Chisumbanje villagers furious over lack of consultation for Ethanol project

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Lack of consultation infuriates Chisumbanje villagers

A week of drama has been experienced in Chisumbanje as over a thousand
villagers refused to be cowed by Macdom pvt ltd.The much publicised Ethanol
project hangs on a thread if the Macdom and ARDA remains stubborn by
imposing and defining the project as irreversible against basic
communication skills. A consultation meeting by the cabinet representative
on the 15th of August, as well as that by the company on the 18th of August
2011 has failed to break the impasse.

The company through their Human Resources Manager Mr. Zuze agreed that they
are responsible for the destruction of crops belonging to the residents
since 2008,” we are consulting with Agritex to establish the value of the
destroyed crops so that we start compensation” Zuze admitted. This statement
was made at a meeting at Chisumbanje on the 18th of August. More than one
thousand villagers including Chief Garahwa, Headman
Chisumbanje,Chinyamukwakwa and Matikwa attended.

In response to the admission by the company through Zuze,a resolution by the
villagers was made-
That there will be no talks/engagements with neither the company nor ARDA
concerning their land until farmers whose crops were destructed since 2008
have been compensated satisfactorily.

The villagers have since refuted instructions by the company spoken through
J.C Mundoma, the Chief Executive Officer of ARDA Chipinge. He provided dates
for the community to meet the company at their fields to establish their
hectrage.The villagers’ responded angrily for this imposition of dates when
in actual fact there was no background and proper communication as to the
purpose of the meetings. When Mundoma insisted on the project as
irreversible because the community was less important than government
interests a resolution was made for him and his JEPAC team.

That the villagers has lost confidence in the D.A Noel Mundeta and his
team(Mundoma included),therefore appeals for a fresh team, should there be
need for talks/engagements in this matter.
The community also raised concern that the intended consultations were bent
on dividing people as well as cheating them. The community sighted the
imposition of weak members who are not convincingly representative as much
as they are not familiar with community interests. To this effect a third
resolution was made.

That Platform for Youth Development Trust [PYD} will remain the
representative of the Chisumbanje, Chinyamukwakwa and Matikwa communities is
resolving this land dispute with Macdom pvt ltd with her sister companies.

Platform for Youth Development has been working with the villagers on this
matter since 2008.Since then, the company has been invading the truth by
claiming that PYD was not mandated and therefore not fit to be given a table
talk. It appears, they have not yet learnt the mathematics of community
projects.PYD has already engaged Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and Bere
Brothers who have since filed a court application at the high court of
Zimbabwe to stop Macdom pvt ltd and her sister companies from encroaching
the boundaries they have since agreed with ARDA.

It is important to note that PYD is a pressure group that is community based
and well equipped to mediate in this dispute. Macdom management have failed
dismally to respect the community. In addition to handpicking war veterans
(only to abuse their titles), they use hate language and political rhetoric
to intimidate the community into submission. All their efforts having failed
they have again introduced fliers lambasting the director of PYD Mr Claris
Madhuku and one of the community strongmen Wedzerai Gwenzi. In their
laughable messages, they are claiming that these two men are organising the
community in pursuit of political power. Someone must advise them, that they
are dampening relations at the time they need them most.

”The allegations are baseless and nonsensical, am passionate about my
community and will break my bones in defence of genuine and community
empowering development”Madhuku said.

‘As far as i am concerned, Macdom and ARDA representatives risk
embarrassment of a generation if they continue being stubborn without bowing
down to consider talking. The community will do everything peaceful to
demand their rights against imposition of development. The community has no
problem with the plant operating within the 5 112 hectares where there is no
conflict, the problem comes when they start operating illegal by encroaching
into the community before there is a binding agreement” Madhuku fumed.

The court application is meant to inform the company and ARDA that the
community is determined and spirited to pursue justice. However the courts
are not the ONLY option available. The community is prepared to make history
of a monumental stature to display community power against imposition of the
so called development.

Platform for Youth Development is very much concerned that the company has
failed on the Indigenization and Land policies of the country. So far most
of our young people in the area lie idle despite the company claiming at the
international level that they are employing the community members. Over
eighty (80%) of the company’s work force is coming far away from Chisumbanje
and Chipinge. The community feels cheated and taken for granted by the
management who daily harasses employees.PYD has authoritative reports of
discrimination, harassment and bad labour practices at the company.ZCTU and
NEC must visit this place to protect workers’ rights with immediacy.

“If the Ethanol plant is to function without community interruptions, it was
recommended for the management to take their community relations seriously”Wedzerai
Gwenzi, spokesperson for the community said.
”How are we expected to simply accept a deal that displaces people without
taking concern of our cultural concerns and our fore fathers graves am a
traditional leader who gets power from the people” said Headmen, Forichi
Chisumbanje.

Facts available indicates that when Macdom Pvt Ltd entered into the
agreement, it was believed that ARDA would provide the 45 000 hectares but
it was latter realized that the ARDA only had 5 112 hectares hence the
decision to displace villagers to secure the deficit. It is a pity that ARDA
officials Macdom are taking advantage of the vulnerable villagers to dictate
to them what they want to do on their land without their consent. The
company officials connived with the District Administrator (D.A) who then
gave the directive to Chief Garahwa as if it was coming from the government.
It is important to expose those who are clandestinely involved in this deal.

Macdom is owned by a close Zanu (PF) ally Billy Rautenbach who is rumoured
to be one of the party’s financing partners. While the development of
bio-fuels is a desirable initiative especially in Zimbabwe, it however
leaves a lot to be desired as to how a responsible company could impose
itself to the people without any benefit to the locals. Platform for Youth
Development is working closely with the traditional leadership, councillors
and members of parliament in the three constituencies to be affected by the
project.

Rautenbach is not new to major financial scandals with a bad reputation in
both South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rautenbach was also
recently deported from the DRC after government officials established that
he was looting diamonds from the mineral rich country.

Chisumbanje land debate rages

The drama continues to unfold between Chisumbanje villagers and Macdom Investments, owners of the multi-million dollar ethanol plant, as consultation meetings fail to break the deadlock.

26.08.1105:24pm 0 Share

by Rejoice Ndlovu

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Children eat sugarcane, the crop that has divided local villagers and ethanol plant owners, Macdom.

A meeting by the cabinet representative August 15, as well as one chaired by the company on August 18, 2011 failed to break the impasse.

The company, through their Human Resources Manager, Zuze agreed that they were responsible for the destruction of crops belonging to the residents since 2008.

“We are consulting with Agritex to establish the value of the destroyed crops so that we can start compensation,” said Zuze at the meeting on August 18.

More than 1,000 villagers including Chief Garahwa, Headmen Chisumbanje, Chinyamukwakwa and Matikwa attended.

In response to Zuze’s admission, a resolution was made by the villagers that there would be no talks with ARDA concerning the land issue until compensation had been paid.

The villagers have since refuted instructions by the company spoken through J.C Mundoma, the Chief Executive Officer of ARDA Chipinge, who organised dates for the community to meet the company at their fields to establish their land rights. The villagers refused to respond to Mundoma who they accused of failing to communicate the details of the meetings.

When Mundoma insisted that the project was irreversible because the government’s interests trumped those of the community, the villagers were outraged and demanded that a new negotiating team be established to resolve the issue.

A third resolution was made that the Platform for Youth Development Trust would remain the representative of the Chisumbanje, Chinyamukwakwa and Matikwa communities in resolving the land dispute with Macdom.

Macdom management have been accused of failing to respect the community, using hate speech and political rhetoric to intimidate villagers and producing fliers that question the motivation of PYD Director, Claris Madhuku, and community strongman, Wedzerai Gwenzi.

“The community will do everything peaceful to demand their rights against the imposition of development. The community has no problem with the plant operating within the 5 112 hectares where there is no conflict, the problem comes when they start operating illegally by encroaching into the community before there is a binding agreement” said Madhuku.

A court application is being pursued by the villagers as a means of showing ARDA that the community is committed to pursuing justice. However, PYD announced that there were other methods that they would be pursuing too. These involve finding ways to highlight how ARDA has failed to offer employment for the local people, as well as using discriminatory labour policies that do not protect the rights of the workers.

It was understood that when Macdom Pvt Ltd entered into the agreement, it was believed that ARDA would provide the 45 000 hectares but it was latter realized that the ARDA only had 5 112 hectares hence the decision to displace villagers to secure the deficit. PYT have said that the community is not against the project, but they have issues with the manner in which Macdom and ARDA are going about it.

When contacted for comment, a Macdom representative referred all communication to a community consultative forum called the Joint Ethanol Project Implementation Committee which is handling all communication relating to the issue of land. JEPAC has an immediate mandate to develop a sustainable irrigation model for the affected dry land farmers so that their livelihoods are maintained or improved.

It argued that since the implementation of the ethanol project, five commercial banks have moved into the area, there is a demand for commercial land development at Checheche which informs of potential for a wider revenue base for the council, more than 5000 jobs have been created for the benefit of the locals in both the agricultural and artisan dimensions of the project; a new irrigation scheme has been developed at Chisumbanje as part of the 4000 hectare irrigation land for the community to cater for more than 600 households affected by this year’s land development while more than 650 hectares have been developed and cropped with cane and handed over to 241 households as part of the commercial out grower scheme.

In response to the land debate, JEPAC insist that, “The land designated for the ethanol project at Chisumbanje was identified for commercial irrigation driven investment as early as in the 1960s. To this effect demarcations were carried out and the community around this area have always been aware of this background. On this basis, there is no human settlement within the designated zone.”

Ethanol Plant Displaces Zimbabwean Villagers

Farmers in Zimbabwe are being displaced to make way for a new ethanol power plant that may be breaking indigenisation laws and government land policy.

Article | 11 August 2011 - 4:08pm | By Andrew Mambondiyani

 

Harare, Zimbabwe:
For the Chisumbanje people of Chipinge, southeast Zimbabwe, cotton farming has been their lifeblood for decades. But now they are being displaced to make way for the construction of a giant ethanol plant backed by a controversial businessman who has been on international sanctions lists.

While it is claimed the ethanol plant will bring thousands of jobs and generate massive amounts of power for the national grid, the displaced Chisumbanje farmers - some of whom have left the country - are questioning what benefits they will see, and a civil society group is arguing the 2008 deal breaches the law on indigenous peoples' ownership rights.

Controversial deal
The US$600 million project is spearheaded by Macdom Pvt (Ltd) in partnership with the government of Zimbabwe’s Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (ARDA). When fully operational, the plant is tipped to be one of the largest ethanol plants in Africa and will generate enough electricity to power most parts of Manicaland province. Indeed, it is claimed that if the plant can reach its originally intended output of 100 million litres of ethanol per annum, it will supply some 20% of the country's total power supply.

The government entered into the land deal with controversial businessman Billy Rautenbach and his companies Macdom Pvt (Ltd) and Ratings Investment. Rautenbach is a multi-millionaire, well known for his aggressive and ruthless business tactics. He is also closely linked to President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF. He was added to the EU targeted sanctions list in January 2008, and the US targeted sanctions list towards the end of 2008 for his alleged support of the former ruling regime. It is alleged Mugabe often returns favours to Rautenbach by granting him lucrative resource deals, such as the Chisumbanje project.

Displacement
While thus far some 5,000 hectares of land have already been bought by Macdom and are being used to grow sugarcane to supply the plant, the firm is set to displace thousands more families by purchasing another 40,000 hectares of land from the communal farmers. About 300,000 families will be displaced in the Chisumbanje area if the land is acquired. Some villagers who have already lost land have left the country.

Chisumbanje villager Gwenzi Wedzerai told Radio VOP that at present the company was growing sugarcane on 5,112 hectares of land and would want to acquire more land so that it would be able to produce 80,000 kilolitres of ethanol per day. Wedzerai said villagers in Chisumbanje felt cheated by the company.

“We thought this project was going to bring relief to the people of Chisumbanje but it’s actually displacing them,” said Wedzerai. More than 83 families from the Rimayi and Chinyamukwakwa villages in Chisumbanje have relocated to neighbhouring Mozambique after the company encroached into communal plots and ploughed down people’s crops.

In an interview on August 1 2011, Prosper Mutseyami (MDC), the House of Assembly representative for Musikavanhu constituency - which includes Chisumbanje - revealed that “only a few villagers were given a paltry US$1,000 each as compensation for their land. Some are still waiting for compensation which they were promised, but nothing is coming out yet.”

Early last month Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai visited the plant and came face-to-face with villagers who said they had lost land to the project. Tsvangirai said there must be a balance between investment concerns and the land they claim to have lost. However, he refused to stop the project, and is approving further demolitions and calling for a taskforce to be established to tackle the issues.

Who benefits?
Youth pressure group Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYDT) said it was against the ethanol project as it was depriving Chisumbanje villagers of their land.

“We have lost thousands of hectares of land to this project since it started in 2008," said PYDT director, Claris Madhuku. "We are cotton farmers, but this company is asking us to be sugarcane farmers. We are not against development or any investment in the area but we are concerned that we will not get fair compensation.

"The community is afraid that it might lose more land in the development of the ethanol project and wants fair compensation. We have been trying to find how the community is going to benefit.” 

Although villagers are disgruntled, the Agricultural Rural Development Authority (ARDA) maintains that the villagers’ fears are unfounded because most of the land occupied by the project has been lying idle for years. “Everything that we have been doing in Chisumbanje has been out of consensus with the villagers, but maybe out of 10 villagers you get two who say something. I think we need to meet and sit down and talk about it,” ARDA chairman Basil Nyabadza said.

Breaking the rules
The PYDT said the Chisumbanje land dispute contradicts both government land and indigenisation policies.
“The problem stems from the fact that the people were not consulted and therefore have a lot of fears that remains unaddressed," Madhuku said.

"ARDA Chisumbanje and the Chipinge rural district council issue contradictory statements about the nature of the land deal that seeks to displace the people. The villagers want Macdom to occupy the only land designated to ARDA as opposed to arbitrarily occupying 40,000 hectares of land that is not agreed upon.

"The land in Chisumbanje is communal and an inherited natural resource since the settler regime. The villagers see problems in this deal for it dangerously counters the objectives of egalitarianism. The land policy is supposed to eliminate the exploitation and monopoly of capitalist agriculture. On the other hand, the indigenisation policy is purported to benefit the local community as opposed to commodification,” Madhuku said.

Madhuku also said the Ethanol plant project presents a serious threat to the livelihood of the people.
“Promises of employment and the production of 120 megawatts of electricity have failed to dissolve the many questions asked by the community. What are the environmental consequences of this project? And, even more, the social and cultural connotations?”

The communal farmers, who have been custodians of their land since the settler regime in the early 1900s, accuse the partners introduced by ARDA of being invaders and land-grabbers bent on displacing the people from their fertile land without adequate compensation. This misunderstanding has led to unpalatable episodes where villagers allege their land was destroyed by the company.

While it is yet to be seen if the plant will meet projected power-outputs, the Chisumbanje farmers are being stripped of their livelihoods in a situation that mirrors land grabs seen in other African countries. Sweetened by promises of relief and development but yet to see compensation for their displacement, they will be left to ask if they will ever see the benefits of a project that will line the pockets of a chosen few.

PYD Press Statement on the International Youth Day 2011

“Youth should be given a chance to take an active part in the decision-making of local, national and global levels “United Nations Secretary Ban Ki-Moon 

 

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) joins the whole world in commemorating the International Youth Day. This idea for International Youth Day was proposed in 1991 and has since been celebrated annually on August 12 to recognize efforts of the world’s youth in enhancing global society. It also aims to promote ways to engage them in becoming more actively involved in making positive contributions to their local communities. 

 

PYD takes this occasion to reflect on the young people’s ingenuity, energy and contributions in enhancing peace and development since August 2010.August 2011 marks the end to the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding.PYD regrets that the young people in Zimbabwe generally remain marginalised and excluded from key decision making. The Global Political Agreement (GPA) which has promised a new political dispensation supposed to ensure that Zimbabwe moves from autocratic rule to a more democratic and open state, has not been very successful towards democratic reform by excluding young people .From the constitutional reform to the national healing program, the voices of the young people have been drowned. Violence continues to escalate, with the security sector fingered in acts of intimidation and partisanship. 

As an organization, we are very much concerned and worried that the ongoing constitutional reform process still leaves a lot to be desired, in that the youth having been under represented ,are worse still not being effectively consulted. Party positions have already been imposed on all major issues of constitutional debate, leaving the young people exposed to either challenging their political leadership or succumbing to these well circulated narrow positions. This God given opportunity for the youth to shape their destiny is fast becoming a painful nightmare.PYD therefore challenges the COPAC team to stand strong against manipulation by politicians of any colour. Participation of the young people in the constitutional process has been critical and leaves a lot to be desired, therefore likely to embarrass the government during the referendum stage. 

 

On another hand, the National Healing program remains a contestation of political party players instead of genuinely addressing its objectives as spelt out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). While the principals to the political agreement have made public statements against violence, the youth have been completely left out in the cold. The national healing will remain a farce unless and until the youth who were victims and perpetrators are involved at every stage of this important assignment of the nation. Fresh cases of political violence and rivalry in the rural areas are continuing unabated. The socio-political participation of youths in Zimbabwe has been confined to youth leagues of political parties and the National Youth Service programme. The latter has been well documented as a paramilitary programme which churns out youth militias who have been notorious for committing crimes against humanity. 

 

 PYD is concerned that the Inclusive Government (IG) has failed on its promise. The young people located in the rural areas, farms and mining compounds are the most affected, marginalised, uninformed and taken for granted. The government has failed to protect young women in these marginalised communities where even civic organizations have been unsuccessful to penetrate in the quest to provide platforms for engagement. Harmful cultural practices are still being propagated to violate the rights of girls and young women. Youths challenges of poverty, unemployment, and climate change, weak democracy, HIV/AIDS etc, heightens the possibility of regression. When the youths lack opportunity they are more easily led to crime and violence, to drugs and risky sex, and deteriorate to the bottom of the social scale.

Tuition fees remain a cause of concern in the rural areas where most pupils are failing to afford. School dropouts are very high, and this problem is also tied to low remunerations given to teachers. The government needs to take the teachers remunerations seriously as opposed to tokens.

As we commemorate the international Youth Day, PYD fails to understand the arrogance exhibited by Macdom Investments in Chisumbanje.Despite the residents complaining of poor communication skills by this investor, the management continues to grab communal land belonging to the people in a mafia style. If the government fails to intervene, as promised by the Prime Minister, this case will become an international showcase for community power against mercenaries.

Lastly, PYD urges the government through the ministry of youth to popularise the African Youth Charter by involving all young people in the drafting a youth friendly policy.PYD condemns efforts by the youth ministry to politicise this all important national process. 

PYD therefore recommends

• That young people are involved in national, regional and international negotiations to gain better understanding of the complexities of the Government of National Unity. We demand intergenerational transfer of experience in the ongoing negotiations.
• That  youths are mobilised to resist any attempts to declare elections before any genuine constitutional reforms are made
• That the government seriously involve the young people in the indigenization programs with the view of addressing unemployment
• That young people register and votes enmasse in the forthcoming elections.
• That young people are freely tested for HIV/AIDS  with ARVs made easily available
• That 12 August is declared a public holiday rather than merely acknowledging its importance.
   

Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) is a non-partisan, non-discriminatory and grassroots based youth organization that was formed by victimized youth to act as a platform, network and bridge for the youth in all spheres of life to articulate issues affecting them particularly relating to development, democracy, good governance, peaceful co-existence, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. PYD therefore seeks to bring together marginalized youth in rural and urban areas, farms, growth points and resettlement areas, church-based youth organizations including youth organizations for young women with a view to empowering them and to ensure their meaningful participation in championing the cause of democracy, respect for the rule of law, peaceful co-existence and good governance.

Inserted by PYD Information Department

For more Information contact

Claris Madhuku-Director    -platformtrust@gmail.com

Physical address P.Bag 5004 Checheche, Chipinge

+263 773 010 331,+263 714 179 219
 

PYD gets mandate to represent Chisumbanje against Macdom

By Platform for Youth Development

Chipinge- Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) was mandated to represent the community in the land dispute between Chisumbanje villagers and Macdom Investments, owners of the multi-million dollar ethanol plant.

PYD which has been working with Chipinge communities for a number of years got a thumps up to continue to speak on behalf of the community. The village heads said that they had trust and belief in PYD as a leading youth organization in the district as they seek a lasting solution to the land dispute with Macdom.

“We reaffirm our trust in PYD to remain our representative in this matter,” said Wedzerai Gwenzi a community leader. The move will set the stage for more gruesome encounters as Macdom has been lying that PYD asked for a bribe which they refused.

Commenting on the given mandate PYD Director Claris Madhuku said he was so passionate about development and would work hard to reach an amicable understanding between the two feuding parties.

Also responding to allegations by Macdom that he asked for a bribe from Macdom Madhuku said development was a priority ahead of money.  “I feel insulted by the Macdom management for belittling my nationalism, unless they are provoking I demand an official apology,” he said.

The matter is before the High court as the community filed an interdict to stop the new investor from encroaching outside Arda boundaries into their land.

Some villagers, disgruntled over the company’s hard stance have since relocated to Mozambique in search of better land options than the promised single acre for a family.

Those migrating into Mozambique cite lack of adequate farming land with the bulk having been taken away by the Macdom.

NB-PYD is committed to work with the Chisumbanje community in amicably resolving this matter and will thus remain a trusted servant of the people.

PYD stands by the people of Chisumbanje and will lose sleep if the matter is not resolved to the benefit of both parties.

Inserted by

PYD Information and Communications Dept

Email: platformtrust@gmail.com,

Blog: plaformtrust.blogspot.com

Cell: +263773010331