Maputo — Mozambique's main opposition party. Renamo, on Wednesday accused Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo of a conflict of interests, when she scheduled a meeting with heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Maputo to brief them on the municipal elections held on 11 October.
At a press conference at the Renamo headquarters, the party's head of foreign relations, Manuel Massingue, pointed out that Macamo is not only Foreign Minister, but also a member of the Political Commission of the ruling Frelimo Party, and the Frelimo national election agent.
This means that her meeting with senior foreign diplomats was "inopportune and anti-ethical', said Massingue, cited by the independent television station STV.
He believed that, given Macamo's responsibilities in the Frelimo election machinery, the meeting "is a real conflict of interests'.
He accused Frelimo of "manipulating' the elections, and noted that Macamo had publicly boasted that her party had "worked hard' to win them.
"So it is pertinent to ask in what capacity she is inviting the heads of mission and representatives of international organisations, knowing that the Frelimo of which she is a part is a candidate that is doing everything it can to manipulate the truth of the elections and public opinion', stressed Massingue.
Renamo also believed that the meeting was an attempt to intimidate diplomats so that they would say nothing about the irregularities that had characterized the elections.
Massingue appealed to the diplomats "not to associate themselves with any attempt to corrupt the electoral truth expressed by the Mozambican people at the ballot box'.
STV asked the Foreign Ministry whether such a meeting between the Minister and the diplomats had indeed been scheduled. The Ministry refused to confirm or deny it - which was foolish, since the invitation to the meeting had already circulated widely on social media.
The meeting went ahead on Wednesday, and the Ministry then issued a singularly uninformative "Declaration to the Press'. This said that Macamo's meeting with the chiefs of mission was part of her "regular interaction' with the diplomatic corps, and that such meetings have been the "unchanging and lasting method which the Mozambican government has adopted to communicate with the international community about matters concerning the political, economic and social development of Mozambique'.
Macamo spoke of Mozambique's election to one of the non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, and of "the regular political dialogue' between Mozambique and the European Union.
But she said very little about the municipal elections, and the accusations by opposition parties, and by much of civil society, that the preliminary results announced by the National Elections Commission (CNE) are fraudulent.
Instead, she claimed that all phases of the elections "took place in accordance with the norms and principles of the Mozambican rule of law, enshrined in the Mozambican constitution'.
She stressed the "massive participation' of the voters on polling day - although in reality turnout was about 55 per cent. This is much higher than local elections in many other countries, but much lower than turnout in Mozambique's early multi-party elections in the 1990s.
Macamo said that the political parties are now waiting for the Constitutional Council, Mozambique's highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law, to deliver its verdict. The government hoped that this waiting period would be one of "peace, calm and responsibility'.
She told the diplomats, according to the Declaration, "we are confident that this process, like the previous ones, will end well, because Mozambicans know what they want. They want peace and the development of the country'.
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1081123E MOZAMBIQUE AND EU SIGN AGREEMENTS
Maputo, 23 Nov (AIM) - The Mozambican government and the European Union on Wednesday signed financing agreements for five projects in the areas of energy, digitalization, the blue economy and technical and professional training.
Each project, according to a report in the independent daily "O Pais', is budgeted at between 130 and 140 million euros (between 141 and 153 million US dollars, at the current exchange rate).
The agreements were signed at the start of the "Global Gateway' business and investment forum between Mozambique and the EU held in Maputo.
The purpose of the two day event is to draw up strategies to attract investment to Mozambique.
"Our conviction and expectation for this Forum rest on our strategic partnership with the European Union as our largest multilateral trading partner, and in the certainty that it is best to invest and do business in Mozambique and with Mozambicans', declared the Minister of Industry and Trade, Silvino Moreno.
"Our joint commitment', he added, "is to hold this event repeatedly with the active participation of businesses and for their benefit'.
Opening the event, Prime Minister Adriano Maleiane hoped the forum would be a platform to strengthen business cooperation between Mozambique and the EU, and would increasingly involve the private business sector.
It should become "a true corporate and strategic platform to promote and capitalize upon business and investment opportunities that will strengthen the relations between Mozambican and European businesses'.
Maleiane invited European business people to continue investing, particularly in Mozambican agriculture and energy.
"Our country has immeasurable agro-ecological potential, which allows a diversified agriculture and the development of value chains that can drive industrialization', he said.
Mozambique also has great potential in terms of renewable and environmentally-friendly sources of energy, with particular stress on hydro-electricity, wind and solar power, and natural gas, said the Prime Minister.
For his part, Simone Santi, representing the European Chamber of Commerce (Eurocam), declared that Mozambique "is the right country for entrepreneurs to invest in'.
Agostinho Vuma, chairperson of the Confederation of Mozambican Business Associations (CTA), said the presence of European businesses has contributed greatly to the growth of Mozambique's Gross Domestic Product.
Private European investment in Mozambique to date has exceeded 60 billion US dollars.
The five agreements were signed by Mozambican Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo and by the EU Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson.
The agreements include the rehabilitation of the Cahora Bassa hydro-electric dam and power station on the Zambezi, and the "Vamoz Digital' Initiative, intended to reduce the "digital divide'. This is intended to support a policy and regulatory framework that will stimulate innovation, the skills of young people and the inclusion of girls and women, particularly those living in situations of vulnerability.
Pf/ (454) 1091123E - MOZAMBIQUE COMPLYING WITH RECOMMENDATIONS TO EXIT GREY LIST, CLAIMS BUCHILI
Maputo, 23 Nov (AIM) - The Mozambican Attorney General, Beatriz Buchili, believes that the country is complying with the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which in October 2022 placed Mozambique on the Grey List, which means that it is under enhanced surveillance as a jurisdiction that presents risks for money laundering and financing of terrorism.
According to Buchili, who was speaking on Wednesday at a National Meeting of the Central Office for Combating Corruption (GCCC), in Maputo, "the placement of Mozambique under enhanced surveillance aims, among other things, to ensure that the national authorities quickly eliminate the deficiencies identified in their system for preventing and combating money laundering and terrorist financing.'
As a way of reversing the situation, she said, the Public Prosecutor's Office is carrying out various training sessions for magistrates and investigators from the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) to improve the investigation of financial and economic crimes and increase the number of people charged.
According to Buchili, the country continues to face enormous challenges in the fight against corruption, given that this type of crime has served as an instrument for preparing other crimes, such as kidnapping, drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
The meeting brought together the Bank of Mozambique, judicial magistrates, the Public Prosecutor's Office and SERNIC.
MR/Ad/pf (226) 1101123E - GCCC STARTS PROCEEDINGS IN 1,175 CASES OF CORRUPTION
Maputo, 23 Nov (AIM) - Mozambique's Central Office for the Fight against Corruption (GCCC) announced on Wednesday that it had initiated criminal proceedings in 1,175 cases of corruption over the last 10 months.
According to Romualdo Jhonam, spokesperson for the GCCC, 803 cases have been charged and the rest are being investigated.
Jhonam, who was speaking at a National Meeting of the GCCC, in Maputo under the theme "Strengthening the Public Prosecutor's Office in the Prevention and Fight against Corruption and Money Laundering', said that the highest number of corruption cases were in Maputo, and in the central provinces of Sofala and Zambézia.
The aim of the meeting is to analyze ways of speeding up anti-corruption cases, the contribution of information and communication technologies, the intervention capacity of the central anti-corruption office, and territorial coverage in terms of infrastructure.
The event was attended by the director of the GCCC, judicial magistrates, representatives of the Public Prosecutor's Office, and of the Bank of Mozambique, investigators from the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic), among others.
Ad/pf (182) 1111123E MOZAMBICAN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE
Maputo, 23 Nov (AIM) - Three trucks loaded with support from Mozambique are now on their way to Palestine, according to a report in the independent newssheet "Carta de Mocambique'.
This solidarity results from contributions from several civil society organisations.
According to a member of the leadership of the Association of Solidarity with Palestine, Momade Amade, the trucks are being loaded by three Mozambicans in Cairo.
The three left Maputo for the Egyptian capital a week ago, and arrived in Cairo last Friday. They made the purchases in coordination with the Palestinian Embassy and with various other organisations operating in Cairo, such as the Egyptian Red Crescent.
The goods carried by the three trucks include foodstuffs, hygiene products, medicines and clothing. They were purchased with funds from a campaign launched in Mozambique three weeks ago by three organisations, namely the Mozambican Association with the Palestinian People, the Almoniz Foundation, and the Organisation of Moslem Business People.
"The campaign was launched here in Mozambique to raise funds, and three people were delegated to take the money, converted into dollars through Mozambican banks, so that they could purchase the goods in Cairo', said Amade. "We thought this was the easiest procedure'.
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"Our colleagues made the purchases in Cairo and hired the trucks', he added. "But we don't have a forecast for when they will arrive in Palestine, since the process is rather complicated. There is an enormous queue of trucks at the Rafah crossing (between Egypt and Gaza), and there is a bureaucratic procedure that must be followed after crossing the border'.
Asked about any involvement of the Mozambican government in this initiative, Amade said this is "a popular movement' and the organisations just informed the government.
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1121123E NYUSI INAUGURATES WATER SYSTEM IN DOMBE
Dombe (Mozambique), 23 Nov (AIM) - Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday inaugurated a new water supply system in the Dombe administrative post, in Sussundenga district, in the central province of Manica.
In its initial phase, this system will provide clean water for more than 6,000 people in the four neighourhoods of the Dombe headquarters. This will eventually rise to 8,000 people.
Work on the system began in 2015. It started to operate, but was then destroyed by Cyclone Idai in 2019. Rehabilitation, and the opening of new water sources began in 2022, and the work was completed this month.
The system was budgeted at 35 million meticais (about 547,000 US dollars, at the current exchange rate), disbursed by the Mozambican government, with the support of the United Kingdom. The system was built under the National Rural Water and Sanitation Programme (Pronasar).
Dombe is a semi-arid region which faces serous water shortages. Thus, much of the Dombe population resorts to unsafe sources such as artisanal wells and the Lucite river. Some households are obliged to walk long distances to fetch water.
Nyusi said that in 2020 only six out of every ten people in Dombe had access to safe drinking water. Thanks to the new system, the number has now risen to between seven and eight out of every ten.
The President declared "our purpose is to serve the population. So we are mobilizing resources to provide more water facilities for Mozambicans. Many water systems are currently under construction'.
Nyusi urged his audience to take measures to prevent the spread of cholera. The disease is raging in Zimbabwe, which borders on Manica.
"Cholera is a dangerous disease and it kills people', he said. "Let's avoid cholera by washing foodstuffs properly, particularly those that are eaten raw. We cannot let the disease strike at our communities'.
"All of us should make this effort', Nyusi stressed. "We have clean water here and we have the conditions to avoid the disease, if we practice individual and collective hygiene'.
