The ManicaPost
Freedom Mutanda Post Correspondent
The MDC Alliance Presidential aspirant Mr Nelson Chamisa on Saturday took advantage of the long standing wrangle between Green Fuels and villagers in Chisumbanje to fight in the corner of the latter when he said he would take back the land from the Green Fuels consortium as he felt it was an injustice to the local people.
There were mixed feelings from in interviews with people who live in the area with some lambasting the MDC-T leader of being myopic, engaged in cheap politicking and anti-development while others felt he was fighting in the voiceless’ corner.
Addressing his supporters at Kondo Business Centre in Chipinge West, the MDC Alliance leader said he was perturbed by the plight of the Chinyamukwakwa, Matikwa and Chisumbanje communal farmers who lost land to business magnate, Billy Rautenbach and ARDA in 2015. He said once elected to power, he would take the land back to its owners.
‘‘Once we come to power in July, we would return the land to the villagers,’’ he said referring to the Chinyamukwakwa, Matikwa and Chisumbanje villagers part of whose land was taken by the Green Fuels project.
Mr Claris Madhuku, the Director of Partnership for Youth Development, a civic organisation which has been very vocal about the Chisumbanje villagers’ plight hoped that the presidential aspirant wasn’t grandstanding to get political mileage as he felt the Chisumbanje issue needed soberness to deal with it in order to have a win-win situation.
‘‘I hope he isn’t politicking because these villagers need to benefit from their God given resources.
‘‘While development is not anathema to them, it is their hope that Green Fuels owners have to own up to what they promised people.
‘‘Land is a finite resource which can’t be wished away. Mr Nelson Chamisa has been a parliamentarian when the Green Fuels and ARDA issue came to the fore and we believe, he should have been one of the many MPs who championed the villagers,’’ he said. A Middle Sabi resident, Patrick Manyurure, said Zimbabwe has laws to be followed and since ARDA and Green Fuels had gone into a public — private — partnership, there was need to balance economic and social equity. He added that communal farmers must agitate for economic growth premised on social justice.
