By Munacho Gwamanda-Former Norton Member of Parliament, Temba Mliswa, was spotted this week at a Zanu PF farewell event held in Harare, reigniting public interest in the outspoken politician’s ambiguous political positioning.
Now a traditional leader, Mliswa attended a ceremony held to honour the retirement of Dr. Davison Gomo, the long-serving Zanu PF Director for Commissariat. Gomo, who served under four different political commissars, stepped down this week after years at the helm of Zanu PF’s voter mobilisation machinery.
While Mliswa’s presence at a ruling party function might raise eyebrows, it is not out of character.
A former Zanu PF Mashonaland West provincial chairperson, he was expelled during the turbulent Mugabe-era factional battles between the Gamatox and Zvipfukuto camps.
Since then, he has carved out a distinctive political identity—independent, non-aligned, and vocal.
Though he has no formal ties to any political party, Mliswa has consistently expressed personal loyalty to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a position he has never apologised for.
He has, however, distanced himself from Zanu PF as a political institution, criticising its internal culture while maintaining his support for the President’s leadership.
“He may not wear party colours, but he doesn’t hide where his loyalties lie—Mnangagwa the man, not Zanu PF the machine,” said one observer.
Mliswa’s independence has also seen him attend opposition events and openly sympathise with victims of state repression.
His pro-human rights stance has often put him at odds with hardliners within the ruling establishment.
Mliswa confirmed attending Dr Gomo’s farewell event, saying, ” Yes, I was there. You know me and Dr Gomo, we have come a long way even during my time in the UK ( early 2000s). He is a respected man and a great mentor”.
At the Gomo farewell ceremony, however, the Zanu PF family was united in praise.
Political Commissar Munyaradzi Machacha credited Gomo with building an elaborate web of affiliate organisations that significantly boosted the party’s mobilisation ahead of the disputed August 2023 elections.
“When I took over, I found that Dr. Gomo had already laid a solid foundation with the affiliate network,” Machacha said. “He gave the commissariat strategic depth.”
Among these affiliates is Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ), a shadowy group allegedly linked to the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), which was accused of running parallel electoral structures, voter intimidation, and influencing outcomes in Zanu PF’s favour.
Another was the Varakashi social media brigade, known for online propaganda and the harassment of government critics.
Others, like Teachers for ED, Pastors for ED, Young Women for ED, and Diaspora 4ED, operated under the guise of civil society but promoted partisan interests. By 2023, Zanu PF claimed to have over 60 such groups under its wing, blurring the lines between grassroots engagement and political control.
Affiliate leaders at the event celebrated Gomo’s legacy, vowing to carry on his work.
“We will mobilise the diaspora to return and help rebuild Zimbabwe under Zanu PF,” declared Gwatidzo, political commissar for the party’s UK branch.
Though Gomo is stepping down, analysts warn that his influence will persist through the structures he helped entrench.
Civil society organisations and opposition parties continue to accuse Zanu PF of using affiliates to tighten its grip on rural communities and suppress dissent, all under the rhetoric of national unity and development.
For Mliswa, however, his presence at the farewell appears to reflect personal respect for Gomo and enduring ties to individuals within the ruling elite, rather than any formal political re-engagement.
“I go where I am invited, and I stand by what I believe,” Mliswa has often said.
That belief, it seems, remains rooted in loyalty to Mnangagwa—if not the party that surrounds him.