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Temba Mliswa

Freedom Mupanedemo, Midlands Bureau
There was drama at Zisco in Redcliff yesterday when Norton legislator, Mr Temba Mliswa, became rowdy and disrupted a Parliamentary Portfolio on Mines and Energy meeting, accusing fellow legislators of proceeding with the meeting in his absence.

Mr Mliswa seemed to have been pissed off that fellow legislators had disregarded his powers as the chairperson of the portfolio committee.

The incident occurred soon after the arrival of 13 members of the committee at the plant around 10am by bus.

The committee members met management, who started explaining the state of the company, before Mr Mliswa arrived in a private vehicle in the company of another legislator, Cde Dexter Nduna.

The visibly charged Mr Mliswa strode into the meeting, which was being chaired by the committee’s deputy chair Bacilia Majaya, who immediately stopped the proceedings.

Mr Mliswa then confronted his colleagues and asked them why they were proceeding with the meeting without him.

“Why, why are you addressing the meeting in my absence?” he questioned. “I have been here early in the morning and you indicated that you were stuck somewhere and I have been waiting for you.

“Now that you have come, no one informs me and you proceed with the meeting without my presence as the chair. Is this what leadership entails?”

There was tension as legislators tried to reason and calm down Mr Mliswa.

Mr Mliswa left the meeting and sarcastically ordered the meeting should proceed in his absence.

It took more than 30 minutes for some legislators to persuade him to return to the meeting.

He then held a 30-minute closed door meeting with his committee members after excusing the media and Zisco management.

When the meeting with management resumed, all the female committee members did not attend.

The female legislators Majaya, Jennifer Mhlanga and Emma Muzvondiwa also snubbed the tour of the Zisco plant and remained in the bus, apparently in protest over Mr Mliswa’s conduct.

Mr Mliswa asked a Parliament official, Mr Maguire Godzongere to jot down names of the committee members who did not take part in the tour.

“This is tax payers money they are enjoying, they should do their work, so can you please write down names of those who are not taking part in what we are doing so that I will write a report,” he was heard saying.

Asked for a comment, Mr Mliswa mockingly said the female legislators’ action could be a result of hormonal problems.

“As a committee, we are united, but I wouldn’t know why they (female MPs) did not attend, you know we are at that period of the month where most women might not be comfortable to do some activities because of hormonal issues.”