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Boundary dispute between Chisumbanje villagers and Green fuel - PYD urges the nation to be patient with Mutambara
Platform for Youth Development
December 31, 2012

Despite boundary clashes between Chisumbanje villagers and Green fuel degenerating into confrontation as police resort to using live bullets and tear gas, PYD still has confidence in the cabinet intervention.

A long-standing conflict that traces back to 2009 is seemingly now getting out of hand. This recent violent clashes started on the 27th of December 2012 when villagers started tilling their land. The tilling of land was a response to the directive by the Inter-ministerial committee tasked to resolve the dispute. Professor Aurthur Mutambara, who was commissioning the elected committee of the villagers early December 2012, gave the green light for villagers to till their land.

Despite this, Chisumbanje police have been taking instruction from a different office. On the 27th of December 2012 about 40 peasant farmers from Chinyamukwakwa were detained by police and later released without charge. The police unashamedly claimed that the villagers in Chinyamukwakwa were invading private property belonging to ARDA and leased to Green fuel.

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) accuses company management for confusing the police. Basil Nyabadza is on record that he has lost faith with the leadership of Professor Mutambara. Such sentiments from Nyabadza further complicates the implementation of the cabinet recommendations, therefore meant to stifle progress and promote confusion. PYD shares a different opinion and urges the nation to be patient with Professor Mutambara, whom we are confident he has found the formula to the solution.

Billy Rautenbauch and his management are equally to blame for refusing advice from the government, instead they are submitting their fate to the caprices of ZANU PF politics. The Green fuel management continues to abuse vulnerable women and unpaid employees to demand the unconditional reopening of the plant. The company whose poor marketing of its ethanol is to blame continue unsuccessfully to blame our advocacy for transparency and justice as the cause of the closure of the plant.

"The closure of the ethanol plant is directly linked to poor marketing and Green fuel management attitude that remains mysterious, secretive and devoid of national interest," Claris Madhuku said.

It is very difficult to justify the behaviour of police who fired live bullets and teargas to innocent and defenceless villagers in Chinyamukwakwa on the 29th of December 2012.

"PYD finds this to be unacceptable, we are saddened and worried with this lack of respect to life exhibited by Chisumbanje police officers, we are appealing to Augustine Chihuri (Police Commissioner) and the cabinet to restrain the police so as to handle this fragile dispute with utmost professionalism," said Claris Madhuku

Claris Madhuku, who heads the Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) and is one of the popularly elected members of the Joint Ethanol Plant Implementation Committee (JEPIC), claims they are committed to dialogue with relevant stakeholders who are being called to action.

"We have approached Mr Museta, who is the Member In Charge at Chisumbanje police station as well as Mr Mavhiza, who is the D.A for Chipinge district. The two are still to convince us that they understand the plight of the community. This is where we find the Deputy Prime Minister to be very useful since he has stuck to the content of his report".

For us in the PYD and the affected community, the direction is clear. There is an Inter-Ministerial Committee report that must be implemented holistically as a precondition for cooperation. The company continues to override the cabinet recommendations, therefore villagers are impatient and have the right to till their land.
Villagers have promised to cooperate only if solutions are communicated formally and/or through the elected members of the committee.

"We will remain determined in defence of our right to land, without our land we will be dead man moving. Macdom/Green fuel need to respect the stipulated boundary so that we co exists" Memory Zvinongoza of Chinyamukwakwa said.

Green fuel-which owns the Chisumbanje ethanol plant, is being transformed from a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) business arrangement to a Joint Venture (JV) between Arda, Macdom Investments and Ratings. Government is still to introduce mandatory blending which seems to be failing due to the non-cooperation and interference found in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

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