He says he was cheated out of victory in 2024. Now Venâncio Mondlane is building his party to win in 2029.

"I'm ready to carry this cross," says Venâncio Mondlane.

That cross is his onerous and perilous mission to topple Mozambique's ruthless ruling party, Frelimo, while living on the run and watching as his comrades die at the hands of political assassins.

Mondlane is not just a charismatic politician and an engineer but also a part-time pastor, so his almost religious devotion to his cause should come as no surprise.

In 2024, he shot from behind to come officially second -- and in his own eyes and those of many commentators, first -- in Mozambique's presidential elections. Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo was declared the winner by the state electoral authority, with 65% of the vote versus 24% for Mondlane, who claimed he had actually won with 53%. The result was also questioned by the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique and the European Union.

Using the same social media mobilising skills he had mustered so well in his campaign -- appealing especially to young people -- Mondlane brought hundreds of thousands of Mozambicans out on the street to protest against what he and they insisted was a stolen election.

The security forces responded with violence, and more than 300 people died in...