Boundary clashes emerge in Chipinge

Traditional running battles between villagers and police in Chisumbanje have started becoming violent again.

The clashes which have been fuelled by a five year unresolved boundary dispute started in 2009.

Villagers in Chipinge accuse the police at Chisumbanje station for corruptly siding with Greenfuel pvt ltd due to the fact that the police are being incentivised to side with the company.

Over twenty armed police officers from Chisumbanje have for the past two days since 29 December been deployed into Chinyamukwakwa community where they are harassing villagers and threatening them with unspecified consequences if they continue to resist with their ancestral land without allowing Green fuel to use it.

So far there was a serious clash that led to the police retreating when they assisted the company to plough down 10cm maize belonging to villagers.

The police had to flee and now they came back with almost the whole camp to purportedly deal with the perceived leaders of the community.

Despite these threats, villagers have vowed to defend themselves by any means necessary should the police continue with the provocations.These clashes have been witnessed for the past four years, the challenge now is the absence of a dialogue platform.

An all stakeholders platform that was cabinet installed had to be dissolved by the then Minister of Energy Dzikamai Mavhaire acting on instruction from the local member of parliament Enock Porusingazi.

Both Porusingazi and Mavhaire are suspended from the party over their corrupt association with Green fuel among other factional reasons of supporting the deposed former vice president Joice Mujuru. These clashes have capacity to escalate into violence if no mediation and dialogue is pursued.