SOME human rights organisations based in Europe have petitioned businessman Billy Rautenbach to end the persistent clashes between his Chisumbanje-based ethanol producer Green Fuel and the villagers in the surrounding community.
OBEY MANAYITI STAFF REPORTER
On Friday, four rights defenders — Solidarity Fund for Social Struggles in Africa, German-based Kirchliche Arbeitsselle Sudliches Africa, Fund for Development and Partnership in Africa and the Parish Council of Wohlen — wrote to Rautenbach to express their concerns over the conflicts.
Green Fuel, which is jointly owned by Rautenbach and the government through the Agricultural Rural and Urban Authority, has had endless boundary clashes with villagers.
Part of the letter dated May 23 read: “The undersigned organisations and individuals have been in contact with the communities of Chisumbanje and Chinyamukwakwa for a number of years.
“We have come to know them as successful farmers who have been able to feed their families from the land of their ancestors.
“Now their livelihoods are being threatened because your bulldozers have chosen the time of harvesting to destroy their crops, as they did in the previous 3 years.
“We are appalled by this action without compassion for the affected communities. We are aware that there is conflict about land, a contentious issue, which should be solved amicably using structures like the recently dissolved District Ethanol Implementation Committee [Depic].”
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The human rights defenders added: “We are concerned not only about the possible prospects of outbreak of violence caused by frustration and desperation.
“We, therefore, urge you to do everything in your power to engage in peaceful talks and to call back your bulldozers.”
The letter was copied to Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Christopher Mushowe, Switzerland and Germany Embassies in Zimbabwe.
In an interview with NewsDay over the weekend, Claris Madhuku chairperson of the Platform for Youth Development expressed similar concerns.
“Recently, Green Fuel bulldozers were destroying villagers’ crops, a situation which is very bad,” Madhuku said.
“We have to do something about this and we hope to continue calling upon the company to restore order in the affected communities.
“If that fails then we will take action. We are demanding dialogue with them and we also want the Depic structures back.
“The world is watching and we are happy with the support we are getting.”
Depic was an all-inclusive committee involving villagers, the ethanol producing company and local authorities to facilitate co-existence between the villagers and Green Fuel.
Efforts to get a comment from Green Fuel officials were fruitless.
However, Arda board chairman Basil Nyabadza dismissed allegations of human rights abuses in Chisumbanje as “fictitious”.
“That is total fiction. There is nothing like that,” he said while also claiming he had not seen the letter in question.
