Third Force is courting prominent businesspersons to to stand as its presidential candidate.- Temba Mliswa

INDEPENDENT Norton MP Temba Mliswa yesterday upped the stakes in the 2018 presidential elections when he announced that his formation of independents under the banner Third Force is courting some prominent businesspersons to come and stand as its presidential candidate.

Mliswa said the current opposition leadership was suspicious of former Zanu PF members, thus, further damaging the prospects of a grand coalition of opposition forces against President Robert Mugabe in the watershed poll.

“Our chance of success or failure in the future rests on who leads. We are not coming out of the liberation struggle where anyone could easily assume leadership … those days are gone. We have had 37 years of freedom and we can no longer second-guess on who should lead us,” he said.

“We are looking at an outsider, who can lead, such as established businesspeople like Mthuli Ncube, Nkosana Moyo and James Makamba. We are

also talking to Diasporans, who are proven like former banker, James Mushore or even the reluctant Strive Masiyiwa.”

Telecommunications mogul, Masiyiwa has been touted as a possible successor to Mugabe given his proven success in business. Moyo was a minister in Mugabe’s government at the turn of the century, but left in a huff arguing he had found it difficult to execute his duties.

Mliswa said Zimbabweans were generally losing faith in established political parties, hence, the need to form a Third Force.

“The Third Force is coming in as a result of people’s lack of confidence in political parties, who they feel have let them down. Youths are not being afforded their commensurate space in the party structures and feel marginalised despite their huge demographic,” he said.

Mliswa also revealed former Zanu PF youth leader Godfrey Tsenengamu had joined his movement.

“The influence of former Zanu PF cadres such as me and Godfrey Tsenengamu (sic), who is the Third Force political commissar, is crucial with our experience and will be integral in our thrust in the Zanu PF strongholds in the rural areas,” he said.

The youthful politician said his political outfit was eyeing a number of seats currently held by Zanu PF. By Paidamoyo Muzulu. source-newsday