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intervene and save the US$600 million Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant from total collapse.
The plant, owned by Green Fuel, had become the main source of livelihood for the villagers in the area and its closure has caused untold suffering.
The villagers accused Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, who is leading an inter-ministerial committee on Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant, of failing to rescue the project.
They argued that DPM Mutambara was not in touch with the reality on the ground and his approach was not convincing.
A representative of the Checheche Women’s Green Market said the continued closure of the plant was not only affecting workers, but the community as well.
The once thriving Green Market was facing collapse as it depended heavily on Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant workforce.
“We are asking for President Mugabe to come and see the way we are suffering as a result of the closure of this plant.
“We believe the President is not aware of what is going on here. (DPM) Mutambara came here in September last year and assured us the plant will resume operations in two months (November last year).
“The only thing he did was to set a committee which he said should address community concerns,” she said.
Ms Mlambo said development of Checheche Growth Point was also in limbo as a result of the ethanol plant closure.
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“The closure of this plant has affected a lot of things. We are no longer doing much business we used to do when the plant was operational,” she said.
Headman Chinyamukwakwa, Mr Phenias Kumbuwa, also joined the villagers in calling for President Mugabe’s intervention.
“We are appealing to the President to come and assist us because there is no progress that is taking place.
“Green Fuel developed more than 240 hectares of irrigation in November last year but we are failing to allocate the plots due to political fights and DPM Mutambara is not helping the situation.
“The people who are disrupting allocation of these plots are not from this area and we know that they are being hired to settle political scores.
“We are suffering in abject poverty yet we have irrigation that has been developed for us here,” he said.
DPM Mutambara refused to comment over the matter on Thursday saying there were no new developments in Chisumbanje.
“There are no new developments at the moment. We will inform you if there is anything new,” he said.
The ethanol plant closed last year after exhausting its 10 million litre storage facilities.
Last month Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma gazetted some regulations making it mandatory for all licensed oil companies to sell petrol blended with locally produced ethanol.
However, DPM Mutambara told Parliament that mandatory blending was conditional and it would be done after changing ownership structure of Green Fuel from a build-operate-transfer arrangement to a joint venture with Government.
Online Reporter