Maputo — A plain clothes policeman on Tuesday night shot dead an unarmed civilian, Carlos Chivambo, in Maputo's 28 October garden.

This is also known as "the garden of the madjermanes", since it is here that Mozambicans who were once migrant workers in East Germany, and are commonly known as "madjermanes", have regularly gathered.

Chivambo was a "madgermane", and it is believed that he was involved in an argument with the policeman, named as A. Xavier.

Zeca Cossa, a member of one of the associations set up by the former migrants, cited in Thursday's edition of the Maputo daily "Noticias", said that nobody understood what could possibly have happened to justify the death of Chivambo.

He said it was shortly after 20.00 that the murder took place. The policeman took out his pistol, shot Chivambo in the head, and then disappeared into the night.

Cossa urged other "madjermanes" to remain calm to allow the police to carry out their investigations. "We don't know what is behind this crime", he said. "We should remain calm in the certainty that justice will be done".

The spokesperson for the Maputo City Police Command, Arnaldo Chefo, said that Xavier was stationed at the city's first precinct, and that efforts are under way to locate and arrest him.

He stressed that the police would not tolerate such behaviour by its agents, "and we guarantee that justice will be done".

Two men who were accompanying Xavier have been detained for questioning, but it is thought that they had nothing to do with the murder.