Staff Reporter
MDC branch chairman for South End-on-Sea in the United Kingdom Mr Stanford Biti has described Zimbabwe’s ambassador to German Mr Hebson Makuvise as behaving like a “maggot”, The Zim Diaspora can reveal.
Mr Biti who is younger brother to Finance Minister Tendai Biti lambasted ambassador Makuvise for:
- granting an exclusive interview to President Mugabe’s state controlled Herald on Friday to discuss MDC affairs in Mugabe's "bedroom".
- denigrating Zimbabweans in diaspora when he told Herald that they were afraid of returning home because they have nothing to show for their absence
- for creating financial and administrative chaos in the MDC-UK and Ireland
- for asking South End On-sea branch to pay him £300.00 for a journey worth £20 by public transport
- for lying to The Herald that Biti was the brains in the weekly protest outside the Zimbabwe embassy in London
- for lying that Biti was suspended from the party saying he has never faced any disciplinary action of that sought
Ambassador Makuvise: Trusts The Herald
Usually MDC leaders prefer to give such exclusive information to independent newspapers in Harare who are not in a habit of spininng like The Herald does. The Herald-Makuvise voluntary interview was the first of its kind the state controlled newspaper has ever secured from a senior MDC leader in the face of serious cracks within the coalition.
It is public knowledge that the State Media is vehemently anti-MDC but pro-Mugabe. This, Mr Biti says is a result of lack of both common sense and lack of political experience on the part of Makuvise, hence Biti wonders what credentials made him pickable for an ambassadorial post yet with a clear sense of poor judgement.
Mr Biti insisted that Makuvise must be recalled from his ambassadorial position up until he clears the mess he "created" in the party's UK and Ireland province.
He said: “For people like us who are aware of the founding ideals of the party, we are now asking ourselves what is actually is happening in the party. More than £75 000 has gone missing in the UK, yet they entertain those who wants to silence me when Makuvise and those responsible for the missing money are allowed Scott free".
"Our future as a nation remains at stake because it is this kind of looting and silencing of dissenting voices that ZANU-PF managed to destroy such a wealthy country like Zimbabwe”.
“Mr Makuvise has gone to The Herald to tell Mugabe that I always organise protest against Mugabe’s London embassy. By doing that he is setting me up with Mugabe’s hit squads including my family. The fact of the matter is that I have never organised a demonstration against the Zimbabwe embassy. Instead, my demonstrations are always in South End on-Sea,” said Mr Biti.
He added: “The same people who accuse ZANU-PF of dictatorship are now practising it. Dictatorship is bad no matter who is practising it. When Morgan Tsvangirai fails to carry my aspirations as a dedicated party supporter, I have a right to question him because there is no POSA in Britain. Though we are now getting conflicting statements Tsvangirai has been given the Sipepa Nkomo report of missing MDC-UK funds but he has chosen to sit on it - God knows what is his next move”.
Mr Biti who also described Mr Makuvise as behaving like a ZANU-PF geriatric, said what Makuvise has told The Herald amounted to an attempt to indimidate him and violate his right to freedom of speech against burning issues that have rocked the party in the United Kingdom.
In Friday’s Herald Mr Makuvise warned Stanford’s brother Tendai Biti to discipline him for “bringing the party into disrepute”.
Tendai Biti has not responded to the Makuvise-Herald report.
“I want to make it clear to everyone that Tendai and I don’t discuss politics at all and it’s our principle. Tendai has no influence in my political activities. We only talk about family issues not the MDC. My political actions cannot be linked to my brother Tendai in anyway. For it is unfair to Tendai,” said Mr Biti.
“I joined the MDC on my own not through Tendai. I believe as a member of the MDC it is within my rights to comment on our leadership when they go astray because when we formed the MDC we agreed on transparency, accountability and democratic principles,” he said.
“Perhaps the difference between Makuvise and I is that I joined the MDC from start while Makuvise was invited to join the MDC in the UK here by Morgan Tsvangirai in Luton. But all the same we all remember that Tsvangirai had given Makuvise public instructions not to interfere with party structures in the UK, but what he did is more than what Tsvangirai bargain for,” he said.
Mr Biti said it was unfortunate that Mr Makuvise told The Herald that the diasporas were scared of returning home because they had nothing to show for the absence yet Mr Makuvise thrived on asylum seekers money in the UK.
“Mr Makuvise must understand that he was lucky to be handpicked by Morgan Tsvangirai in Luton as his special representative to the UK. Unfortunately, Mr Makuvise then took advantage of weaknesses of former MDC-UK Mr Ephraim Tapa and behaved like a maggot resulting in terrible chaos in the MDC-UK,” he said.
“I can confirm that Makuvise demanded £300.00 in October 2008 from my branch for him to attend a fundraising party in my branch for a journey that cost less that £20 by public transport. We refused point black to give him and since that time he has never forgiven me,” said Mr Biti.
He added that his branch lost £1050.00 to the Chawora executive which he had given up in trying to trace it.
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Chawora-gate Part 5: No asylum support letters without sex first
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- The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. ZimDiaspora is not responsible for what they say. Please keep your comments short and sweet. Obscene, tribalistic, racist, vulgar comments will be deleted.
written by sobohla manyosi, August 02, 2010
written by batshele, July 29, 2010
written by mbishi, July 28, 2010
written by Leon, July 28, 2010
written by moyo, July 27, 2010
written by Zanla Force, July 27, 2010
written by Zanla Force, July 27, 2010
written by yah, July 27, 2010
S. Biti well done!!
written by joao, July 27, 2010
The primary reason Zimbabweans meet outside the London embassy is to bring awareness to the world of the tyrannical rule of Mugabe and his ZANU PF and to campaign for the restoration of human rights in the country. Mr Ambassador, if you want the world to think very highly of you and restore your credibility as a leader, just stop this ridiculous waffling about Stansford Biti and Zimbabweans in diaspora, and simply put on the table a statement accounting for all the missing money, nyaya yobva yapera!
written by Moyo/ chief, July 27, 2010
The fact is the ambassador has decided to defend the party by using authoritarian tactics where the powerful try to stiffle those without power. As a clever ambassedor he should have used his office and rang the SG and talked this issue if ever it is an issue to waste public money for. I say if it is an issue to waste public money for because in my judgement it is not in the fact that he is trying to surpress a just cause. S Biti should be applauded for using the rightful channels to ask for transparency which the people in Harare have responded to by sending a fact finding team, of which Moyo/chief knows the results are to be made officially public. Only after then can the truth be known. The struggle for leadership should never be seen as distructive to a party, Moyo/chief lives in a country where at the moment two brothers are contesting for a political party leadership. We have never heard the ambassador of Britain in Zimbabwe talk to the Guardian or the Sun for that matter asking the Mrs Milliband to reign in one of the two brothers before they are displined. The politics which the Ambassador is using is from the opportunistic position where one tries to supress dessent by denying rights to the weak.Instead of being stately our dear representative is now becoming partisan he should be reminded that when he is quoted as the ambassadoer of Zimbabwe he is not representing or defending the position of Tsvangirayi as party leader but as Prime Minister. I shudder to imagine what next he is going to do lest some one calms him down and reminds him of his stature.
Thank you Mr editor for giving the voiceless the platform to express their views without fear.
written by Editor Admin, July 27, 2010
We respect your pro-Chawora, pro-Makuvise stance. I must admit that I, the editor have been deleting your comments because of the vulgar language you have resorted to.
For example, look at your above comment you use the bull.... in a violent fashion. We may end up asking questions whether you learnt that violence during your past time in ZANU-PF.
Let me warn you that in the event one of our readers feels offended by your vulgar language I will simple remove it without further warning. Lets engage in facts than vulgarity, leave such a behavior to Mugabe alone.
Your language has been violent to our readers who I personally believe have legitimate grievances against the Chawora executive, which unfortunately your disagree for whatever benefits you got from the ill-fated executive. As you are clearly in the Chawora/Makuvise side and let me tell you there is nothing wrong about it, its fine but be polite and civil.
Teach yourself to present your argument professional and unemotional with your opponents, that way you can say you are better than the ZANU-PF violent system.
Regards
Editor
written by moyo, July 27, 2010
written by Shepherd Mabhena, July 27, 2010
The ambassador's attitude towards Zimbabweans in diaspora leaves a lot to be desired. The majority of Zimbabweans would want to come home but can not do so due to violence and violation of Human rights perpetrated by Mugabe and ZANU PF. The two Vice Prime-ministers who were in London recently were very open with the Zimbabweans that they are not in a position to say come back home since little progress if any has been made in minimising the violation of Human rights. Our dear Ambassador should be from Mars as it would appear he is not of aware the prevailing situation in Zimbabwe. The MDC newsletters and other objective Zimbabwean papers have many reports on violence perpetrated against those perceived as MDC supporters. Ambassador its time you come down to planet earth and get to know the problems drove a sizeable number of Zimbabweans unlike in any other period in the history of Zimbabwe to the 4 corners of the world.
Ambassador you need to get your facts right. Zimbabweans in UK make sacrifices to attend demonstrations at the Zimbabwean Embassy. Their transport costs and upkeep has nothing to do with donations from tourists. What you have said is an insult to some of our brothers and sisters who travel from such places as Scotland in order to fight injustices perpetrated by Mugabe.
Let it be on recod that Biti (junior) is not part of the co-odinators of vigil.The people in MDC, T-shirts are from various Branches within UK. Their presence at the vigil is meant to put pressure on Mugabe to stop violence and to pave way for Free and Fair elections
It is also unfair on your part to take Biti senior to task. There is no need for you to apportion blame on him unless if there is something you know which the rest of the MDC members do not know. This is your problem with Stanford which needs a solution.Those who have a voice should not be silenced through intimidation or blackmail. Ambassador if you have you have nothing to hide silence Biti through accountability.
Zimbabweans in diaspora do not need anything to prove to anyone, all i can say to you is life is irreplaceable. When Zimbabwe is free Zimbabweans will definitely return in large numbers, both Black and White.
written by Tsvangson, July 27, 2010
MANCHESTER RAISED THE ISSUE OF MAKUVISE, CHAWORA, MATEWU & TSVANGIRAI AT EVERY MEETING THEY ATTENDED BUT WE TOOK THEM TO BE REBELS, BUT THE WHOLE OF UK IS NOW REALISING THOSE GUYS WERE RIGHT. I REMEMBER 2 OF THEM ASKED THERESA MAKONE IN LEEDS WHY MAKUVISE, CHAWORA & MATEWU WERE BEING GIVEN MONEY FROM THE UK ACCOUNT YET THEY ARE NOT TREASURERS.
I THINK YOU WERE NOT ATTENDING MEETINGS AND I AM SURE THEY ARE THE ONLY BRANCH NEVER TO HAVE SUBMITTED MONEY TO THE CHAWORA EXECUTIVE BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT HAPPY WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP.
VAKAPA MARI YAKADYIWA, YAVO VANAYO.
written by Eddiza, July 27, 2010
written by Shamiso, July 27, 2010
Anyway its no one to blame but us. First how come no one ever demanded to know what criteria Tsvangirai used to hand pick Makuvise when Makuvise was not a member of the MDC? The problem with us Zimbabweans is that we ass-lick our leaders which is the same thing we did with Mugabe when he was killing Ndebeles we agreed with him, now Mugabe has turned around to kill us.
Its so sad that Zimbabweans ass-lick political leaders but dont challenge them on principle guidelines and on policy issues.
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