Beira City STAE District Director, Carlos do Rosario, was dismissed for his involvement in the creation of an illicit WhatsApp group, named "Beira Supervisors". Messages from the group published here showed that the group's purpose was to exclude supporters of opposition parties in Beira during last year's voter registration.

The announcement was made yesterday Wednesday during a meeting in Maputo between the National Elections Commission (CNE) and civil society organisations. STAE announced it had also dismissed STAE directors in Cuamba, Quelimane, and Marromeu.

In Beira, Carlos do Rosário and registration post supervisors set a WhatsApp group to instruct members of the registration brigades to recognise and receive documents only from supporters of the ruling Frelimo Party.

When the scandal became public last year, the CNE instructed national STAE director Loló Correia, to suspend Carlos dos Rosario. But Correia refused, and only suspended Rosario this year, after the municipal elections were over. (For more details, see bulletins 78, 79 and 87)