Judge Perceverança Mangamela, of the KaMubukwana Municipal District in Maputo City, dismissed Renamo's appeal on the grounds that it "lacks foundation". The judgement was not read out because the judge, who, according to Renamo, was not present. She only had the judgement printed and distributed to the parties.

Elvino Dias, one of Renamo's lawyers, writes on his Facebook account that the judge's judgement is a "legal aberration" and that "everything that is written there [in the judgement] is pure lies and completely diverges from what was discussed and proven in the trial".

Dias concludes: "I was surprised that we were called to hear the decision and, to our astonishment, it was still being typed up by the court clerk. The judge had already fled. The judgement wasn't even read out."