Top 10 Things You Might Not Know About Themba Mliswa
Temba Mliswa is an outspoken former rugby coach, fitness trainer, Zimbabwean politician and former member of the ZANU-PF Party which he served as the provincial chairman of Mashonaland West Province before his ouster in December 2014 and subsequent expulsion. Mliswa is the current Member of Parliament for Norton Constituency having won the by-election on 22 October 2016. Top 10 Things You Might Not Know About Themba Mliswa.
1. Temba Peter Mliswa was born in Zambia on 1 September 1971.
2. He is the second born in a family of six, comprising three girls and boys. He eventually relocated to Zimbabwe with his family where he did his primary school and proceeded to Lord Malvern School and the famed St Faith’s Mission School in Manicaland Province for his secondary education.
3. Mliswa grew up in Harare in the Waterfalls suburb living with his parents. He was married to Gracious Mabodza and the two have two daughters Alexandra and Farai.
4. He was employed in 1988 by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) as a development officer, Mliswa also worked for the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) for a short time before leaving for the United Kingdom.
5. Mliswa advanced his studies in sport fitness in the United States before he returned to Zimbabwe. Armed with his qualifications, he entered the sporting, business and political terrains. Initially Mliswa confined himself to the sports domain where he set up Chimurenga Rugby to afford black Zimbabweans an opportunity to showcase their talent
6. Temba is the owner of Spring Farm in Karoi, a tobacco farm which was allocated to him as part of Zimbabwe’s the controversial fast track land redistribution in the late 90s. Spring Farm itself is part of Saltlakes Holdings, a group of companies comprising Saltlakes Tobacco, Saltlakes Advisory and Saltlakes Implements.
7. In 2010, Mliswa (along with Martin Mutasa (Didymus Mutasa’s son) and George Marere) spent weeks in prison after being arrested for charges of fraud involving US$1,05 million. The three were alleged to have defrauded a Harare man, Paul Westwood of his 50% shares of Noshio Motors, a registered car dealer company jointly owned by Westwood and Hammarskjöld Banda and his wife Brendaly.
8. In October 2014, Mliswa was dragged to court by the CBZ Bank Limited a subsidiary of the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe Holdings for a debt which he had accumulated to 2.7 million emanating from loans and advances which he got from the bank during the 2011 to 2012 farming season.
9. In September 2012, Mliswa revealed how he had used his political connections to help controversial businessman Billy Rautenbach attain a deal with the government for the Chisumbanje Ethanol plant and Hwange Colliery.
10. The dirty dozen comprised twelve Members of Parliament who received financial aid from the United States of America government through the U.S embassy in Harare. His actions were not welcomed by his fellow colleagues in the party considering the sour relations between the Zanu PF government and the U.S. In the same vein, he was also accused of spying against the government by giving classified information to one Eric Little who works for the U.S Embassy in Harare and is believed to be a member of the CIA.
