Former Vice President, Joice Mujuru’s People First has distanced itself from Former Hurungwe West legislator, Temba Mliswa and his Youth Advocacy for Electoral Democracy (YARD) movement saying that he is an agent on a mission to befuddle a coalition between opposition political parties.
Speaking during a press briefing held in the capital today, Jim Kunaka who represent youths in the People First formation said that Mliswa’s brief is to distract the formation of a coalition
“We are reliably informed that Mr Mliswa’s brief is to stifle any chances of the opposition political parties forming alliances to contest the 2018 elections and to sow seeds of doubt into the electorate against the increasingly popular People First,” said Kunaka who recently apologised for victimising anti Zanu-PF supporters.
The former Zanu PF Harare provincial youth and Chipangano ring leader said Mliswa is a project meant to de-campaign People First president.
“We would like to set the record straight about Mr Temba Mliswa and the People First. We have learnt that Mr Mliswa has been roped in by the people he refers to as “Senior Government officials” in the Sunday Mail article of 25 October 2015, the so-called successionists in Zanu-PF, to go on a smear campaign against our leader Dr Joice Mujuru, the People First and the other opposition political parties,” said Kunaka.
Mliswa, who lately has been riding with the MDC-T band has been disowned by the People First and his Youth Advocacy for Electoral Democracy (YARD) movement has been described as a military extension meant to victimise people.
“Mr Mliswa has never been part of us although he has tried in vain to usurp the leadership of our youth wing through his so-called Youth Advocacy for Electoral Democracy (YARD). YARD is not affiliated to the People First nor represents the ideological trajectory that we have taken as a Party.
“We are not going to be part to Mr Mliswa’s envisaged militia training that he purports will be for self-defence and for this reason; we have refused to work with him on his project nor to have him as a member of our youth wing.
We don’t need the so-called self-defence skills he wants to teach through his militia group for we know that the best defence we have is encrypted in our message of inclusivity, equality, tolerance, love and our belief that “every citizen is responsible for peace, freedom and democracy” that is clearly spelt out in our BUILD document,” said the controversial Kunaka.
The provocative Kunaka went on to say that Zanu-PF feels the heat ahead of the launch of People First.
“We understand the desperation that has crept into Zanu-PF emanating from the imminent launch of our People First Party hence the frantic efforts to rope in politically unstable characters like Mr Mliswa to purvey lies about perceived divisions that only exist in their infertile imaginations,” he said.
