Mozambique and South Africa Join Efforts Against Xenophobia

Maputo — The governments of Mozambique and South Africa have joined efforts in order to discourage xenophobic acts committed by South African citizens against foreigners of African origin.

In recent months, various South African nationals have been carrying out anti-migrant protests against Africans, including Mozambicans. The focus of these xenophobic acts, which have been recurring, has been black Africans.

Discrimination against foreign nationals have also been leading to looting, displacement, harassment, and deadly riots, in informal settlements.

Some South African political parties (Action SA and Inkatha Freedom Party) have also joined demonstrations, claiming that they are protesting undocumented migrants.

According to Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Maria de Fátima Manso, speaking to reporters on Monday, in Maputo, this wave of xenophobia has led Mozambican President Daniel Chapo to travel to Pretoria for a meeting with his South African, Cyril Ramaphosa.

The secretary explained that the meeting is aimed at assessing the situation and seeking joint solutions that guarantee peaceful coexistence, in a context of growing tension in several South African cities, where foreign communities have been the target of protests and threats of expulsion.

"The government has been monitoring the situation for about two weeks, after the emergence of groups of South African citizens who began demonstrations against the presence of undocumented foreigners", she said.

According to Manso, xenophobic acts have been taking place with greater intensity in Durban. "Over 300,000 Mozambicans reside in South Africa. At this delicate moment, they are facing terror, fear, and uncertainty about their future", she said.

She guaranteed that despite the tense atmosphere, the Mozambican Embassy in South Africa "has not yet registered any deaths, physical assaults, or loss of property of Mozambican citizens resulting from these demonstrations."

"In recent days, messages calling for protests in the cities of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban have been circulating on social media, a fact that has raised the level of alert among the authorities", she said.

According to the secretary, Mozambican Defence and Security Forces, in coordination with the South African police, are monitoring the situation, "with plans to reinforce the police and military contingent to contain the demonstrations and prevent outbreaks of violence."

"Given the situation, the governments of Mozambique and South Africa are in regular contact with a view to mitigating the impact of these demonstrations. The government is creating conditions near the Ressano Garcia border to welcome national citizens who, for security reasons, wish to return to the country", she said.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has already expressed his "deep concern at the reports of xenophobic attacks and acts of harassment and intimidation against migrants and foreign nationals."

MR/Ad/ Rumours about shrinking penises led to two deaths in Manica

Chimoio (Mozambique), 5 May (AIM) - The wave of disinformation alleging that mysterious sorcerers have stolen or shrunk the penises of their victims have led to riots in which two people have been killed in the central city of Chimoio, central Mozambican province of Manica.

The rumour first appeared on 18 April in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. This was the worst affected province, but the disinformation had also spread to Niassa, Nampula, Zambezia and Sofala.

According to eyewitnesses, the tragedy took place during the weekend after these two people were attacked by a mob for allegedly being responsible for carrying out these witcheries. One of the victims was a teacher, who died at Chimoio Provincial Hospital after being attacked.

"Many people rushed to the scene and began violently assaulting the man who claimed to practice witchery and that he had made another individual's genitals disappear. He was attacked by a group of locals, led by some unidentified young people", a source said.

"It all began when a young man claimed his genitals were disappearing, generating panic and popular mobilization. When the police arrived, the victim was in critical condition. The medical team was immediately mobilized and went to the scene, where they confirmed another victim had lost his life."

However, the individual who claimed to have his penis shrunk was taken to a police station, where it was found that his genitals were intact, proving it to be a mere rumor.

Preliminary data point out that nearly ten cases of physical assaults motivated by these rumours have taken place in Manica.

According to Interior Minister, Paulo Chachine, these rumours have already led to riots in which 39 people have been killed and a further 74 injured.

NM/Ad/ Measures to attract new investments crucial for business development

Maputo, 5 May (AIM) - Mozambican Minister of Economy, Basílio Muhate, believes that concrete measures focused on establishing deals and partnerships to attract new investments are crucial for the development of the country's business sector.

According to Muhate, speaking on Monday, in Maputo, at a ceremony aimed at assessing the preparations for the 61st edition of Maputo International Trade Fair (FACIM), business presence oriented towards concrete results must also be crucial to generate business and consolidate strategic partnerships.

"A fair without signed deals is not a fair, a fair without the establishment of partnerships is not a fair. FACIM is an annual, multi-sectoral fair that brings together all economic sectors on a national and international scale in a single space", he said.

The minister explained that this years' edition, which will take place under the motto "Digital and Energy Transformation Towards a Sustainable Economy", is aligned with global trends and current economic development priorities, focusing on a more effective articulation between the public and private sectors.

"The event continues to establish itself as a strategic platform for promoting exports, attracting investment, and strengthening Mozambique's economic integration into regional and international markets", he said.

With approximately four months to go before the fair, the minister shared ongoing actions with the private sector and reiterated the need to consolidate FACIM as a privileged space for the convergence of economic interests, business innovation, and the establishment of structuring partnerships.

Muhate also expressed his expectation that the event's new approach, marked by a greater protagonism of the private sector and a greater focus on measurable results, will bring new dynamism to the fair. "We hope that the new approach, with its focus on results and private sector leadership, will bring more dynamism to the event", he said.

For his turn, Amâncio Gume, deputy chairperson of the country's Confederation of Business Associations (CTA), FACIM is a consolidated platform for business promotion, investment, and economic integration.

However, he said, the country faces persistent challenges related to limitations in access to foreign currency (particularly dollars), financing difficulties, high operating costs, and problems in fuel supply.

"These factors condition the competitiveness of national companies", he said.

PC/ad/ Over 1,000 different types of medicines seized

Maputo, 5 May (AIM) - Mozambican authorities seized, in the first quarter, 101,600 different types of medicines stolen from the National Health System (SNS).

According to Cassiano João, spokesperson for the country's Medicine Regulatory Authority (Anarme), cited by the Portuguese News Agency (LUSA), two individuals were arrested for alleged embezzlement, out of a total of 11 involved in the cases. One of the arrestees is a health professional.

The medicines had been sold to private pharmacies and other authorized resellers.

João explained that from the inspection of 133 pharmacies, clinics, and supermarkets, "about a thousand drugs were sexual stimulants, in a list that also includes metformin, antimalarials, and falsified injectable bupivacaine."

"It is necessary to avoid buying medications outside of unauthorized locations, avoid acquiring products sold online, and avoid acquiring products without a prescription from a health professional", he said.

Last January, the authorities denounced the theft of anti-malarial drugs worth 42 million meticais (about 657,000 US dollars, at the current exchange rate) from the central medical stores of the National Health Service in Maputo province.

Ad/ Terrorists force displacement of almost 800 people in Nangade

Maputo, 5 May (AIM) - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced that the recent jihadist raids in Nangade district, northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, have forced the displacement of 776 people, corresponding to 173 households.

The most recent attack took place on Thursday when a group of terrorists burned down a historic Catholic Church, in the São Luís de Montfort parish.

During the attack, one person was killed.

The Diocese of Pemba points out that over 300 catholics have been killed since the beginning of the terrorist attacks in October 2017, and at least 117 churches and chapels have been destroyed in Cabo Delgado.

According to the IOM statement - which covers the period of April 17 to 25 - the victims (including children and women) fled on foot mainly from the localities of Nkonga, Machava, Samora Machel and Muangaza, seeking safety in the Mualela region.

The document points out that the victims are facing immediate humanitarian needs such as food, emergency shelter, and essential non-food items.

The independent conflict registration project ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project) had warned that terrorist activity tended to intensify last April, especially in villages in the districts of Macomia (Litandacua) and Muidumbe (Miangaleua).

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Mozambique and South Africa Join Efforts Against Xenophobia

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