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Herald Reporter
Losing Hurungwe West independent candidate Mr Temba Mliswa yesterday said he will never stand in any future election for legislators and will now pursue other interests.

The comments came after Mr Mliswa lost the by-election to Zanu-PF’s Cde Keith Guzah, who scored 5 961 votes to his 4 239.

Mr Mliswa said at a Press conference in Harare that although he wanted to challenge the election results in court, he was no longer interested in electoral contests.

He accused Zanu-PF of having intimidated voters in the constituency, but failed to produce evidence to back up his claim.

“I will take this (his defeat) as an opportunity to explore the many options that lie ahead as an active citizen in different spheres for a better Zimbabwe,” said Mr Mliswa.

“I have decided not to ever stand for election as a Member of Parliament and will pursue other interests.”

In an apparent pitch for the Mujuru cabal, Mr Mliswa called for what he termed a grand coalition that “will put people first”.

The “People First” project, fronted by former vice president Dr Joice Mujuru, failed to impact in the 16 by-elections held countrywide last week in which some candidates openly declared that they were sponsored by the Mujuru cabal.

Said Mr Mliswa: “The aspect of forming a new party is not what I believe in. I have talked about a grand coalition in 2018 which should start now by investing time with the people and educating the young people.”

Mr Mliswa, a former Zanu-PF provincial chairperson for Mashonaland West was expelled from Zanu-PF together with several other senior officials for being part of the Mujuru project that was working to unconstitutionally unseat President Mugabe..