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My Turn with Tichaona Zindoga

The stakes are high in Norton. A by-election is due to be held in three days’ time following the expulsion of Zanu-PF’s Christopher Mutsvangwa, a former minister and leader of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association.Zanu-PF is fielding Ronald Chidendza, a trained farmer born and bred in the so-called dormitory town, some 40 kilometres from Harare.Chindedza does not have a lofty political profile.He is facing Temba Mliswa, a former Zanu-PF provincial chairman in Mashonaland West, which includes Norton, and a controversial and forceful political operator.

Mliswa is the former MP for Hurungwe West where he was ejected following his expulsion from Zanu-PF in February 2015.He lost the subsequent by-election to Keith Guzah by a margin of 4 239 to 5 961 votes.The controversial and outspoken Mliswa has various business interests including agriculture and mining.

He is also the leader of an outfit called Youth Advocacy for Reform and Development.The third contestant in the race for Norton is David Choga of the National Constitution Assembly, a farmer born in Norton.That the race in Norton will be a contest between Zanu-PF’s Chindedza and Mliswa is out of question.

Mr Choga is such a rank outsider that not many people know of his existence and that of his party and it will take a miracle of exponential proportions for him to ghost into the race and run away with it to the surprise and stupefaction of the world.But the Chindedza-Mliswa duel will be interesting in many respects that will even echo on the whole of the country’s political landscape.

Just look back to last Saturday.There was violence between the supporters of both men outside Ngoni stadium and violent disturbances brought disquiet in the town.Mliswa had booked the venue for his star rally and it is understood that the ruling party had also booked the same for another rally.

According to one version of events, Mliswa was supposed to have his rally in the morning with Chindedza holding his in the afternoon.It was later claimed that Mliswa did not obtain police clearance to hold his meeting.And by midday tension grew outside the stadium as two sets of supporters faced off with police maintaining a barrier between the antagonistic singing, chanting, and gyrating raucous supporters.

Ronald Chindedza

There could have been 1 000 on each side.They threatened violence on each other.They were bloodthirsty.They hurled insults at each other and occasionally an overzealous supporter appeared to venture onto the no man’s land.It was an impasse.The township and locale had an uneasy calm like as before a stormy deluge.

Then it happened.

Two cars from Mliswa’s camp with belligerent “commandos’’ aboard suddenly set off, passing the no man’s land and ill-equipped barrier, and appeared set to plough into Zanu-PF supporters on the other side.

After a momentary shock and retreat, Zanu-PF supporters mounted a human shield and began throwing stones at Mliswa’s trucks whose supporters responded to a call to “Advance!” by occupants of the cars by throwing stones and objects at their opponents.

Mliswa’s cars had to beat a hasty retreat, movie-style amid a hail of stones.It was an ugly sight.Police responded by firing teargas to disperse the crowd, but not before a number of people, including children had been injured.The damage was on both sides.

And as soon as the crowds were dispersed at the Ngoni Stadium ground zero, supporters rallied at different points where they appeared set to mount other offensives and this took place around Ngoni and Katanga suburbs.

The police managed to restore order, but the tension was palpable and the acridity of the lachrymatory poisoned air spoke to a game of high stakes that is on the cards.

And, to be fair enough and with all due respect, it is going to be a battle between the institution of Zanu-PF and one man called Temba Mliswa, backed by the MDC-T.

As we speak, he is darkly confident.There are several reasons for this.First, he is underestimating his opponent on a personal level believing he lacks charisma and appeal.Mliswa answers and dances to the moniker “Bhuru” (Bull) and he secondly believes, crucially, that the opposition vote is his to take home.

On Saturday, his aborted meeting was supposed to be addressed by MDC-T vice president Nelson Chamisa and the opposition is rallying under the nera platform.Connected to this is the fact that Norton is a predominantly urban constituency with a couple of farming and rural wards.

This is in contrast with the rural constituency that he lost to Guzah last year, not to mention that Guzah is an equally forceful character who has fought Mliswa on many fronts — and won.Thirdly, Mliswa claims that having been chairman of the province, not only does he know the dynamics of the party and area; his teams are made up of former structure leaders and the opposition leaders.

Further he purports he has the support of disaffected members of the ruling party.

Fourth, Mliswa is all too ready to play dirty.It makes it all interesting.This doesn’t mean he is going to win the by-election.He is likely to lose, having set himself against the mean machine called Zanu-PF which has a whole lot of experience and capacity to win.In fact, it has been winning all the by-elections that have taken place since 2013, a fact that has been aided by the supposed boycott of elections by the mainstream opposition parties.

Temba Mliswa

Yet it is not a bad idea to bet on seeing a good match.And both parties, that is the ruling party and the one Temba Mliswa will be doing a lot in these coming days.It is hoped that there won’t be a repeat of the Ngoni Stadium imbroglio, or worse.For the ruling party it may be Norton or nothing, especially with the dynamics happening within and outside the party.

It is not a secret that a victory for Mliswa will send all manner of messages: in 2015 it chanced on the very same thing only to be stopped by a narrow victory.This time stakes are even higher.