She said this while addressing poor villagers, workers and top Zanu (PF) officials at the now defunct plant yesterday.
Mujuru said, the ethanol project which is a partnership between and ARDA and Green Fuel is a brainchild of former Zanu (PF) government and as such the party cannot let it die to please a few selfish individuals.
She blamed MDC-T for stalling the project to gain cheap political mileage. But the former opposition party denies this assertion claiming that the company had outstanding issues with local villagers.
"Our policy as Zanu (PF) is to create jobs and empower locals and we have never diverted from this goal since we gained independence. I want the plant opened by Monday next week," said Mujuru who was accompanied by information minister Webster Shamu, party chairman Simon Khaya Moyo, Munacho Mutezo and Presidential Affairs minister Didymus Mutasa and hordes of supporters.
She told the villagers that MDC-T was behind their woes because it was against the re- opening of the plant for the benefit of locals.
"How many of you have lost your relatives after they failed to pay maternity fees, hunger or some to Diaspora looking for jobs to sustain their families?
This is because some politicians have allowed this plant to close while they have not brought alternative solutions," she said.
Addressing the same gathering, MDC-T legislator for Chipinge South, Meki Makuyana denied that MDC-T was behind the closure of the plant, saying there was no need to poticilise the matter because the ethanol plant was a developmental project that was meant to improve the life of local people but there were some challenges.
He said all the bottlenecks that have been stalling the project have been solved and the relationship between the community and the companies is now `sound and stable`.
He said government should spare the ethanol plant from the indigenization programme to allow the project to progress well without disturbances.
"I think there is no need to politic here; the issue is we are all happy that some bottlenecks which were stalling the project have been addressed.
What we want now is that we want the project to commence while some outstanding issues are being addressed," said Makuyana.
Addressing the same gathering, Platform for Youths Development (PYD) President, Claris Madhuku said he was happy that some grey issues have been resolved and the community was also happy with the outcome of the discussions.
"We are happy that some pressing issues were ironed out. The relationship between the company and community is now sound. What we want now is to allow the project to commence while discussions to resolve outstanding issues such as land allocation continues while people work to eke a living," said Madhuku.
PYD is a pressure group which was representing villagers in Chisumbanje when Arda and Green Fuel unlawfully repossessed their land with consultation.
Chisumbanje ethanol plant which has closed for a year now has laid off 2 600 workers.
Later after the tour, Mujuru addressed a rally at Checheche primary school where she told party supporters mainly women and students that they were in the current situation because they voted wrongly in the 2008 harmonised elections.
She told hungry villagers that they have learnt the hard way that MDC had nothing to offer to people but only brought `sanctions` which she said destroyed the country`s economy.
Mujuru told villagers said the forthcoming elections were their last chance to correct their mistake by voting for President Mugabe in power.
Observers said Zanu (PF) was trying to use hunger and suffering of villagers to lure them to vote for the party. They said Zanu (PF) was not sincere but was taking advantage of poverty which they caused to blame MDC.
Green Fuels suspended production after finding itself stuck with ethanol due to low market upadate.However, cabinet agreed on adoption of mandatory blending starting with five percent and gradually moving to 10% then 20 percent late paving for the resumption of operations at the massive project.
Post published in: Economy