Introduction
This
article seeks to highlight the positive impact that has been made by the
Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD), in the resolution of the pending
boundary dispute involving Chisumbanje ethanol project and the communities in
Chisumbanje and Chinyamukwakwa villages in Chipinge. The dispute which started
in 2009 has at times turned violent with the villagers and Green fuel embroiled
in a tug of war over the boundary and land ownership. Platform for Youth
Development was then fully mandated by the communities in Chisumbanje and
Chinyamukwakwa to find ways of amicably resolving this standoff in which Green
fuel was using superior tactics of exclusion, coercion, unwarranted police
arrest and the use of political connections to prevail. The writer is convinced
that the mediation and involvement of PYD in this dispute successfully ignited
the young people in Chisumbanje and Chinyamukwakwa with the energy to
understand how the right to land is linked to other inalienable rights being
violated. The article also defends the idea of engagement and research as the
new frontiers of advocacy that produces lasting results for community
development.
The Boundary
dispute
In
fulfilling a community mandate to resolve the boundary dispute, Platform for
Youth Development led an information advocacy that sought to get boundary
clarification between the claim to land as shared by Chisumbanje and
Chinyamukwakwa communities to that popularized by the funders of Green fuel. The
fact that the dispute is still ongoing points to the existence of many players
with confusing roles that benefit from the dispute.PYD was able to intervene by
listening and involving the community stakeholders to share their experiences.
With a combination of research, engagement and confrontation, the dispute is
now well defined and ready for resolution.
Research results
The Chisumbanje ethanol project started
as a 20 year Build-Operate and Transfer (BOT) which was
signed between Agricultural Rural Development Authority (ARDA) in Chisumbanje
and Middle Sabi with Ratings Investment and Macdom Pvt Ltd (companies fully controlled by Billy Rautenbauch).The business deal was
purportedly signed in 2007,during the then Agriculture Minister, Rugare Gumbo.
The contents of the business deal retained 70 percent stake to the companies of
Billy Rautenbauch and only 30 percent for ARDA.ARDA was penciled to receive 10
percent as management fees from the companies of Rautenbauch and also entitled
to an 8 percent share of the revenue generated from the annual production.
According to the then Portfolio committee on Agriculture, Water and
Resettlement chaired by Hon Moses Jiri referred to by Daily News of 18/10/2011,
the Ethanol project when fully completed, would take up 50 000 hectares of
sugarcane for the ethanol production (40 000 from Chisumbanje and 10 000 from
Middle Sabi).The formal details of the BOT business model remain shrouded in
secrecy. This detail from PYD is further reinforced by research studies
contacted by Matondi (2010) and Matopo (2012).
Platform for Youth Development has engaged with the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization
and Irrigation Development through Hon Joseph Made, his permanent Secretary
Ngoni Masoka, the then Prime Minister Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai,his deputy
Professor Arthur Mutambara,the then Minister of Parastatals Mr. Goden Moyo,the
then Co Minister of Home Affairs Hon Theresa Makoni,the then Minister of Energy
Hon Elton Mangoma,ARDA Board chairperson Basil Nyabadza and the then Green fuel
Manager,Mr Graeme Smith. Today the boundary issue is before parliament with the
objective to have the boundary between Green fuel and the communities in
Chisumbanje and Chinyamukwakwa resolved amicably.
Agricultural and Rural Development
Authority (ARDA) was established by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1981 with
the primary mandate to plan, coordinate, implement, promote and assist with
agricultural development in Zimbabwe. For this long and until after the deal,
ARDA Chisumbanje was in a lease agreement with the Chipinge Rural District
Council and renting five thousand one hundred and twelve (5 112) hectares of
land where it developed and farmed in line with its given mandate from the
Ministry. The background of the land and boundary conflict emanates from the
fact that when the BOT was signed there was an assumption that ARDA would
provide 40 000 hectares of land. In his public presentations Basil Nyabadza the
ARDA board chair provides a historic narrative that claims ARDA has always
retained the ownership of 40 000 hectares which ARDA had not been fully
utilizing.Nyabadza also claim that the community in Chisumbanje always knew
that they were using ARDA land and would have to move out when time arises.
Platform for Youth Development has helped the affected communities and the
public to dismiss the statements by Nyabadza on the strength that community
elders are more convincing in their knowledge of ARDA boundary and any other
historical engagements made between ARDA and the post colonial government.
Platform for Youth Development is aware that there was a feasibility study
carried by Atkins Lands and Water management with encouragement from World Bank
in 1983.The report proposed the expansion of the greater Chisumbanje
development scheme which exceeded 37 000 hectares (Atkins and Water Management
1983).The referred feasibility study was never implemented and this is what
Basil Nyabadza erroneously claim parceled the land to ARDA despite it being a
mere research gathering dust at the ARDA archives. PYD has documents that prove
that ARDA can only claim the 5 112 hectares that it was leasing from Chipinge
RDC.Infact, there was an attempt by ARDA to apply for more land at the Chipinge
RDC of which they were never given a positive response other than being asked
to provide a comprehensive projection of how the project would unfold and
involve the community.
Platform
for Youth Development has done research in the communities of affected
villagers where it has been confirmed statistically that one thousand seven
hundred and fifty four (1754) households have been displaced .The gravity of
the displacement were being underestimated in the public domain especially
considering that each household has an average of six members translating to 10
524 human beings displaced from their original homes. There have been cases of
desperation and mental illnesses resulting from the impact of the unplanned
displacement. Other recorded social challenges were increased cases of divorce,
prostitution and crime that broke many families that used to be intact before
the introduction of the ethanol project. Platform for Youth development was
then able to lobby for compensation of those who lost their land to pave way to
the ethanol project. The compensation was to be done through a popularly
elected committee mixed with experts from Agritext.
Engagement and
community action
When
the process of using popularly mandated stakeholders was being resisted by
Green fuel, Platform for Youth successfully lobbied government to send a fact
finding mission. In September 2012 a ministerial committee of cabinet led by
the then Deputy Prime Minister Prof Authur Mutambara was send to the community
and assisted in setting up a all stakeholders committee named District Ethanol
Plant Implementation Committee (DEPIC).The affected communities in Chisumbanje
and Chinyamukwakwa were able to notice the value of engagement and provided the
necessary support to PYD to continue representing the community beyond their
narrow and individual interests.
Platform
for Youth Development has continued to work with parliament of Zimbabwe to
monitor the operations at the ethanol project. There was once again an attempt
by Green fuel after the harmonized elections of 2013 to abandon a stakeholders
approach in response to political pressure from ZANU PF who now controls a
super majority in parliament. Platform for Youth Development has successfully
lobbied the portfolio committee on Youth, Indigenization and Economic
Empowerment to visit Chisumbanje for public hearing. The committee visited in
July 2014 and presented a community friendly report on the 18th of
February 2015 in parliament.PYD has an open line to parliament concerning the
issues that concerns the community
Community
based actions that involves demonstrations and picketing have all been done by
the community at the project site to pressure Green fuel to respect the rights
of employees and also to meet promises pledged to the community. There now
exists a bond of trust between Platform for Youth Development and the affected
communities in Chisumbanje and Chinyamukwakwa
Platform
for Youth Development is involved in daily recording human rights violations,
police brutality and corrupt activities being experienced at the ethanol
project. To date, in September 2015, the boundary dispute is awaiting
resolution through a raft of recommendations presented from the portfolio
committee on Youth, Indigenization and Economic Empowerment who visited the
community for public hearings.
Conclusion
In
concluding this paper, the writer has witnessed increased participation of
young people in community issues in Chipinge. Young people are now able to
share information through created platforms that has capacity to act in defence
of their violated rights. It is clear from the presented facts that Platform
for Youth Development is assisting the communities in Chipinge to stand up and
defend their right to land through research, engagement and community action.
doing a proposal for employee engaging in the agricultural sector a case of ARDA.....and i need academic help
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