7 February 2008
Maputo — Life is back to normal in Maputo, the Mozambican capital, after two days of riots beginning on Tuesday that plunged the capital into chaos.
While on Tuesday angry crowds protested against a fare increase of up to 50 per cent, on Wednesday it was the turn of some private operators who expressed their anger against the decision to reverse the fare increase.
In some neighbourhoods surrounding Maputo, the private operators themselves were preventing buses from the publicly owned company TPM of carrying passengers.
In the city of Matola, AIM witnessed some private operators preventing passengers from boarding TPM buses.
However, it seems that things are expected to take a turn for the better on Friday, following the statements made Thursday afternoon by the Federation of Road Transport Associations (FEMATRO), during a press conference held in Maputo.
Though a number of transport operators have resumed their activity, there is still a serious lack of transport, with the bus stops crowded with desperate people anxious to reach their destinations. Some the residents are even forced to walk long distances to reach their homes.
After protracted negotiations, FEMATRO reached an agreement with the government to find a satisfactory solution for all concerned parties by Friday 15 February.
According to Rogerio Manuel, FEMATRO's chairperson, minibus owners have decided to resume their activities while awaiting a solution from the government.
Transport operators are demanding the government to subsidize the prices of fuel as they claim to be running at a loss with the current diesel prices, primarily taking into account other costs incurred such as maintenance.
Currently, a litre of diesel costs 35.35 meticais, following a 14 per cent price rise last month, which according to the government was forced by the volatility of the international market.
"The government has promised to give a definitive answer by Friday 15. Therefore, we urge all transport operators to resume their activities until then", said Manuel.
"For the last three years we have been charging the same fare. This means that since late 2005 up to date transport operators themselves are subsidizing the passengers. If we have managed to cope for the last three years, then we can wait another week" added Manuel.
Last week, the Transport Ministry and the Federation of Road Transport Associations (FEMATRO) agreed fare increases of up to 50 per cent for the minibuses (colloquially known as "chapas". In Maputo and the neighbouring city of Matola, the fare for a journey of up to five kilometres rose from five to 7.5 meticais. The flat fare for longer journeys rose from 7.5 to 10 meticais (at current exchange rates there are about 24 meticais to the US dollar).
But the private operators and the government were forced to reverse their position after the riots that broke that plunged Maputo into chaos.
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