the party’s interests.

They claimed Mliswa had on Monday given the group all sorts of problems, sometimes claiming he was more educated because he received his education in Britain.

While the Mliswa saga was unfolding on the ground floor of the HICC, tempers were flaring on the upper floor where traditional chiefs clashed with MDC-T members.

The chiefs were demanding a rerun of their committee’s deliberations, claiming some of their views had not been factored in the final report.

Their committee counterparts would, however, have none of it. They told the chiefs all contributions had been included, which was why representatives from all parties, including the chiefs, had signed the report.

“We made deliberations on Monday and agreed on the report that representatives from all parties signed,” said an angry MDC-T woman delegate, who declined to be named.

“If Zanu PF did not coach the chiefs well or chose the wrong rapporteurs, it is their problem. Now they are frustrating the whole process. That is why we say chiefs should not be political.”

The chiefs made the demands soon after their return from the Zanu PF headquarters where all Zanu PF delegates had been summoned for “administrative issues”.

Members from the two MDCs openly alleged the president of the Chiefs’ Council, Chief Fortune Charumbira, who had reportedly coached the chiefs on what to say, was not happy with what he saw in the final report and was the one who ordered his charges to go back and demand a rerun of the process after consultations at the Zanu PF HQ.

The chiefs eventually capitulated and decided to send their “omitted” issues to Copac in a petition.

Addressing journalists a few minutes after the two incidents, Zanu PF Copac co-chairperson Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana said Copac would look into the matters in the same manner it had dealt with other disputes.

Speaking on behalf of the three Copac co-chairpersons, Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) said the conference was “generally a success”.

He said Copac would compile a report which would be considered for amendments by the technical teams.

He said in the event of a deadlock, agreement would be sought from the Global Political Agreement negotiators in consultation with the principals.



  1. It appears people believe that everything they say shoould be included in the Constitution.No ceratin issues are meant for statutes and not in the constitution.Political parties and the Civil Society please explain tpo the people. Things like Zunde ra Mambo is not meant for the Constitution. That chiefs shou;ld get vehicles is not for the Constitution.or how many wives should chiefs have.

  2. how can Temba claim to be learned when he failed his O levels first attempt at PE and had to repeat them at St Faiths, to pass a full set of ‘O’ level subjects.

    1. Has a Masters dear. Uchiri kumashure.

    2. Do u think he thought it was during the PE period? Kambe wadlala wenela ku Grade 1?

    3. the british are labelled imperialists behind the MDC ironically ZANUPF apologists pride themselves in having been educated in Britain. Ngamalema abantu!!!!

  3. mliswa shld b mature

  4. Nailed it you did, Brian.

    A little education in this circumstances CAN go a long way. Having said this, I think it is appropriate to congratulate the COPAC committee for a fairly successful conference. Contrary to all the effort from some ‘geniuses’ to derail a national project it leaves the body with a warm glow all over. We should congratulate ourselves for this new found ability to sit together as one big family without kicking each other in the teeth. Instead we used our feet to walk to the conference, our hands to greet each other and our teeth to smile at each other just as God intended when he created us in HIS image. Was this so hard? Now that we have set a benchmark on national mode of behaviour can we build from this going forward as we move to the next stage? CONGRATULATIONS ZIMBABWE! We have shown all doubters that we CAN do this!

  5. hey atori maone why muliswa run away with the camera kukundikana mupfungwa

  6. Chiefs are an anachronism – tools of the past, used by Rhodesian and Zanu governments to rule the countryside by terror. Scrape all chiefdom! We are all born equal, but it seems some must be born more equal than others. Every village head should be elected democratically.

    1. Your comment is very unfortunate and lacks reality with the role of a chief.

      1. Asi uriChief, kamuZanu kepi.LOL

        1. Chief kana kusaita chief , inga ndimimunoti munotaura chokwadi. Kunyepa kwabvepi.

        2. Chief kana kusaita chief , inga ndimimunoti munotaura chokwadi. Kunyepa kwabvepi.
          Some chiefs are in the same boat as the majority.

    2. What!! wakubona ngapi loku wena, sifuna amandla abokoko hatshi elikukhulumayo lina abatsha. litsho njalo kungenxa yokuthi kaliselawo umuthetho. Thina sakula sihlonipa abadala kodwa lina kalisasiboni kanti selinjani lina. Sifuna imfanelo yethu lingasideleli

  7. As for my man Themba, if he is so learned, why doesn’t he go back to his ‘home’ in the UK? Education is not bragged about, it shows itself in the manner in which you relate to other humans and to the world at large. Most of us are learned idiots; too dumb to even change a light bulb because we were not ‘educated’ on the subject!

    1. spoton dude.

  8. national issues are more important than personal.everybody mus know that.l hope we wil move on without hitches

  9. typical of a little narrow mindad person.

  10. Gutter poet, well said could not have put it better myself. I was watching the public debate between Barak Obama and Mitt Romney and could not help but compare the maturity in their politics with the primitiveness and barbarism that we experience here at home. It is high time people conducted themselves in a mature and civilised manner and the likes of Mliswa should be condemned and admonished by their party leadership for such unbecoming conduct.

    1. iwe wangauchida kuti abude achituka bato namudhara zvaanga achiita zvigozomira sei? atongwara manje kwete zvenyu zvamunotaura izvo zvekuguta nyemba. Anoziva nyaya dzake hauna kunzwa zvichinzi you cant tape me coz i was not officially on plennary? Usatambe shasha. tomboti Nelson Chamisa okotwa achishora mogiza matape inoita here iyoyo. He would do the same to destroy katape kacho kwete zvenyu zvekuda kureasoner nhema, unowacha.

  11. Mliswa is just a brat and why he should be included in serious national matters I wonder, he is educated in muscles and think that is education. He uses more brawn than brain. Anyway to the chiefs, like it or not governments will always change whether democratically or by bloodbath so they should not be found on the wrong side. They have forgotten their roles, as for me I have said to hell with chiefs because they are extortionists, crybabies, political tools, and more so unfatherly. We may do better if this country has no chiefs, they no longer have any role to play except to be used by politicians.

  12. Chabwino Chauruka

    There is no point in reasoning with Mliswa who clearly has serious mental problems. The remedy is to send Mr Mliswa to Ingutsheni so that he is under the care of trained mental health practitioners for some time.

  13. johns.matsikanyoka@gmail.com

    Mliswa tichamusunga as soon as they fall down.Watch the space, achachemawo soon.its ugly kumboita mari yeropa wozofira mujeri!!

  14. and we say we have leaders to run this country….its unfortunate chiefs are now partisan and we all know why,cause most if not all are imposed upon people by government/zanu ,the same way the rhodesian government did it,as a tool to protect its interests.chiefs are a part of our heritage culture,tradition and politics since time immemorial,but it is their role that defines the current state of affairs in any nation, as it were.that is where they come in,in the constitution.their roles and powers must be defined there.simple.the traditional aspects of their lives surely like my collegue said,as to how many wives,cars their perks,as long as they are within the law and our means then surely its done and dusted.a simple process marred and disturbed by uncouth elements who thrive where there is chaos.doesn’t zanu is shooting itself in the foot with clowns like Mliswa who will do anything to get attention?

  15. hehehehe,this is truelly comical,imagine mliswa running away with a camera the same way he used to run with a rugby ball. This country has surely gone to the dogs. Anyway,its good for him coz had his bosses seen that recording mfana aipinda pama1 chaiwo,akangwarisa too much.

    1. Chimedzanemburungwe

      Well said Jojo. This Temba is overzealous once donated a Cheque to Fisco rugby team achiti ane mari yet there was no cash in his acccount R/D (1995). Ngaangotiitire hunhu chete camera is not a rugby ball ndozvatinomuziva nazvo paFisco.

  16. Rugby games at COPAC meeting? Oh, its Mliswa grabbing a camera from a cameraman! Wow! Look at the speed towards the exit door!!!

  17. Muchakaura vanaTemba mawara enyuaya

    1. taura hako jojo! sekuru vangu vaigaroti “Kusaziva idongo rakatama” now i know what he meant coz ukaona dongo rotama uhmmmmm, pakaoma. temba azondionesa nekusaziva kwake.

  18. So Mliswa received his education from the imperialists. Not to worry, he only did physical education (PE)

  19. And it wont be surprising to see him escaping without even being reprimanded! I wonder what kind of police force we have, full of confused and ignorant police officers who stand and watch such hooligans comitting crime! CRY MY BELOVED ZIMBABWE, A COUNTRY GONE TO THE DOGS!!!

  20. zvino nyadzisa, ko havana kunzwa zvanga zvatarwa na gushungu
    so they cant solve their problems kana vamwe vachiita basa rekutiza nama camera avamwe kikiki

  21. General Pancho Villa

    Temba haana pfungwa, ungaenda kuUK kodzidza kutasanura makumbo evanhu. He doesn’t have brain that guy, go to Spring Farm, work for him for a week after that you will write a book.

  22. Parties must not coach delegates,for when they appear before Copac they are confused and show no appreciation of issues raised.they have no understanding or depth on the subjects coached, hence they end up with no coaches version nor their version because they have none, but distorted imagination or corruption.When they go back they face the wrath of the parties and Copac is accussed of misrepresentaion.Delegates must therefore be very well versed in subject matters they contribute.

  23. Temba Mliswa behaves like he was dropped by the head at birth. If he is so learned as he claims, he would conduct himself in an honorable manner in public. Instead he behaves conducts himself like a idiot, hooligan, moron you name it. I guess that’s the ZANU PF style positioning themselves. Personally I have never seen his significants in our society neither of the education he claims to have. He is just all over the place making headlines for the wrong reasons.

    Look at the likes of him & the Chiyangwas, want media attention & yet there is not much senses their many words.

    Temba needs to grow up, & earn respect not demand it. He is a disgrace!!!!!

  24. Temba ane qualification/degree rei uye akadzidza kuuniversity ipi in the UK? Tried to check him out on numerous UK university databases and he does not exist. Maybe he got his degree from one of those dodgy Nyja university of Bury Park, Luton. Temba naTich tinoziva kuti vaihustler muLuton. He never attended any university in the UK. Aigara kuno kuLuton ende achingoita zvemacard nemastudent visa nekudhindha mapambi kuBury Pakk.

  25. coached chiefs are puppets. they don’t even realise they’re being used to kill the future generation just to please the fatnecks.

  26. Mliswa’s behaviour is despicable. What surprises most of us is that he is let off the hook by the ever partisan policemen. This bully grabbed farmers properties in Mash West and Zpf gleefully watched. Now he is rewarded by representing the party at a very important event of great national. Kahle kahle le nkwenkwe ifunani kwizinto zibalulekile. It is an indictment of what his party represents.

    As for the chiefs they have completely negated their duty to pander to the whims and caprices of Zpf. I feel this institution should be dispensed of. They’re simply Zpf bootlickers. Pasi tsve kumirira vanhu.

    Pamberi neConstitution itsva. Pasi nevari kuda kukanganisa.


    1. Another unfortunate statement , chikoro hauzi hunhu. If we have people who think that vanhu chete ndovakadzidza zvinoreva kuti hapana chinematuro chavakadzidza.

    2. chiefs are a drop in an ocean,they mean nothing in the political arena the majority counts

  28. why were the chiefs going to Zanu PF headquarters ? Temba is abnormal, he things he is above the law.

  29. ungu Temba or Themba? Ekhaya uvela ngaphi? Esintwini akula muntu ofana lawe. Ule speed se mbeba mfana.

  30. Temba you may have some education, but do you have character? Do you have values? can people respect you for the way you treat them ? Are you a true champion of the poor or are you just after the attention and the latest bucks coming into your pockets?

  31. Who is Themba Mliswa?He never even qualified for his provincial team in rugby.Only shows what zimbabwe has produced as far as dull,ignorant and tsotsis Zimbabwe has produced.Tourists beware of yo cameras!

Comments are closed.