Maputo — The Mozambican and South African governments have decided to strengthen security measures along the highway which links the two countries and the Ressano Garcia border in order to mitigate disruptions of trade during any further mass demonstrations called by the presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane in protest against the allegedly fraudulent results of the general elections held on 9 October.
The decision was taken on Wednesday, in the South African province of Mpumalanga, in a joint ministerial meeting, to respond to the interruptions of the Ressano Garcia border post during demonstrations that have made normal operations at the border impossible for about two months.
Mozambique was represented by a delegation led by Home Affairs Minister Pascoal Ronda and South Africa by Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola.
In a final statement issued after the meeting, the parties agreed that "both countries will make efforts to protect infrastructures to ensure trade facilitation and continued collaboration in order to minimize disruption to the regional integration process, including the associated cross-border value chains.'
The disruption caused by the demonstrations, the two delegations said, had a significant negative impact on the economies of both countries, as well as on the free movement of people and goods and, "as a result, many companies have suffered losses.'
"The ministers agreed that both countries will endeavor to protect and secure infrastructure for trade facilitation and continued collaboration to ensure minimal disruption to regional integration, including associated cross-border value chains', said Lamola.
For this reason, the parties warn that "if the situation persists, there is a great danger of food and energy insecurity.'
For his part, Ronda said "the meeting emphasized that these disruptions have had a significant negative impact on the economies of both countries and on the free movement of people and goods between the two countries.'
The minister also said that both delegations addressed the post-election conflict in Mozambique, and they made a general assessment of what is happening.
"We've talked about it, we've explained it, we've clarified it, and right now we're waiting for the Constitutional Council to make its final judgment based on the available data so that it can communicate to all Mozambicans, to the region and to the world, what the historical-political place of each of the candidates and each of the political parties is. In the coming days we'll be attentive to this result', said Ronda.
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The country has been facing mass demonstrations since 21 October. During the unrest, about 130 people were shot dead by Police, according to the NGO "Decide' Electoral Platform.
Mondlane claims to have won the elections and denies the preliminary results announced by the National Election Commission (CNE), giving victory to the ruling Frelimo party and its candidate, Daniel Chapo. He claims that the CNE results are based on fraudulent data.
He is threatening further disturbances unless the Constitutional Council declared that he has been elected president. He claims he has proof from polling station results sheets that he won the presidential elections, and that the party supporting him, Podemos, won a comfortable majority in the parliamentary election - but he has not published his evidence.
Repeatedly Mondlane has declared that he will take office as president on 15 January, but that would require returning to Mozambique, and currently he is in self-imposed exile.
