14 October 2008
The candidate for mayor of Maputo for the ruling Frelimo Party in Mozambique's third municipal elections, David Simango, has denied claims that he was imposed on the party by President Armando Guebuza.
On this theory, it was Guebuza's backing that allowed Simango to defeat the incumbent mayor, Eneas Comiche, in the Frelimo inner-party election for candidate in August.
But in an interview published in Tuesday's issue of the independent daily "O Pais", Simango, who is currently the Minister of Youth and Sport, categorically denied these rumours. "It's not true", he said. "In Frelimo there are rules that are followed for this kind of procedure, and the same rules are established in advance for all the candidates".
He added that in the inner-party election he had faced two other candidates, Comiche and the chairperson of the Municipal Assembly, Generosa Cossa. They were both "senior party cadres, occupying prominent positions, and under those circumstances there would be no room for the President of the Party to show favour to one candidate to the detriment of the others".
"What we did", Simango said, "was leave it up to the members of the Frelimo City Committee to decide in accordance with their conscience. The rest is pure speculation".
It was reported in August that Frelimo urban district secretaries in Maputo had mobilized against Comiche because he prevented the City Council from paying them wages. Asked whether he would act differently from Comiche, Simango said "I have given no undertakings to anyone".
At the time, the claims were denied by other Frelimo officials. The Frelimo election agent, Veronica Macamo, told AIM that Frelimo full-time officials were paid by Frelimo and not by the City Council.
Simango made it clear that he had not agreed to pay anything to anybody. "When Party members choose a candidate they do so in order that he may serve the people, and they never impose conditions of this type on a candidate", he said. "Frelimo militants chose me to serve the Mozambican people, and they did so unconditionally".
He stressed that, if elected mayor, he would work closely with Frelimo. "Frelimo is an organised party", Simango stressed, "and I shall prioritise frequent dialogue with the party. Naturally, I shall always have to consult the party about the major lines of activity for my governance".
"In a word, I shall act under the guidance of my party", he added. "It is up to the party to give guidance, and that guidance is always to serve the Mozambican people".
Simango said that one of his priorities would be "to reorganise and discipline" informal trade in the city", in order "to prevent the whole city of Maputo from becoming a market".
Chaotic informal markets, such as those in the neighborhoods of Chiquelene and Xipamanine, should not exist, and had to be reorganized. Simango said he had already met with some of the vendors from these informal markets, and "they all agree that the current scenario, where people sell everywhere, must be changed".
He admitted that informal trade is "a source of survival" for some Maputo households, but that did not mean the City Council should tolerate people selling goods on every street corner. It should be possible, he added, "to trade without resorting to anarchy, starting from the principle that my activity must not prejudice the rights of others".
Simango was not clear how he would achieve this. Under both Comiche and his predecessor, Artur Canana, the City Council has launched sporadic campaigns to clear illegal vendors off the streets, but they have always returned a few days later.
As for the main opposition candidate for mayor, Eduardo Namburete, the parliamentary spokesperson of the former rebel movement Renamo, Simango said "He's an adversary who deserves my respect. But teams go into the match to win, and I'm no exception. I'm going to win".
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