By Tafanana Kwedu
MDC Alliance United Kingdom and Ireland International Relations Secretary, Stanford Biti was left with an egg in the face on Tuesday after he attempted to smuggle his party’s ‘Zimbabwe crisis’ narrative in a zoom meeting that was being hosted by Chatham House.
The zoom meeting titled “Zimbabwe's Economy During the Coronavirus Pandemic and Beyond”( https:// www. chathamhouse. org/event/zimbabwes-economy-during-coronavirus-pandemic-and-beyond) had panelist who included Busisa Moyo, Chief Executive Officer, United Refineries Limited who is also Board Chairperson, Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA); Dr Carren Pindiriri, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Zimbabwe and others.
Stanford, who is young brother to MDC-Alliance Vice President, Tendai Biti, failed to articulate his question (between 1hr.24min.30sec and 1hr.26min.19sec) to one of the panelists as was directed by the moderator, further exposing his activism stance on any issue.
Stanford accused Chatham house of selectively working with the Zimbabwean Government while denying other organisations outside government a chance to air their views or right of reply.
Using his poor language command, Stanford stuttered further, alleging that he was denied entry into the Zimbabwean embassy on several occasions.
“Busisa (Moyo) can know I have applied quite number of issues that I should come in and attend at Zimbabwe. If you apply anything with Chatham House which is being hosted by ZANU PF Government you are actually told that you don’t control it, somebody controls it. Which lives a lot of Zimbabweans out on issues pertaining to our country,” Stanford said.
“I am someone working in Diaspora who is willing to come back in Zimbabwe, but anything which is happening Zimbabwe, we are excluded. It is only for a few Zimbabweans who are ZANU PF card carrying members who are allowed in the embassy, who are only allowed to come back in Zimbabwe and invest.
In response to Stanford’s accusations, the zoom meeting moderator Chris Vandome, had to interject and said the platform was open to any willing and pre-registered participant.
“Chatham house has not done an event in partnership with the Zimbabwean government,” Vandome said.
He introduced himself as an “Academia” with the rest of his contributions being dull. Sources further revealed to this publication that that Stanford was not academically gifted even during his days at Howard Mission where he performed dismally at Ordinary Level between 1985 and 1988.
Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is independent and owes no allegiance to any government or to any political body. It does not take institutional positions on policy issues.
