adminAbel Zhakata Senior Reporter
THE 10 megawatts being generated at the Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant is going to Masvingo, yet Manicaland which is home to the Green Fuel project is facing serious electricity blackouts.
The queer arrangement has also resulted in the ethanol plant failing to access the electricity it is generating, exposing it to incessant power cuts that have badly affected production.
This was revealed on Wednesday during a familiarisation tour of the plant by the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs, Cde Mandi Chimene.
Cde Chimene was accompanied by provincial heads of departments and service chiefs who were appraised of the challenges facing the giant ethanol plant that is currently operating at 50 percent capacity utilisation.
The electricity issue took centre stage with the plant owner, Mr Billy Rautenbach, saying there were facing massive load shedding from ZESA that can go up to three days.
He said this was despite the fact that the plant was producing 10 megawatts that is being channelled into the national grid via Mkwasine in Masvingo.
“Please don’t load shed us because that is badly affecting our operations. We can’t pump water to irrigate the fields if there is no electricity and the sugarcane is wilting. When everything stops, we can’t produce the 10 megawatts,” he said.
The provincial heads queried the logic behind transmitting the electricity to Masvingo, yet the producer of the power, Green Fuel and the host province – Manicaland – is failing to irrigate nearby wheat farms in Chisumbanje and Middle Sabi due to power cuts.
Cde Chimene said electricity generated at the plant must benefit the province and promised to rectify the anomaly that was put in place when Mr Dzikamai Mavhaire, who hails from Masvingo, was the Minister of Energy and Power Development.
Mr Rautenbach said the plant lost more than $10 million last month after Zinwa cut water supplies.
“Our water supplies were cut and the water went to Mozambique. We lost more than $10 million worth of ethanol and power because of that.
We are operating in difficult circumstances and I want to liken the situation to that of a person driving a Chinese wheelbarrow which has no resting bars. You don’t have to put it down, you have to soldier on.
“We have many problems some of which can be traced some years back. They are affecting our operations today. During the Inclusive Government we were blocked from operating for more than 18 months and we ended up paying idle labour with no production, but things changed for the better when the Zanu-PF Government won the elections in 2013. We are now operating and catching up from where we had stopped. We are still in salary arrears and we hope that with time we will clear the back log.
“Currently we have problems with villagers in Chinyamukwakwa. Recently, the villagers were incited by a politician who came and launched his party there. They destroyed our property and assaulted our guards. We are investors and we get scared when our investments are vandalised. If people make noise we get worried,” he said.
Arda board chairman, Mr Basil Nyabadza, said Manicaland should benefit from the ethanol plant. He said people should take lessons from the Marange diamonds that have done little to improve the lives of locals.
“If we are not careful this will become the Marange story. Let us look after Green Fuel. If there are problems, let us sit down and discuss. What we have here is a national project that has a national character and our operations here support private/ public partnership as well championing the Zim-Asset agenda,” he said
Chipinge District Administrator, Mr Edgars Seenza, said the opening of the ethanol plant had ushered rapid development in nearby communities like Checheche.
He, however, urged the company to take the Chinyamukwakwa issue seriously as well as resolve the salary dispute with workers.
“In Chisumbanje only 186 families were resettled and 888 more need to be given their plots. This is a serious cause for concern and the company must look into this matter and ensure that they live in harmony with the community,” he said.
Cde Chimene said she was surprised why Manicaland does not have anything to show for the richness inherent in the province.
“Am I this rich as a province? Is it true that we are providing 15 percent of the country’s fuel needs? Where are we going wrong?” she asked.
Cde Chimene urged Mr Rautenbech to take social responsibility programmes seriously and plough back to the community in which his plant is located.
“Our roads need to be repaired especially the ones that are being damaged by your haulage trucks that carry ethanol to Mutare. Yes, you are producing fuel here, but people surrounding you don’t feed on fuel. We want to give you an additional 100 hactares of land that you must grow maize only. I am really shocked that we are exporting electricity to other provinces yet we are living in darkness. Let us work together and ensure that we support the locals from which we are operating.
“We were not happy about how you were doing your business here because you were operating in an island. There should be communication between you and authorities in this province which is vital to map the way forward. We want you to do your business in a transparent manner and help us develop this province. Stories have been told of racism allegations at the plant, but we believe that you can solve them. We want workers to be treated fairly regardless of colour,” she said.
Cde Chimene and her delegation toured the sugarcane estates as well as the ethanol plant.
Online Reporter