Greenfuel Gives Chipinge Villagers Two Months To Leave Their Homes

Greenfuel, a company run by multi-millionaire Billy Rautenbach, has given villagers from Chinyamukwakwa Village in Chipinge two months to harvest their crops and leave their ancestral land.

The company was leased the land that was once used by the Agricultural And Rural Development Authority (ARDA) in Middle Sabi and Chisumbanje.

Greenfuel is now expanding its boundaries into areas settled by the villagers. Currently, the company has over 40 000 hectares of land.

Professor Lovemore Madhuku, who is representing the villagers, accused Greenfuel of greediness. He said:

The company accepted that it can not plough down unharvested crops owned by the villagers and has given up until possibly August for them to finish harvesting. We are preparing court papers against this.

The company is just greedy, if they admire good land, they will just grab it. They are taking law into their own hands.

Headman Chinyamukwakwa and his community are blaming their MP Enock Porusingasi (ZANU PF) who they accuse of supporting Greenfuel against the people who elected him into office.

They also blamed District development Coordinator (DDC) William Mashava and chief Garahwa. Said Chinyamukwakwa:

Who will fight for us when all these people are involved. The MP and the DDC are on Greenfuel’s side.

The MP is giving away our land to Mr Rautenbach. We were born and bred here and this is our land.

Greenfuel spokesperson Merit Rumema told Chipinge Times to send questions via email but she did not respond.