VILLAGERS who lost their land to pave way for the establishment of Green Fuel in Chisumbanje, have resolved to take the ethanol processing plant to court demanding compensation for their land.
Through Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, villagers have resolved to drag the company to court saying dialogue has failed to help.
“The concerned are convinced that the legal process is the only way to resolve the boundary conflict between them and Green fuel,” read a statement issued by the community organization group.
“Villagers unanimously agreed that the courts should now be involved in resolving this six year old dispute that has been punctuated by violent clashes between communal land owners and the local police at Chisumbanje station,” PYD stated.
For over six years now, villagers and Green Fuel have been at loggerheads over land and this has attracted government intervention.
During the inclusive government, an Inter-Ministerial committee led by then Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara was established and it recommended and end to the boundary disputes between Green Fuel and the villagers.
But no action has been taken since, forcing the villagers to resort to the courts.
Last year, a fact finding mission by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on indigenization visited Chisumbanje and its recommendations have yet to be implemented.
Among the recommendations was to resolve the land dispute and a probe of Green Fuel owner, Billy Rautenbach, the local MP, Enock Porusingazi and the then Energy minister Dzikamai Mavhaire on suspicion of fraud and conniving to deprive the villagers of their property.
“There is lack of progress with Green Fuel continuously encroaching into the surrounding community without an alternative land for them to reside. The community believes this cannot be left unaddressed as it infringes on their rights,” the activist group said.
“Villagers indicated that they no longer had confidence in a long series of so called engagement meetings with Green Fuel since the company has proven itself to be consistently reneging on most of the promises it made to the community”.
