ALL THE LATEST ECONOMIC, POLITICAL & SECURITY UPDATES

10 - 17 March 2017
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RHULA WEEKLY
M OZAMBIQUE M EDIA R EVIEW

w w w. rhula. net

Sweden guarantees
completed audit by the end
of the month. Page 14.

Vale to earn US$733m

from Moatize stake sale.
Page 25.

Authorities seize
elephant tusks in Maputo
market. Page 66.

Truckers Denounce Military President Nyusi receives

Abuses along the EN7 ExxonMobil’s CEO in Beira to
discuss Eni agreement
 POINTERS FROM THE EDITOR
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ECONOMY
Macro-economy:
Sweden guarantees completion of audit by the end
of the month
The Kroll forensic audit, financed by the Swedish
government, is an essential part of the Mozambican
government’s commitment to co-operate with the IMF
and G14 donors in clarifying the manner in which the
loans to Ematum, Proindicus and Mozambique Asset
Management (MAM) were contracted, and what
subsequently happened to the US$2-billion that was
borrowed (Page 13).
It is highly unlikely that any debt service on these loans
will be paid this year. The government wants to
negotiate both a reduction in the total debt and a
deferral in payments until there is gas production from
the Rovuma Basin (circa 2022-24). Meanwhile, Credit
Suisse is under censure for “loan pushing” -
encouraging the government to take loans both larger
and riskier than is appropriate, and for allegedly
misleading both the bondholders and syndicated loan-
holders by presenting unrealistic financial projections.
Credit Suisse, may find itself under pressure to
compensate both the bondholders and syndicated loan-
holders (Pages 20-21).
Filling the hole in the State Budget
The government is expecting a capital gains tax (CGT)
“windfall” from ENI’s US$2.8-billion sale of a 25% stake
in Area-4 of the Rovuma Basin to ExxonMobil. The tax
implications of the agreement are still to be disclosed,
and are likely to be subject to negotiation. The Centre of
Public Integrity (CIP) warns that, while ENI cannot avoid
paying CGT, the government would be over-optimistic
to think it will receive the 32% (circa US$900-million)
provided for in Mozambique’s tax law. In 2013, ENI
were supposedly liable for US$1.4-billion for a similar
deal but ended up paying only US$400-million.
Desperate for money to fill the US$470-million hole in
this year’s State Budget, caused by the donors cutting-
off support last April, the government’s negotiating
position is not robust. Zitamar News speculates that
Mozambique will only receive US$300-million. The
government will be hoping for US$500-million or more.
Although any settlement with ENI over CGT is unlikely
to provide money before the end of the year, the
prospect of it being in the pipeline will give the
government some breathing space in its negotiations
with both the IMF and the donors. ExxonMobil’s entry
into Mozambique’s gas market also “increases
confidence”. (Pages 20-21, 35-36 and Rhula Weekly
170 Pointers).
The government is likely to be monitoring Vale’s
negotiations with Mitsui regarding imminent sale of a
substantial stake in the Moatize project (Page 25).
In its latest report on Mozambique the Economist
Intelligence Unit (EIU) anticipates that “direct aid to the
State Budget will be replaced by aid to specific
programmes, in view of the doubts raised by donors
about the Mozambican government’s ability to manage
its own accounts” (Pages 14-15).
Economic indicators:
Minister of Economy and Finance, Adriano Maleiane,
says that conditions are being created for the
Mozambican economy to grow again and that he is
confident of seeing growth of 5.5% this year. His
prediction rests on the important assumption: that in
order to grow, the country needs peace. He also refers
to the government’s struggle to cover public spending,
given the lack of external support. He calls for a greater
contribution from the private sector in the form of taxes
(Page 13).
The EIU is less optimistic, citing the liquidity crisis,
fuelled by high public debt, and the freezing of foreign
aid. Public debt may possibly be restructured, but
capital flows, including foreign direct investment, will
take several years to recover. The government will
attempt to tighten fiscal and monetary policy in a bid to
repair its relationship with the IMF and to respond to its
liquidity problems. Gross domestic product (GDP), after
reaching a 15-year low in 2016 (3.6%), is expected to
recover slightly this year to 4.2% (supported mainly by
rising coal exports) and reach 4.6% in 2018, before
rising to over 5% between 2019 and 2021 (Pages 14-
15).
The consumer price index (CPI) indicates that inflation
has risen for 20th consecutive month, edging up to
20.88% year-on-year in February from 20.56% in
January.
 POINTERS FROM THE EDITOR
3
The cost of a “basic basket” of food items has almost
doubled since January 2015, largely as a result of the
devaluation of the metical in relation to currencies like
the dollar or rand (most foodstuffs are imported). The
differential between wage increases last year (between
4% and 12%) and annual inflation at 20%) – is likely to
mean that employers will face demands for wage
increases this year that at least match official inflation.
Employers have already made it clear that there is little
room for significant increases if businesses (and the
jobs that depend on them) are to survive. The National
Statistics Institute (INE) forecasts that prices will slow
down in the coming months and the government
predicts an average inflation rate of 14% this year
(Pages 15-16).
Mozambique is looking East, but….
The EIU suggests that, because of the reservations of
Western donor countries, the government of
Mozambique is actively seeking to deepen its
relationship with Asian countries – China and India in
particular – who import coal and natural gas. The EIU
qualifies this observation by saying: “Despite the
government’s efforts, the existing political instability in
the country, the lower growth of China’s economy and
an oil and natural gas market with excess supply will
leave Asian countries with no great desire to invest in
Mozambique” (Pages 14-15).
Chinese investment in Mozambique
Chinese cumulative investment in Mozambique is close
to US$6-billion, according to data provided by the
Chinese Embassy in Maputo. Approximately 100
Chinese companies are operating in areas such as
energy, agriculture, fishing, real estate, building
materials, tourism, buses, telecommunications,
infrastructure and trade. (Pages 17-18).
President Nyusi urges Japan to invest in
Mozambique
On his four-day state visit to Japan (Page 38) President
Nyusi urged Japanese businesses to invest in
Mozambique (Pages 16-17). He promoted Mozambican
gas sales during his visit to Tokyo Gas (Page 24).
Japan has offered to grant aid for Mozambique’s fuel
needs (Pages 24-25). Mitsui is set to buy a major stake
in the Moatize project (Page 25). Sumitomo has signed
a contract with EdM to construct gas-fired power plant
(Pages 25-26). Two co-operation agreements have
been signed for development of infrastructure and
President Nyusi briefed on Tokyo’s metro system
(Pages 26-27). Mozambique and Japan plan to
reactivate the ProSAVANA agricultural development
project (Pages 24-25 & 30-31). A Japanese
parliamentary delegation is expected in Mozambique in
April (Page 38).
South African companies invited to participate in
Mozambique trade mission
SA’s Department of Trade and Industry is encouraging
companies in the agriculture, infrastructure, electro-
technical, steel fabrication and mining and capital
equipment sectors to apply (by 22 March) to join a trade
and investment mission to Mozambique, which will take
place from 22 to 26 May 2017. Bilateral trade which
currently totals ZAR42.04-billion (US$3.2-billion).
CONT.
More than 100 South African companies already
operate in Mozambique (Page 18).
Mozambican urges more Portuguese investment
Mozambique’s ambassador in Lisbon urges more
Portuguese businesses to invest in Mozambique. There
was a significant decline in Portuguese investment
during the period 2015-2016 (Pages 18-19).
Government ratifies agreement between
Mozambique and Turkey
The Council of Ministers ratified the agreement, signed
on 24 January, promoting and protecting investment
between the two countries (Page 39).
Oil & Gas:
ENI-ExxonMobil deal
President Filipe Nyusi met with ExxonMobil CEO Darren
Woods, who replaces Rex Tillerson – now US Secretary
of State (Page 20). The ENI-ExxonMobil deal will only
be complete after approval by the Mozambican
regulatory authorities, which is expected very soon. The
basic outlines of the deal are to be found at Pages 20-
21. The EIU says that the involvement of ExxonMobil,
“increases confidence” in gas exploration in
Mozambique: “The involvement of Exxon, which has
deeper pockets and more experience than its Italian
partner, adds a level of confidence that the Area-4
exploration license will be developed as planned” and
“along with the license of Area-1 [operated by
Anadarko], this could end up putting Mozambique
among the largest exporters of liquefied natural gas in
the world” (Page 21). The issue of CGT is discussed at
Pages 20-21, “Filling the hole in the State Budget”
(Pointers above) and “President Nyusi celebrates
Exxon’s entry” (Pages 35-36).
ENI’s sale of 25% of its interest in Area-4 to ExxonMobil
reflects its strategy of cost-sharing at the early stages of
exploration and production (E&P), aimed at achieving a
rapid monetisation of its projects (Page 21 below and
Rhula Weekly 170 – Pointers and pages 30-32).
Upbeat Gas & LNG Congress held in Maputo 16-17
March
Neither BP or Shell expressed concern about the recent
setback in the price of energy commodities. Two main
reasons were given: First, the stakes are too high –
Mozambique is too gas-rich to be ignored; Second, and
most importantly, business models have evolved that
are more robust, able to withstand extreme temporary
price fluctuations.
Shell talked of “diversifying the group’s exposure to
prices”, for example turning gas into other products. In
Qatar (the world’s largest gas field), Shell has built a
giant plant called Pearl GTL (gas-to-liquids) which
converts natural gas into liquid products such as
lubricants, transport fuel and raw materials for
chemicals and detergents.
 POINTERS FROM THE EDITOR
3
BP referred to the high multiplier effect of FDI in LNG
projects when it comes to low-income countries like
Mozambique. Natural gas-fired power generation has
the potential to stimulate industrial and non-industrial
demand for other gas-related products. Mozambique is
also likely to become a strong and reliable LNG supplier
to neighbouring countries like South Africa.
Domestically, apart from power-generation, LNG output
can be applied to fertiliser production and other
petrochemicals plants.
The US Energy Information Administration’s
International Energy Outlook 2016 says that domestic
natural gas consumption in Mozambique is expected to
grow by 11% between 2012 and 2040, mainly for
electricity generation (Pages 22-23).
In a developing market like Mozambique, one of the key
challenges facing oil & gas companies is finding local
content providers with the appropriate skills for an
industry where reliability and operational safety are
critical, and there is a high degree of complexity related
to inputs and technology. Human resources with the
capacity to deal with such issues are currently
extremely scarce in Mozambique.
Starting from a low-skill base, in the catering,
construction, logistical and transport sectors, the key is
to gradually transfer technology and know-how as the
project develops. This requires patience on the part of
the host nation.
Galp Energia pointed out that the period separating the
early stage of an oil and gas project and its
commercialisation phase is about 10 years. As gas
developments in Mozambique have only recently
started, this leaves plenty of time for the state (assisted
by the oil & gas majors) to train the country’s future
engineers and technical workers (Pages 20-21).
President Nyusi promotes Mozambique gas in
Japan
During his four-day state visit, President Nyusi urged
Japan not only to “buy our gas” but also to become
involved in priority energy projects in Mozambique. He
visited Tokyo Gas, which currently imports an annual
amount of around 14-million tons of gas from countries
such as Brunei, Malaysia, Australia and Qatar. This
year it plans to start importing gas from the United
States. The company’s interest in diversifying its
sources is likely to mean that it will look favourably at
the possibility of purchasing Mozambican gas. (Pages
23-24).
Japan promises to help Mozambique overcome its
current fuel difficulties.
The current fuel subsidy system is not working; prices
fixed by the government for sale to the public of petrol
and diesel are lower than the prices paid by the
importers on the world market. The government
currently owes distribution companies about US$70-
million. If payments are not made soon to catch up on
the arrears, the country may soon be unable to import
liquid fuels. No details have been given, but the
Japanese government is believed to have pledged a
substantial grant that will assist Mozambique to
purchase liquid fuels. Nothing has been said about how
much money will be involved or for how long this
support will last.
CONT.
Mining:
Vale expects US$733-million by end of month
Vale SA says that it is nearing conclusion of a deal to
sell a stake in Mozambique's Moatize coal project to
Japan's Mitsui & Co. Vale said it expects to receive an
initial payment of US$733-million by the end of this
month, and expects to receive a further US$2.7-billion
after the financing for the project of the mine and the
transportation system has been concluded. (Page 25).
Energy:
Japanese companies line up for energy projects in
Mozambique
Sumitomo has signed a contract with EdM to construct
a gas-fired power plant at Temane (Zambézia), close to
gas wells operated by South Africa’s Sasol. Japan will
provide the finance, EdM is required to ensure that a
gas supply contract is signed with ENH. Other
Japanese technical and training co-operation
agreements are in the pipeline (Page 25).
Water shortages threaten HCB production
Water levels have dropped by about 40% in the
Zambezi Basin. The situation is critical and threatens to
compromise electricity output from the Cahora Bassa
Hydroelectric Power Plant. The situation also remains
critical at the Pequenos Libombos Dam; water
shortages in Maputo, Matola and Boane are expected
to continue (Page 26).
Transport, Construction & Development Projects:
Japan will assist with infrastructure development.
Two co-operation agreements have been signed. One
is for three bridges on the A380 route Pemba to Palma,
important to the logistics of the LNG ‘trains’ due to be
built in Palma. The second focuses on urban transport
solutions for Maputo (Pages 26-27).
Portuguese company to build Moatize-Macuse
railway
Mota-Engil has been chosen to build the 500 kilometres
railway from the Moatize coal basin (in Tete Province) to
a new deep water port at Macuse, (Zambézia Province)
at an estimated cost of US$2.3-billion (Pages 27-28).
Minister appears before Ethics Commission
The Minister of Transport, Carlos Mesquita, has
appeared before the Central Public Ethics Commission
(CCEP), to answer concerns about an alleged conflict of
interest. (Page 29).
Agriculture & Fishing:
ProSAVANA project reactivated
The controversial ProSAVANA agricultural development
project along the Nacala Development Corridor has
been reactivated. Based on a tripartite agreement
between Mozambique, Brazil and Japan, the idea is to
convert peasant subsistence agriculture into
commercial agriculture, so that the Nacala Corridor
 POINTERS FROM THE EDITOR
3
becomes a granary that can feed the country and
produce a surplus for export. The government has
spared no effort to implement ProSAVANA, and civil
society spares none to stop it (Pages 30-31).
Fisheries poisoning Mozambique-Malawi relations
The dispute over fishery resources centres on four
lakes on the border between the two countries. Difficult
to make any sense of Mozambique-Malawi relations on
the matter. The two countries share a common border
of about 1,400 kilometres.
POLITICS
President Nyusi celebrates Exxon’s entry - Africa
Confidential
It is a personal triumph for President Nyusi, and
strengthens his position in the Party ahead of its
September Congress. It is unlikely, however, to deliver
enough short-term cash to solve Mozambique’s current
economic woes. The government is working hard to
give the impression that things are getting back on
track, but this is a smokescreen. Predictions of 5.5%
growth this year are unrealistic. The government is
desperately short of money to keep the state apparatus
running and it risks not being able to meet salaries,
while public services fail. Many state companies are on
the brink of bankruptcy.
The government’s story that it will restructure its US$2-
billion in toxic debt, receive a new IMF / G14
programme and all will be well, similarly doesn’t
withstand scrutiny. Discussions about a new IMF
programme, and negotiations with the bondholders
about re-structuring of the debt, to a large degree hinge
on the outcome of the Kroll audit. Placing such a short
time on a complex enquiry like this was always risky,
leaving room for the government to escape full
disclosure by being obstructive. As things stand the
results may be inconclusive. This would leave the
current state of paralysis with the IMF/ G14 unchanged.
Nyusi’s power base vis-à-vis former president Armando
Guebuza (and his remaining followers in the Party) has
been strengthened by the removal of Gregório Leão
José as head of the secret service (SISE). His
replacement – Makonde General, Lagos Henriques
Lidimo – is one of the few characters in Frelimo’s upper
echelons with enough clout to counter Guebuza’s
deeply entrenched networks in the security services.
Nyusi’s Makonde ethnic group continues to tighten its
grip on the Party. Nyusi is also improving his electoral
credibility by beginning to deliver on one of his key
election promises: peace. Sceptics worry, however, that
he is still potentially captive to hard-line elements in the
Party, and the move is less about a commitment to
lasting peace and more a diversion tactic designed to
appease donors and encourage them to take a softer
approach when it comes to resolving the country’s
budgetary problems (Pages 35-36).
President Nyusi meets with Daviz Simango to
discuss the politico-military situation
MDM leader Daviz Simango says that President Nyusi
has informed him that the two working groups (one
dealing with decentralisation and the other with military
questions) “are now working on terms of reference, in a
CONT.
collective effort to ensure that peace will be effective”
(Page 36).
New “Peace Club” to “accelerate dialogue”
Latest attempt to mediate the conflict in Mozambique,
bringing together more than 250 religious bodies and
political parties from the provinces of Manica, Nampula,
Sofala and Tete. Frelimo and the MDM have joined;
Renamo has been invited to, but has so far not joined
(Page 37).
Disunity in MDM
Squabble continues between MDM mayor of Nampula
and the MDM Party leadership (Pages 40-41).
Municipal & national elections
Mozambique’s National Electoral Commission (CNE)
suggests 15 October as the date for the 2018 municipal
elections. Approval is the prerogative of the Council of
Ministers. The CNE calculates that approximately
US$13.3-million (at current exchange rates) will be
needed to cover both the 2018 municipal elections and
the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections
(Pages 42-43).
SECURITY
Heat Map and graphs – illustrating the most vulnerable
areas in the country (Pages 44-45).
Truckers denounce military abuses along the EN7
Long-distance truck drivers and other EN7 users have
reported an upsurge in military abuses – including
extortion, robbery and physical aggression. Abuses are
alleged to be common between Vanduzi (Manica
Province) and Changara (Tete Province). On the
Pungue-Catandica river section – one of the main
economic routes in Mozambique and a section patrolled
by the Defence and Security Forces – users have
reported thefts of cargo, cell phones and cash, and
cases of physical assaults have been recorded when
drivers resist attempts at extortion. (Page 46).
CRIME
KZN-Mozambique cross border crime
President Zuma visited the Kosi Bay border between
KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique. Residents say they
are being terrorised by cross-border gangs who target
4×4 vehicles. Even when vehicles have been positively
identified by owners, they are forced to pay a large sum
of money for their vehicle to be returned across the
border. There are calls for a wall to be erected to
reduce cross border crime and for the government to
deploy more soldiers, as well as for greater co-
operation between South Africa and Mozambique
(Pages 48-49).
Reported crime incidents - by province Pages 50-53.
HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT & NGO’s
Mozambican victims of human trafficking
Sexual exploitation, slave labour, forced begging and
organ sales. Women and teenagers fuel the trafficking
industry (Pages 53-54).
 POINTERS FROM THE EDITOR CONT.
3

Human and organ trafficking routes WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Mozambique is a gateway, transhipment centre, Mozambique’s poaching castles are crumbling

supplier and destination country for organ trafficking
(Page 54).
Maputo water supply remains critical
Warning from Minister of Public works, Carlos Martinho
(Page 55).
Cyclone Dineo Situation Report (Pages 55-56).
Dirty water kills as much as lack of food
Lack of access to clean water and proper hygiene is
affecting the lives of many blighted by cyclone Dineo.
Diseases and infections impact more forcefully on the
immune system of those already weakened due to
inadequate nutrition and shelter (Pages 56-57).
An interesting article on the methodology of cross-
border rhino horn poaching, including the allegation that
government knows who the ‘kingpins’ are and could do
something about, but well-connected officials are
involved (Pages 63-66).
Judge releases illegal pangolin hunters
An example of the sort irregularity going on in the
judicial system, that is contributing to the ease with
which organised criminal syndicates are able to poach
endangered species and get away with it. Every year
more than 100,000 pangolins are taken from their
habitat and sent to China or Vietnam, making it the
most trafficked mammal in the world and driving it to the
brink of extinction (Pages 66-67).

Anadarko strengthens educational support in four The poaching war in and around the Gorongosa
provinces Park

Corporate social responsibility initiative to provide books
in local languages and teacher training – as a way of
contributing to literacy in Cabo Delgado, Niassa, Tete
and Maputo provinces (Page 58).
HEALTH
Cholera outbreak now in four provinces
In 2016 alone, approximately 521 poachers were
detected in the park, while 35 guns, 247 mechanical
traps and 9,258 steel wire cables (for entrapping
animals) were recovered. There has been a dramatic
fall in tourist numbers (Pages 67-68).
The big problem with legalising rhino horn sales in
South Africa

The most alarming situation is in Tete, where “the
spread of the disease is very rapid”. The Tete districts
affected by the outbreak include Tete city, Cahora
Bassa and Moatize. Maputo Province including Maputo
City is affected, in part due to the water crisis in Maputo
and Matola causing people to resort to water sources
that are not suitable for consumption. The torrential
rains earlier in the year, which flooded several low-lying
neighbourhoods, has played a role in spreading this
water-borne disease. In Nampula, cholera has been
detected in the provincial capital, Nampula city, and in a
string of outlying districts. Outbreaks Niassa’s Lichinga
district has already resulted in fatalities. (Pages 58-61).
The only ones to benefit will be a) those who farm
rhinos on privately-held land and have stockpiles of
rhino horn that they want to sell (as does the SA
government), and b) the mainly Chinese and
Vietnamese organised criminal syndicates who feed
demand from the Far East (Pages 70-71).
END
Nigel Morgan
Managing Editor

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 Contents
3

ECONOMY & BUSINESS .....................................................................................................................14

Macro-economy: ............................................................................................................................................. 14
Sweden guarantees completion of audit on Mozambique debt by the end of the month ................................... 14
Mozambique registers positive signs of economic recovery .............................................................................. 14
Mozambique economy affected by liquidity crisis.............................................................................................. 14
Mozambique’s February inflation rises to 20.88% year/year ............................................................................. 15
Inflation continues to rise for 20th consecutive month ........................................................................................ 15
Consumer spending to remain low for a while in Mozambique.......................................................................... 16
Japanese businesses urged to invest in Mozambique ...................................................................................... 16
Trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries rises 7.52% in January .......................................... 17
Chinese investment in Mozambique is close to US$6-billion ............................................................................ 17
South African companies invited to participate in Mozambique trade mission ................................................... 18
Mozambican ambassador wants to see more Portuguese entrepreneurs in Mozambique ................................ 18

Financial Services: ......................................................................................................................................... 19

Portugal’s CGD bank seeks to sell Spanish, South African operations ............................................................. 19

Oil & Gas: ........................................................................................................................................................ 20

President Nyusi receives ExxonMobil’s CEO Darren Woods in Beira ............................................................... 20
Exxon buys half of ENI’s part of Area-4 gas for US$2.8-billion; government could get up to US$500-million .... 20
Exxon entry into Mozambique gas boosts confidence in projects – EIU............................................................ 21
Mozambique’s Tax Authority calculates capital gains payable by the ENI group............................................... 21
“Mozambican government waiting to hear from ENI, Exxon” – Minister Klemens.............................................. 22
Over-optimism about capital gains windfall from ENI-Exxon deal ..................................................................... 22
Animal spirits at the Third Gas & LNG Congress in Maputo .............................................................................. 22
President Nyusi to promote Mozambican gas in Japan..................................................................................... 23
President Nyusi visits Tokyo Gas ..................................................................................................................... 24
Japan offers grant aid for Mozambique’s fuel needs ......................................................................................... 24

Mining: ............................................................................................................................................................ 25
Vale to get US$733-million by end of month from Moatize stake sale to Mitsui ................................................. 25

Energy: ............................................................................................................................................................ 25
Japanese make mark in Mozambique with energy projects .............................................................................. 25
Zambezi Basin below 40%: threatens HCB production ..................................................................................... 26
Transport, Construction & Development Projects: ............................................................................................ 26
Mozambique and Japan sign co-operation agreements .................................................................................... 26
President Nyusi briefed on Tokyo metro system ............................................................................................... 27
Portuguese company to build railway to Macuse .............................................................................................. 27
Bus workers threaten strike action .................................................................................................................... 28
President Nyusi inaugurates Beira Water Distribution Centre ........................................................................... 28
Minister appears before Ethics Commission ..................................................................................................... 29

Agriculture & Fishing: .................................................................................................................................... 30

ProSAVANA to be reactivated .......................................................................................................................... 30
ProSAVANA, the “stone in the shoe” that President Nyusi takes to Japan ........................................................ 30
Obtala raises more preference capital for forestry arm Argento Mozambique ................................................... 31
3

FinAgro: four years changing the face of Mozambican agriculture .................................................................... 31

Fisheries poisoning Mozambique-Malawi relations ........................................................................................... 32

Tourism: .......................................................................................................................................................... 32
Minister Dunduru encourages tourism as a way to bolster state coffers ............................................................ 32

Other: .............................................................................................................................................................. 33
High wages for specialist Finance Ministry unit ................................................................................................. 33
Minister Vitória Diogo bolsters Inspectorate-General of Labour of Mozambique ............................................... 33
Vitória Diogo launches revision of the Labour Law in Manica ........................................................................... 34
Government approves new leasing law to be submitted to parliament .............................................................. 34
Employees go on strike at Mozambique Independent Television ...................................................................... 34

POLITICS..............................................................................................................................................35
President Nyusi celebrates Exxon’s entry – Africa Confidential ........................................................................ 35
President Nyusi meets with Daviz Simango to discuss the politico-military situation ......................................... 36
Sweden advocates inclusion of women in the Mozambican peace process ...................................................... 37
New “Peace Club” wants to accelerate dialogue in Mozambique ...................................................................... 37
Parliament discusses proposed Mobilisation and Requisition Bill ..................................................................... 38
President Nyusi starts four-day official visit to Japan ........................................................................................ 38
Japanese parliamentary delegation expected in Mozambique .......................................................................... 38
Japan and Mozambique leaders jointly condemn North Korea missile launches .............................................. 38
Government approves ratification of agreement between Mozambique and Turkey ......................................... 39
Prime Minister participates in SADC Extraordinary Summit in Mbabane ........................................................... 39
Rift between Nampula Mayor and MDM grows wider ....................................................................................... 40
Daviz Simango claims “freedom of expression” within MDM ............................................................................. 41
Sérgio Machava sworn in as deputy national delegate for Mobilisation and Propaganda of the MDM .............. 42
Mozambique’s 2018 municipal elections slated for 15 October ......................................................................... 42
CNE proposes budget for elections .................................................................................................................. 42
Mozambicans in Swaziland urged to register .................................................................................................... 43

SECURITY ............................................................................................................................................44
Truckers denounce military abuses along the EN7 ........................................................................................... 46
More than 220,000 register for military service ................................................................................................. 46
Japan and Mozambique agree on maritime security co-operation .................................................................... 47
Spokesmen promoted to generals .................................................................................................................... 47

CRIME ..................................................................................................................................................48
President Zuma addresses KZN-Mozambique cross border crime ................................................................... 48
Supreme Court concerned about poor dissemination of alternative sentences ................................................. 49
Supreme court proposes to cut judges’ holidays ............................................................................................... 49

Gaza: ............................................................................................................................................................... 50
Owner of Complexo Aquárius do Bilene abducted ............................................................................................ 50

Inhambane: ..................................................................................................................................................... 50
Man arrested for killing his grandchild in Inhambane ........................................................................................ 50
3

Teacher arrested for raping 14-year-old student in Zavala district .................................................................... 50

Three arrested for fuel theft .............................................................................................................................. 50

Manica: ............................................................................................................................................................ 50
Portuguese man accused of forging US currency ............................................................................................. 50

Maputo: ........................................................................................................................................................... 51
Police arrest two suspected kidnappers in Maputo ........................................................................................... 51
Military officer accused of raping 10-year-old girl .............................................................................................. 51
Maputo women fear violence and sexual harassment ...................................................................................... 52
Prison guard arrested in Maputo for illegal weapon possession........................................................................ 52

Nampula: ......................................................................................................................................................... 52
Home invaders rape minor in Nampula ............................................................................................................. 52

Sofala: ............................................................................................................................................................. 53
Illegal Chinese exporter of prawns uncovered in Mozambique ......................................................................... 53

Tete:................................................................................................................................................................. 53
Gang arrested in Tete on kidnapping charges .................................................................................................. 53

HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND NGO’S .................................................................53

Twenty-first century slavery: Mozambican victims of human trafficking ............................................................. 53
The human and organ trafficking routes ........................................................................................................... 54
Maputo water supply remains critical ................................................................................................................ 55
Alleged diversion of cyclone victim donations in Inhambane ............................................................................. 55
Mozambique: cyclone Dineo Office of the Resident Co-ordinator Situation Report ........................................... 55
Dirty rivers in drought-hit Mozambique kill as much as lack of food .................................................................. 56
US$11-million available to rebuild schools in Nampula, Zambézia and Niassa ................................................. 57
Schools closed by conflict are already open ..................................................................................................... 57
Anadarko strengthens educational support in four provinces ............................................................................ 58

HEALTH ...............................................................................................................................................58
Cholera outbreak now in four provinces ............................................................................................................ 58
Cholera in Maputo: two deaths and more than 200 cases of diarrhoea............................................................. 59
Government taking measures against spread of cholera in Maputo .................................................................. 59
Diarrhoea kills eight people in Lichinga ............................................................................................................. 59
Cholera outbreak threatens six more districts in Nampula Province.................................................................. 60
Mozambican health sector is testing cholera vaccine ....................................................................................... 60
Health officials in Malawi raise alarm over cholera outbreak in Mozambique .................................................... 61
Towards open-defecation-free communities in Mozambique ............................................................................ 61
Inspectors close 30 establishments in a fortnight .............................................................................................. 62

WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ............................................................................63

Why Mozambican timber operators reject the sale of the wood seized in ‘Operation Tronco’ ........................... 63
Mozambique’s poaching castles are crumbling ................................................................................................. 63
Elephant tusks seized in Maputo market .......................................................................................................... 66
Judge releases illegal pangolin hunters ............................................................................................................ 66
3

Three game wardens suspended in Zambézia ................................................................................................. 67

The poaching war near Gorongosa Park .......................................................................................................... 67
The big problem with legalising rhino horn sales in South Africa....................................................................... 68
More questions than answers as Kruger park continues shooting buffalo ......................................................... 70

GRAPHS
GRAPH 1 – MOZAMBIQUE CURRENCY EVALUATION ...................................................................... 13
GRAPH 2 – REGION BY DAY OF WEEK .............................................................................................. 45
GRAPH 3 – TOTAL INCIDENTS PER TIME SLOT................................................................................ 45
GRAPH 4 – PROVINCE BY TIME PERIOD ........................................................................................... 45
 BUSINESS INDEX
3

AdeM ............................................................................. 55 JBIC .............................................................................. 26

AfDB ........................................................................62, 63
Anadarko .............................................. 21, 24, 25, 58, 59
Argento ....................................................................31, 32
Banco de Moçambique ................................................. 36
BP .................................................................................. 23
Ceinsa Contratos e Ingeniera, SA ................................ 29
CFM ............................................................................... 28
CGD .............................................................................. 20
CGSpace ....................................................................... 24
Chiyoda ......................................................................... 26
CNPC ......................................................................20, 35
Credit Suisse ................................................................. 21
EdM ...................................................................26, 35, 51
EIU ....................................................................14, 15, 21
Ematum .............................................................13, 14, 25
EMTPM ...................................................................28, 29
ENH .........................................................................20, 26
ENI ..................................... 13, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 35
ExxonMobil ..................................... 13, 20, 21, 22, 23, 35
Galp Energia ................................................................. 20
GL Energy ..................................................................... 23
HCB ............................................................................... 26
ICVL .............................................................................. 22
IHI .................................................................................. 26
IMF ....................................................... 14, 20, 21, 25, 36
Italian Thai Development Company of Thailand ........... 28
JOGMEC ....................................................................... 26
KOGAS ......................................................................... 20
Kroll ................................................................... 13, 25, 36
MAM .................................................................. 14, 16, 25
Mesquita Group ............................................................ 30
Mitsui & Co .................................................................... 26
Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva e
Associados ................................................................ 18
Mota-Engil ..................................................................... 28
Obtala ..................................................................... 31, 32
Pestana ......................................................................... 33
Petromoc....................................................................... 35
Proindicus ......................................................... 14, 16, 25
Rio Tinto .................................................................. 21, 22
Riversdale Mining ......................................................... 21
SALCEF ........................................................................ 28
Sasol ............................................................................. 26
Shell .............................................................................. 23
Sumitomo Corp. ............................................................ 26
TCM .............................................................................. 30
Tokyo Gas ............................................................... 24, 25
Vale ............................................................................... 26
World Bank ............................................................. 16, 29
Yara .............................................................................. 23
Yurikamome .................................................................. 27

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 GENERAL INFORMATION

MAPUTO SEVEN-DAY FORECAST

Source: yr.no

OTHER PROVINCES SEVEN-DAY FORECAST

Gaza
Xai-Xai

Inhambane
Inhambane

Sofala
Beira

Manica
Chimoio

Tete
Tete

Zambézia
Quelimane

Nampula
Nampula

Niassa
Lichinga

Cabo Delgado
Pemba

Source: yr.no
 GENERAL INFORMATION CONT.

MARCH - IMPORTANT DATES PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN 2017

Renamo leader extends truce 60- 7 April Woman’s Day
3 March
days to 4 May 1 May Workers Day
ExxonMobil confirmed as buyer of 25 July Independence Day
9 March 25% of ENI Area-4 gas field. (Pages 7 September Victory Day
19-20 and 34-35) 25 September Revolution Day
4 October Day of Peace and Reconciliation
Kroll report on toxic debt scandal due
31 March 25 December Family Day
(Page 13)

ECONOMY

METICAL (MZN) EXCHANGE RATE MOZAMBIQUE FUEL PRICES

Currency Buy Sell Fuel Type Price Per Litre
Euro (EUR) 73,76 73,87 Petrol 50.02MT
U.S. Dollar (USD) 68,74 68,84 Diesel 45.83MT
S.A. Rand (ZAR) 5,42 5,43

GRAPH 1 – MOZAMBIQUE CURRENCY EVALUATION

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

ALERTS / SITUATION UPDATES / INFO NOTES DISTRIBUTED THIS WEEK

SitUp 170306-ABD001 Two Renamo members abducted in Manica yet to be located
Info Note 170303-INF001 Truce extended for a second time to 4 May
SitUp 170226-ASN001 Frelimo Secretary and wife of community leader murdered in Inhambane

ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Macro-economy:
Sweden guarantees completion of audit on
Mozambique debt by the end of the month
Sweden, which is financing the international
audit of Mozambique’s estimated US$2-billion of
hidden debts, says that the results of the
investigation will be released by the end of this
month (March), while analysts warn the results
should not disappoint citizens’ expectations.
At the end of her mission in Mozambique,
Swedish ambassador, Irina Schoulgin Nyoni,
revealed that the investigation process is well
underway, confirming information from other
people familiar with the matter, and says all is
going well.
“I am going to leave international auditing
matters well in hand, and when I leave
Mozambique at the end of this month,
everything will be ready”, the diplomat said.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
insisted on an independent investigation into the
so-called hidden debts, and Ambassador Nyoni
considers it vital that the process be conducted
in the best possible way for the good of
Mozambique, a position backed by analysts
who underline the enormous expectations of the
people on this issue.
According to lawyer José Machicame, the audit
should clarify the manner in which the debts of
the companies Ematum, Proindicus and
Mozambique Asset Management (MAM) were
contracted.
The loans were contracted outside the
Mozambican legal framework and the
commitments of the Mozambican state to its
main co-operation partners, “and it is important
to establish the contours and circumstances in
which these debts were contracted”.
Source: VOA Portuguese
Mozambique registers positive signs of
economic recovery
On Wednesday 15 March, the Minister of
Economy and Finance, Adriano Maleiane, said
that there were positive signs of economic
recovery in the country, and that he was
confident of seeing growth of 5.5% this year.
Minister Maleiane stressed that the end of the
politico-military tension and ongoing measures
to restore the confidence of international
partners made for good prospects.
14
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Speaking to the press in Beira (Sofala Province)
after meeting Governor Maria Helena Taipo,
Minister Maleiane said that conditions were
being created for the Mozambican economy to
grow again.
“2016 was a very difficult year, but by 2017
conditions have been created, an important
assumption that we are experiencing today, in
order to grow, is peace. We are also working to
bring international confidence back and the
metical is gaining value, which is very good for
prices, because, unfortunately, Mozambique is
still importing many products”, the governor
said.
The Minister explained that the government has
been making efforts to cover public spending
given the lack of external support, and called for
a greater contribution from the private sector in
the form of taxes.
Source: Rádio Moçambique
Mozambique economy affected by liquidity
crisis
A liquidity crisis, fuelled by high public debt and
the freezing of foreign aid, will continue to
destabilise the economy of Mozambique, which
this year and next is expected to grow at
historically low rates, according to the
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in its latest
report on the country.
The authors of the document say that public
debt may – “possibly” – be restructured,
similarly to the first restructuring that took place
on a loan of US$850-million taken on by tuna
company Ematum, but capital flows, including
foreign direct investment, will take a few years
until they reach levels seen in the recent past.
The government, for its part, will seek to
“tighten” fiscal and monetary policy, in an
attempt to restore the relationship with the IMF
and to respond to the liquidity problem, with the
EIU saying that execution should have little
impact because of the opposition that will be
raised both by politicians and voters.
The real growth rate of the country’s gross
domestic product (GDP) is expected to remain
low in 2017-18 compared with previous periods,
due to weak domestic demand and a reduction
in investment, which should recover in the
coming years, as business confidence
improves.
The report, to which MacauHub had access,
said that completion later this month of the
international independent audit of undisclosed

foreign loans taken on by the previous
government should contribute to restoring good
relations with international donors.
“However, we anticipate that direct aid to the
State Budget will be replaced by aid to specific
programmes, in view of the doubts raised by
donors about the Mozambican government’s
ability to manage its own accounts”, the
document said.
Because of doubts raised by previous Western
donor countries, the government of
Mozambique will seek to deepen its relationship
with Asian countries – China in particular which
is currently one of the country’s main creditors –
and those that import coal and natural gas –
including India and Thailand, whose state
companies have been investing in the country.
“Despite the government’s efforts, the existing
political instability in the country, the lower
growth of China’s economy and an oil and
natural gas market with excess supply will leave
Asian countries with no great desire to invest in
Mozambique”, adds the report.
The economy of Mozambique, after reaching a
15-year low in 2016, with growth of 3.6%, is
expected to recover slightly to 4.2% this year,
supported almost exclusively by mining
operations for coal, whose prices have been
rising in international markets.
After 2017, the country’s economy should return
to a path of higher growth, with the EIU
estimating that in 2018 it will grow at a rate of
4.6%, before rising to over 5% between 2019
and 2021.
Source: MacauHub
15
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Mozambique’s February inflation rises to
20.88% year/year
Mozambique’s consumer inflation edged up to
20.88% year-on-year in February from 20.56%
in January, data from the National Statistics
Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estatistica, INE)
showed on Thursday 9 March. The high prices
are not giving Mozambicans’ pockets a minute’s
rest. Purchasing power is constantly decreasing
and citizens are being forced to review their
spending habits, especially with regard to food.
A 50-kilogram bag of rice bought for MT1,500
this time last year (2016) now costs MT1,900.
Maize flour, MT45 a kilogram in 2016, has risen
to around MT60. But it is not only food that has
gone up – clothing is also more expensive. A
pair of shoes costing MT1,900 in February last
year, for example, now costs about MT2,400.
The city of Beira (Sofala Province) leads the
way in general price increases, followed by
Nampula and Maputo. Some Mozambicans
have stopped consuming essential products or
are substituting alternatives and reducing the
amount of food they purchase.
Source: Reuters/O País
Inflation continues to rise for 20th
consecutive month
For the 20th consecutive month since President
Filipe Nyusi was sworn in as head of state,
prices have continued to increase. In February,
official inflation – which is always below real
inflation – increased by 1.25%, once again
driven by the cost of the so-called “basic
basket”, which has almost doubled since
January 2015. The data collected in the cities of
Maputo, Beira and Nampula during the month of
February indicate that the country recorded a
rise in the general price level of 1.25% in
relation to the previous month, according to the
Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The report, prepared monthly by the INE,
indicates that the “Division of food and non-
alcoholic beverages experienced the greatest
price increase”. This situation leaves something
for economists to explain, since food inflation
has been associated with devaluation of the
metical in relation to the main currencies, since
most foods are imported, yet the metical has
been registering some appreciation lately.
Research found that “from the analysis of
monthly inflation by product, increases were
highlighted for products such as charcoal
(16.7%), new light vehicles (7%), public higher
education (36.5%), tomatoes (3.9%), peanuts
(7.2%), beer (2.2%) and chicken (3.7%).

In addition, according to the CPI, compared to
February 2016, “the country recorded a price
increase of around 20.88%. The clothing and
footwear, and food and non-alcoholic beverages
divisions were, on a year-on-year basis, those
with the highest price increase with 30.82% and
27.95%, respectively”.
At a time when the Labour Advisory
Commission is meeting to consider the revision
of national minimum wages – which last year
increased only between 4% and 12% when
inflation was already above 20% – Mozambican
employees are anxiously waiting to know If this
year’s increases will at least match official
inflation, although bosses have already made it
clear that there is little room for manoeuvring
after all the efforts made for the survival of
businesses and jobs”.
Indeed, @Verdade noted that with the
devaluation of the metical against the US dollar,
the minimum wages for the agriculture,
livestock, hunting and forestry sectors (including
agro-industrial enterprises and the cashew and
sugar industry); industrial and semi-industrial
fishing; Kapenta fishing; and the bakery industry
fell below the poverty line, which is set by the
World Bank at US$1.90, requiring an
unprecedented increase of more than 21%.
This trend of rising inflation began in July 2015,
five months after the investiture of President
Nyusi, with the price of food that year increasing
by 43.70% compared to 2014. In the following
year, the cost of living continued its upward
trend, aggravated by the discovery of illegal
loans from Proindicus and MAM, which raised it
to the historical mark of 25.53% in October, food
staples became more expensive at 46.56%
more in 2016 than in the previous year.
Since then inflation has stopped growing
rapidly, perhaps thanks to the various measures
that the government has taken to try to contain
the effects and all the restrictive policies of the
central bank, but the truth is that the cost of
living is not yet reducing.
Source: @Verdade
Consumer spending to remain low for a
while in Mozambique
The Mozambican economy has been in crisis
since last year, with the rising cost of living
forcing economic agents to adopt cost
containment measures. However,
Mozambique’s Confidence and Economic
Environment Indicator (published by the INE)
predicts that prices will slow down in the coming
months.
INE conducted an assessment of demand in the
near future (demand perspective) and
16
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concludes that it could fall, interrupting the
positive tendency seen at the end of last year.
The INE’s newsletter explains that the
unfavourable outlook for demand is due to
negative assessments by entrepreneurs in the
transport, industrial production, trade and non-
financial services sectors, although there are
encouraging forecasts from operators in the
accommodation, catering and construction
sectors. The reduction in demand is a reflection
of the austerity which the crisis has made the
rule for families, companies and the state.
Overall, however, the economic climate
indicator was favourable at the beginning of this
year, consolidating the improving trajectory
seen since November 2016. The favourable
economic environment was influenced mainly
by good employment prospects over the coming
months signalling signs of recovery in the
economic situation.
Prices will tend to reduce:
In contradistinction to general price inflation,
sitting at 20.88% in February, the INE forecasts
that prices will slow down in the coming months.
“The price outlook indicator decreased, thus
interrupting the upward trend of the last months
of 2016. The fall in the price perspective is due
to the expected decrease in future prices in all
sectors, with the broader range occurring in the
sectors of trade and industrial production”, the
document says. The government predicts an
average inflation of 14% this year, well below
the nearly 20% registered last year.
Source: O País/Club of Mozambique
Japanese businesses urged to invest in
Mozambique
On Wednesday 15 March, President Filipe
Nyusi urged Japanese businesses to invest in
Mozambique, to take advantage of the
enormous potential the country offers and thus
contribute to its growth and development.
President Nyusi was speaking to over 300
business people at a Mozambique-Japan
Business Forum in Tokyo, held as part of his
official visit to Japan. In addition to Japanese
businesses the event was attended by more
than 30 Mozambican businessmen who
accompanied President Nyusi.
The President told the Forum that Mozambique
is recognised throughout the world as a country
of enormous potential, and its relations with
Japan are not limited to the recent discovery of
large energy resources. He noted that, in the
last five years alone, Mozambique has
approved four projects of Japanese direct

investment in agriculture and industry. These
are large projects, he said, which place Japan
as a strategic partner of Mozambique. In order
to stimulate and attract more investments,
continued President Nyusi, the government will
continue to take measures to improve the
business environment, including the granting of
tax and customs incentives.
But trade between Mozambique and Japan has
recently declined. Between 2014 and 2015
Mozambican exports to Japan fell from US$50-
million to US$18-million. Mozambique’s imports
from Japan also fell – from US$274-million to
US$243-million. Mozambique mostly imports
vehicles and equipment from Japan, and its
most notable exports are coal, timber, fisheries
produce and cotton.
The legal framework in Mozambique is
favourable and flexible, said President Nyusi.
“With each passing day the business
environment is being facilitated”, he claimed.
“Anyone who wants to work will find that he is
able to do so. We are flexible in giving
opportunities to all those who want them, within
the conditions we have created”.
Giving a short summary of the Mozambican
economy, President Nyusi said that agriculture
is the basic and priority activity. The fertile soils
and tropical climate allow the production of a
wide variety of crops, and the lengthy coastline
and the country’s inland waters present many
fishing opportunities. President Nyusi’s
delegation was enthusiastic about the possibility
of Japanese investment in urban public
transport, and Mozambican Deputy Transport
Minister Manuela Rebelo signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the
development of transport in Maputo.
She was convinced of the feasibility of an
integrated road and rail network for the Greater
Maputo Metropolitan Area. Key to this would be
an Automated Gateway Transit (AGT) project,
relying on computer operated, driverless trains
running along a surface metro. Such systems
have been in operation in Tokyo since 1995. A
viability study for the Greater Maputo transport
system should begin this year, said Deputy
Minister Rebelo, and the whole system could be
built and operational by 2023.
Asked about the source of financing, Deputy
Minister Rebelo said the government is looking
for partnerships, mainly from Japan, given the
support the Japanese authorities have already
expressed. She believed that the discussions
during President Nyusi’s visit to Tokyo showed
that Japan was open to helping solve Maputo’s
transport problems.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de
Moçambique/Rádio Moçambique
17
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Trade between China and Portuguese-
speaking countries rises 7.52% in January
Trade between China and Portuguese-speaking
countries totalled US$8.281-billion in January
2017, which was a year-on-year increase of
7.52%, according to official figures from China
released by Forum Macau. In January, Angola
and Brazil accounted for 92% of trade between
China and the eight Portuguese-speaking
countries with a total of US$7.625-billion.
China’s trade with Angola amounted to
US$2.026-billion (an annual increase of
50.47%), with China selling products to Angola
worth US$167-million (-6.07%) and purchasing
goods – mainly oil – worth US$1.859-billion
(+59.08%). With Brazil two-way trade reached
US$5.599-billion (-0.33%) and Chinese
enterprises imported products from Brazil worth
US$3.208-billion (-4.46%) and sold goods
whose value stood at US$2.390-billion
(+5.80%).
Portugal is third in terms of trade value, which
stood at US$407-million (-16.85%) in January,
with Chinese exports amounting to US$259-
million (-19.52%) and Portuguese exports worth
US$147-million (-11.66%). In fourth place was
Mozambique with bilateral trade worth US$168-
million (+2.24%), in which Chinese companies
sold products worth US$120-million (+ 2.16%)
and bought goods in the amount of US$47-
million (+2.44%).
With other Portuguese-speaking countries –
Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Timor-Leste and
São Tomé and Príncipe – trade in January
amounted to US$17.8-million. In 2016, the value
of trade between China and the Portuguese-
speaking countries fell for the second
consecutive year, reaching US$90.874-billion,
with an annual contraction of 7.72%.
Source: MacauHub
Chinese investment in Mozambique is close
to US$6-billion
China’s investment in Mozambique has been
growing at a very fast pace and in cumulative
terms is approaching US$6-billion, according to
figures from the Chinese Embassy in Maputo.
The figures were cited on Thursday 16 March in
Lisbon by the Chinese Embassy attaché in
Lisbon, Nie Quan, at the launch of a book by
Portuguese tax specialists Bruno Santiago and
Sara Teixeira, on the Mozambican tax law,
focusing on the roles of Lisbon and Macau as
platforms.
Nie Quan said that: “the pace of growth of
Chinese investment in Mozambique has been
very fast”, with 100 Chinese companies
operating in the country in diverse areas such

as energy, agriculture, fishing, real estate,
building materials, tourism, buses,
telecommunications, infrastructure and trade.
“Chinese investment in Mozambique aims to
help Mozambicans to be self-sufficient, both in
industry and in agriculture, an example being
the fact that Mozambique already has the first
car brand in Africa: Matchedje”, said the
diplomat, who also noted cooperation projects in
the agricultural sector.
Nie Quan also said that China’s relations with
Mozambique and Portugal are global strategic
partnerships, making them more than
straightforward economic investments, and that
there is the potential for “tripartite co-operation”
throughout the Portuguese-speaking world.
Together, he noted China and the Portuguese-
speaking countries account for 17% of the
global economy and 22% of the population, so
there are “conditions for relations to be stronger
and more prosperous”.
At the ceremony to launch the book, at law firm
Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva e
Associados, the ambassador of Mozambique,
Fernanda Lichale, recalled the “longstanding
friendship” of his country with China since
independence to the present day, and also with
Portugal, considering both to be privileged
partner countries for development. “Despite the
vicissitudes of various kinds, Mozambique
remains a preferred destination for foreign
investment and Portugal certainly occupies a
very special place, based on historical and
cultural links forged over centuries of
coexistence”, said the diplomat.
Economist Antonio Rebelo de Sousa argued
that, despite current political and economic
problems, “Mozambique has evolved in the right
direction in recent decades, opting for a
relatively balanced growth model”. The book
International Tax Law of Mozambique – Double
Taxation Treaties (Direito Fiscal Internacional
de Moçambique – As Convenções de Dupla
Tributação) highlights Macau and Portugal as
platforms for investment.
Source: MacauHub
South African companies invited to
participate in Mozambique trade mission
South African companies in the agriculture,
infrastructure and steel fabrication sectors,
among others, have been called on to apply to
participate in the Department of Trade and
Industry’s trade and investment mission to
Mozambique. In a statement on Tuesday 14
March, the Department of Trade and Industry
encouraged companies in the agriculture,
infrastructure, electro-technical, steel fabrication
and mining and capital equipment sectors to
apply to the department by 22 March 2017.
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The trade and investment mission in
Mozambique will take place from 22 to 26 May
2017. Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies
said the mission forms part of the department’s
strategy to increase trade between South Africa
and Mozambique.
“The objective of this mission is to increase
trade and investment between South Africa and
Mozambique. It is an ideal platform for South
African companies who would like to export
value added products and services, and for
companies who are looking for investment
opportunities in Mozambique”, said Minister
Davies.
He added that South Africa has become the
main trading partner for Mozambique and that
relations between the two countries are very
cordial as evidenced by the growing bilateral
trade which currently totals ZAR42.04-billion.
More than 100 South African companies
operate in Mozambique across several business
sectors, and the two neighbouring countries
have more than 60 agreements and co-
operation protocols in various areas.
The cordial relations between these two nations
are reinforced by the growing ties in trade,
investment, tourism, migration and security.
Companies that are interested in participating in
the trade fair will be funded through the Export
Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA)
scheme and will be screened according to the
EMIA guidelines.
The Department of Trade and Industry
encourages companies that do not qualify for
funding to also participate at their own cost.
More information can be obtained on the
department website: www.thedti.gov.za.
Source: SAnews.gov.za/VOA Portuguese
Mozambican ambassador wants to see more
Portuguese entrepreneurs in Mozambique
The Mozambican ambassador to Portugal,
Fernanda Lichale, urged Portuguese
businesspeople to go to Mozambique, one of
Portugal’s main strategic partners. “I always say
that Portuguese investment is welcome.
Portugal has always been among the top 10
investors in Mozambique”, the diplomat said.
The ambassador was speaking in Lisbon at the
launch of a book, International Tax Law of
Mozambique – The Double Taxation
Conventions by Bruno Santiago and Sara
Teixeira. “Portuguese businesspeople are
welcome in Mozambique, because ours is a
relationship of brotherhood, friendship, but
above all, of affection”, she said, noting that
Portugal is a strategic partner and one of the
most successful at creating jobs in the country.

Intended investment in Mozambique fell 48% in
the first half of 2016 compared to the same
period the year before, with Portugal still ranking
fifth among investors, albeit with an above-
average fall of 80%.
According to data released in August by
Mozambique’s CPI, total investment approved
in the first half of the year amounted to US$478-
million, of which US$304-million was foreign
direct investment, US$52-million and US$122-
million from supplies and loans, respectively.
All forms of investment suffered sharp declines,
with foreign investment falling 54% and
domestic investment 56%. In the case of
Portugal, the decrease was even greater, with
17 projects approved by the CPI totalling only
US$14-million, against US$34-million in the
same period of 2015, a fall of 80%.
The list of top investors in the first half is led by
China, with US$154-million, almost 60% of total
foreign direct investment. Behind China comes
South Africa, with US$45-million, Mauritius with
US$29-million, United Kingdom with US$22-
million, and Portugal, which in 2015 had finished
the year in fourth place.
The remaining countries on the list of the top 10
investors are Turkey, Italy, India, Spain and the
United States. Portuguese investment until last
year created more jobs than the average, but
CPI data shows that, in the first half, authorised
Portuguese projects foresaw just 28 jobs per
million dollars invested, well below the average
44 of other countries.
At the end of 2015, Portuguese investment
created 31 jobs per million dollars invested,
against 30 of other countries.
Of the foreign investment approved by the CPI,
almost 80% is concentrated in the construction
and public works sector, industry, agriculture
and agribusiness, and more than half (55%) in
Maputo province and city, and 21% in Sofala.
Of the 17 projects approved for Portuguese
investment, 67% are focused on the services
sector and more than two-thirds (68%) are
planned for the province of Maputo.
Investment in Mozambique has seen significant
increases in recent years, but experienced a
strong reversal of trend in 2015.
Authorised investment projects in Mozambique
fell by 74.5% in 2015 from the previous year to
US$1.7-billion.
In 2015, Portugal had 48 approved projects
(behind only South Africa, with 61) with a total
value of US$88-million, a drop of 73.7% over
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2014, which had been the most significant year
since 2009.
The Mozambican economy is being hit by
slowing growth, with the 7% initially foreseen by
the government in 2016 revised downwards to
4.5%, with strong metical devaluation and rising
inflation.
Exports declined as a result of weak domestic
production and falling commodity prices, a
situation worsened by the impact of natural
disasters and the political and military crisis
between the government and Renamo, mainly
affecting the central region of the country.
In April, government-guaranteed loans
amounted to US$1.4-billion between 2013 and
2014 increased public debt to 86% of GDP.
Following the discovery of debts not reported to
parliament or international partners, the IMF
suspended payment of a loan to Mozambique,
and 14 donors to the state budget also
discontinued their financial support.
Source: Lusa
Financial Services:
Portugal’s CGD bank seeks to sell Spanish,
South African operations
Portugal’s largest bank, the state-owned Caixa
Geral de Depositos (CGD), plans to slash its
foreign assets by half by 2020 as part of an
ongoing restructuring and will prioritise selling
its Spanish and South African businesses, the
lender said.
In a statement issued late on Friday 10 March,
the bank, which posted a record 2016 loss of
€1.86-billion, said it expects to cut its
international assets to no more than €12-billion
by 2020 from €23-billion last year, while
targeting a rise in return on equity from the
operations to more than 15% from 13%.
CGD’s total net assets at the end of last year
stood at €93.5-billion, down from some €101-
billion in 2015.
The lender said it planned to maintain
operations “in markets with Portuguese affinity”,
which include Portuguese-speaking Angola,
Mozambique and the Macau region in China,
while selling or shutting down the remaining
non-core international business.
“We will give priority to operations (to sell) in
South Africa and Spain”, Chief Executive Officer
Paulo Macedo told reporters, adding that the
bank’s French unit was also likely to be sold.

Banco Caixa Geral in Spain has 110 branches
across the country and employs about 500
people. CGD’s Mercantile Bank has a network
of branches mainly in the Johannesburg region.
Most of CGD’s businesses abroad made a
positive contribution to last year’s results, if
smaller than in 2015, led by its Macau
subsidiary, the French unit, which serves
thousands of Portuguese emigrants, and
Angola. Burdened by massive bad loans, which
now have largely been provisioned for leading
to last year’s huge loss, CGD is being
recapitalised to the tune of €4-billion.
On Friday the European Commission cleared
the recapitalisation as it was carried out on
market terms and therefore involved no new
state aid.
It said the plan presented by Portugal to ensure
the bank’s profitability meant the state would
receive a market-based return on its investment.
Source: Reuters
Oil & Gas:
President Nyusi receives ExxonMobil’s CEO
Darren Woods in Beira
On Friday 10 March, President Filipe Nyusi
received, in the central city of Beira (Sofala
Province), the new Chief Executive Officer of
the American oil company ExxonMobil, Darren
Brown.
Brown took over the top position at ExxonMobil,
after his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, was
appointed Secretary of State, in the
administration of US President Donald Trump.
Brown’s meeting with President Nyusi followed
last week’s announcement that ExxonMobil is to
pay the Italian energy company ENI US$2.8-
billion for a 25% stake in Area-4 of the Rovuma
Basin, off the coast of the northern province of
Cabo Delgado.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting with
President Nyusi, Brown said “we talked of the
agreement we have just reached with ENI to
develop the oil and gas opportunities that exist
in Mozambique. We are proud that we can have
the opportunity to bring the global experience
we have, the experts and the knowledge we
have in this area, to support the development of
Mozambique”.
The financial transaction will only be complete
after approval by the Mozambican regulatory
authorities, which is expected very soon.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique/O
País
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Exxon buys half of ENI’s part of Area-4 gas
for US$2.8-billion; government could get up
to US$500-million
ExxonMobil has bought 25% of the Area-4 block
offshore of Cabo Delgado for US$2.8-billion.
This promises a windfall capital gain tax
payment later this year. This gives the
government an important cushion in on-going
negotiations, and will help Mozambique to hold
out for better terms with both the IMF and
creditors.
It is a complex deal which could have an impact
on the capital gains tax. Area-4 is owned 70%
by ENI East Africa and 10% each by state-
owned Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos
(ENH), KOGAS (South Korea) and Galp
Energia (Portugal). The China National
Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) bought 28.6% of
ENI East Africa (giving it 20% of Area-4) in
2013, when gas prices were much higher, and
paid US$4.2-billion – much more than Exxon is
paying to buy a larger portion.
For US$2.8-billion, ExxonMobil has now bought
35.7% of ENI East Africa (giving it 25% of Area-
4) and ENI keeps 35.7% of ENI East Africa and
25% of Area-4. ExxonMobil in a 9 March
statement said that: “ENI will continue to lead
the Coral floating liquefied natural gas (LNG)
project and all upstream operations in Area-4,
while ExxonMobil will lead the construction and
operation of natural gas liquefaction facilities
onshore”.
The deal is conditional on Mozambican
government approval, which will in turn depend
on agreement about the amount of capital gains
tax negotiated. The Financial Times quoted
Mozambican sources to say they expected a
US$1.4-billion windfall. That was never realistic.
Since 2014 capital gains tax has been 32%, but
this is applied to the increase in value after
actual investments on exploration etc. have
been deducted. ENI East Africa is an Italian and
not a Mozambican company, which also creates
some confusion. Under the lower capital gains
rules then in force, in 2013 ENI agreed to pay
capital gains on the US$4.21-million sale to
CNPC and the settlement was US$400-million
in cash and the agreement to spend US$130-
million on a new 80 megawatt (MW) gas-fired
power station.
Zitamar predicts that Mozambique will only get
US$300-million in capital gains tax, but that in
effect requires ENI to claim that US$8-billion
has already been spent on Area-4, which seems
very high. So Mozambique might hope for
US$500-million or more, which could just fill the
US$470-million hole this year caused by the cut
off of donor budget support. Although the

money will not actually arrive until near the end
of the year, it will still give the government
breathing space in its negotiations with both the
IMF and the donors.
It is highly unlikely that any debt service will be
paid this year and government will want to
negotiate both a reduction in the total debt and
a deferral in payments until there is substantial
gas production.
Meanwhile, Credit Suisse is under growing
pressure for “loan pushing” – encouraging the
government to take loans which are larger and
more risky than is appropriate, and for allegedly
misleading both lenders (bondholders and those
who took part in the syndicated loans) and the
Mozambican government (by presenting
unrealistic financial projections).
Credit Suisse could come under pressure to
compensate bondholders and syndicated loan
creditors.
Source: Mozambique news reports & clippings
Exxon entry into Mozambique gas boosts
confidence in projects – EIU
The EIU recently said that the involvement of
ExxonMobil “increases confidence” in gas
exploration in Mozambique, and that the ENI
deal is expected to bring significant revenues to
the government.
“The involvement of Exxon, which has deeper
pockets and more experience than its Italian
partner, adds a level of confidence that the
Area-4 exploration license will be developed as
planned”, write the experts from the economic
analysis unit of the British magazine The
Economist.
In an analysis of the acquisition by ExxonMobil
for US$2.8-billion of 25% of ENI East Africa,
which controls exploration in the Rovuma Basin,
EIU says that: “along with the license of Area-1
[operated by Anadarko], this could end up
putting Mozambique among the largest
exporters of liquefied natural gas in the world”.
Looking at the deal, the EIU notes that US$2.8-
billion, which will be paid when regulators
approve the purchase, shows that “industry
momentum has changed significantly” in recent
years, with the LNG price falling almost 50%
and companies cutting development and
expenditure plans as a result.
On the other hand, notes the EIU, for the
government, taxes on the business will be very
important to balance the public accounts,
although the executive will hardly be able to
charge the 32% provided for by law.
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“The tax implications of the agreement are still
be disclosed, but the levying of 32% in tax will
have to be renegotiated”, says EIU, noting that
in 2013 ENI were supposedly liable for US$1.4-
billion for a similar deal but ended up paying
only US$400-million.
“While the crippling government liquidity crisis
means that the executive cannot afford to reject
any potential sources of funding, it is desperate
to get gas projects into the development stage
and is not in a strong position to negotiate”, the
report reads. “A discount on the 32% should
already have been agreed”, the analysts
conclude.
Mozambique has reserves of at least 160-trillion
cubic feet of gas, catapulting the country onto
the podium of the most promising countries in
the sector, along with Australia and Qatar.
The Area-1 consortium is led by US-based
Anadarko and has identified large quantities of
natural gas, as has the consortium led by Italy’s
ENI, which operates Area-4 and which includes
Portugal’s Galp.
Source: Lusa
Mozambique’s Tax Authority calculates
capital gains payable by the ENI group
It is expected that, on Tuesday 21 March, the
Mozambican Tax Authority (AT) will announce
the amount of capital gains tax payable by
Italian oil group ENI on the recent sale of a
stake in an oil block to US group ExxonMobil.
On Friday 10 March, the president of the AT,
Amelia Nakhare, said in Maputo that the AT had
been watching the process since 2016, when
ExxonMobil announced its intention to acquire a
stake in the natural gas exploration business in
the Rovuma Basin, northern Mozambique.
Last Thursday it was announced that
ExxonMobil would pay US$2.8-billion in cash to
Italian group ENI for an indirect 25% stake in
the Area-4 block of the Rovuma Basin in
northern Mozambique, under a contract signed
that day.
Nakhare confirmed that the transaction will be
taxed under the capital gains regime stipulated
in Mozambican law for transactions of shares in
the area of natural resources, with the amount
still to be calculated.
A business involving the Anglo-Australian group
Rio Tinto, which paid US$3.5-billion for the 65%
stake owned by Australia’s Riversdale Mining in
coal assets in Mozambique, has been in
litigation since 2010.

This stake was later, in 2014, sold to Indian
state consortium International Coal Ventures
Private Limited (ICVL) for US$50-million, with a
substantial capital loss. A year earlier, the Rio
Tinto group had taken an impairment loss of
US$3-billion, the difference between the book
value and the actual value of an asset, in
Mozambique, justifying this move based on the
challenges of building the necessary
infrastructure to put the coal mines in operation.
Source: MacauHub/O País
“Mozambican government waiting to hear
from ENI, Exxon” – Minister Klemens
On Friday 10 March, the Mozambican
government said that it was awaiting a
communication on the Area-4 gas concession
agreement between ENI and ExxonMobil, prior
to assessing its capital gains tax deduction.
“[The signing of the agreement between ENI
and Exxon] shows that we are on the right track.
We have not yet received the purchase and sale
contract. We are transparent: as soon as this
happens, we will disclose”, Minister of Mineral
Resources and Energy, Leticia da Silva Deusina
Klemens, told journalists in Maputo.
Source: Lusa
Over-optimism about capital gains windfall
from ENI-Exxon deal
The Centre of Public Integrity (Centro de
Integridade Pública, CIP) believes that over-
optimism exists surrounding the capital gains
tax to be acquired from the Rovuma gas asset
deal between ExxonMobil and ENI. The
institution recalls the closed-door negotiations
that took place in 2013, when ENI only agreed
to pay capital gains tax after a meeting between
then president Armando Guebuza and the
former president of the Italian multi-national,
Paolo Scaroni.
“Inevitably, there will also be negotiations in this
operation. This is based on the formula to be
applied, since there are two: on the one hand,
one that considers the sale price minus the
investments made by the company and
assesses that value at a rate of 32%; on the
other hand, the traditional formula combining
the terms of the IRPC and IRPS codes with the
32% to be levied on 30% (taking into account
the tenure of the concession) of the sale value
of the asset”, the CIP statement reads.
The CIP also noted that, in an attempt to reduce
the amount of capital gains to be paid to the
state, ENI may refer to the double taxation
agreements (ADTI) of income and capital,
signed between Mozambique and Italy in 1998
and in force since 2004.
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“Double taxation agreements aim to avoid
imposing payment of the same tax more than
once in different tax territories. That is, if ENI is
obliged to pay taxes on the capital gains
obtained in Mozambique in Italy, the company
can choose where to pay the tax. Because in
Italy, capital gains are taxed at a lower rate than
the 32% applied in Mozambique (27.5%), the
most likely and rational thing will be that the
company will prefer Italy”, the CIP predicts.
But the CIP explained that ENI cannot avoid
paying tax by citing double taxation agreements,
as this is not an acquisition of an Italian
company or even by an Italian company, but
rather a subsidiary ENI East Africa, and
moreover involving an asset located in
Mozambique.
Source: O País
Animal spirits at the Third Gas & LNG
Congress in Maputo
It is striking how much reality contrasts with
what is generally related in the media. In the
energy sector, that contrast was clearly
apparent during the Third Deepwater East &
Southern Africa Congress 2017 (a sub-event of
Upstream and Midstream East & Southern
Africa Conference) held on 16 and 17 March in
Maputo. There, two of the world’s biggest oil
and gas majors, British Petroleum (BP) and
Royal Dutch Shell (Shell Mozambique), did not
express the slightest concern about the recent
setback in the price of energy commodities. Two
main reasons explain their apparent total peace
of mind.
First, the stakes are too high. That is,
Mozambique is too gas-rich to be ignored. If one
doesn’t tap now into its natural gas resources,
others will do it at one’s expense in the long-
term. Second, and most importantly, business
models have evolved. These are now more
robust, able to withstand extreme temporary
price fluctuations. Italian giant ENI
demonstrated it last week, through the sale of
25% of its interest in gas-rich Area-4 block to
ExxonMobil, reflecting its strategy based on
cost-sharing at the early stages of exploration
and production (E&P), with the aim of achieving
a rapid monetisation of its projects.
For his part, Onno van Kessel, vice president of
Mozambique GTL & Integrated Gas
Development at Shell, talked about the
possibility to “diversify the group’s exposure to
prices”. This means, for example, turning gas
into other products. In Qatar, for instance, the
world’s largest gas field, Shell has built a giant
plant called Pearl GTL (gas-to-liquids) to turn
natural gas into liquid products such as
lubricants, transport fuel and raw materials for
chemicals and detergents.

Jerome Milongo, LNG originator at BP, also
evoked the high multiplier effect of foreign direct
investments in LNG projects in low-income
countries such as Mozambique. Natural gas-
fired power generation can not only stimulate
industrial and non-industrial demand for other
gas-related products, but also make of
Mozambique a strong LNG supplier for its
neighbouring countries.
“In the long-term, there is a potential for the
construction of pipelines in the country to supply
LNG to significant markets such as South
Africa”, explains Jérôme Milongo, during a panel
discussion at the conference. Underlining
Shell’s van Kessel’s point about diversifying the
product mix that can be achieved, BP’s LNG
originator adds that, beyond opportunities in the
export market, domestic gas demand from local
fertilisers and petrochemicals plants can be a
natural consequence of foreign investments in
Mozambique gas fields.
However, such solid perspectives do not mean
that risks have suddenly evaporated. One of the
key risks lies indeed in finding the appropriate
local content providers. Reliability and
operational safety are critical. In developing
markets, enhancing local content is indeed a big
challenge due to the high degree of complexity
of energy-related inputs and technology.
Mozambican human capacities capable to deal
with such issues are currently scarce, to say the
least.
Van Kessel advocates a gradual approach to fill
the gap. Reminding his experience in Malaysia,
where 95% of BP’s workforce and personnel are
Malaysian. “We started from a low-skill base, in
the catering, construction, logistical and
transport sectors, to name a few, gradually
transferring technology and know-how as the
project developed”, says Shell’s GTL expert.
“The Malaysian plant in question is now 25
years old, which demonstrates the patience that
one must display in order to turn investments
into a real technological gain for the local
workforce”, insists van Kessel, whose company
was awarded gas development projects in
Mozambique last January, along with Norway’s
Yara and GL Energy. While Yara will develop
fertilisers and 30 to 50MW of power, Shell
Mozambique will produce diesel and 50 to 80
MW of power and GL Energy Africa will produce
250MW from gas resources.
However, Ataide Sacramento, petroleum
geophysicist at Portugal-based oil company
Galp, says that the period separating the early
stage of an oil and gas project and its
commercialisation phase is about 10 years. As
gas developments in Mozambique are only
recently starting, this thus leaves plenty of time
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for the state to train the country’s future
engineers and technical workers.
As a highly-skilled Mozambican engineer,
Ataide Sacramento himself benefited from a
scholarship from Eduardo Mondlane University
in Maputo to a prestigious engineering training
institution in Norway, whose petroleum and
governance expertise is in high demand from
around the world. “It has completely changed
and reshaped my perspective about energy-
related development in Mozambique”, admits
Ataide Sacramento, speaking on the side-lines
of the LNG conference.
Finally, from the government perspective,
optimism is equally high. Also partaking in the
Third Deepwater East & Southern Africa
Congress 2017, Vasco Correia Nhabinde,
national head of the Directorate of Economic &
Financial Studies at the Mozambican Ministry of
Economy and Finance, stated that domestic
natural gas consumption is expected to grow by
11% between 2012 and 2040, mainly for
electricity generation, citing projections from the
US Energy Information Administration (EIA)’s
International Energy Outlook 2016 (IEO2016).
“There is indeed a huge opportunity as
Mozambique is facing reduced water
resources”, observed Nhabinde. In a separate
report, the research organisation specialised in
agriculture, CGSpace, stated that the Zambezi
River is certainly a great earner for the countries
which border it, in tourism, agriculture and
fisheries.
But its waters are being siphoned off for
irrigation and hydro-electricity to such an extent
that patterns of sedimentation are shifting and
reduced water levels are changing ecological
and hydrological conditions. Such
circumstances de facto pave the way for
alternative and cleaner-than-oil energy sources
like natural gas.
Source: Club of Mozambique/Levy-Sergio Mutemba
President Nyusi to promote Mozambican gas
in Japan
President Filipe Nyusi hopes to persuade Japan
to purchase Mozambican natural gas, and to
become involved in priority energy projects in
Mozambique, according to the Minister of
Mineral Resources and Energy, Leticia da Silva
Deusina Klemens. She was speaking to
reporters in Tokyo ahead of the arrival of
President Nyusi for an official visit at the
invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe. “On this visit to Japan, we have to present
our gas and coal energy resources”, said
Minister Klemens. “We regard Japan as a major
client. We need Japan to buy our gas”.

Exploration of the offshore gas fields in the
Rovuma Basin, off the coast of the northern
province of Cabo Delgado, indicate reserves of
at least 160-trillion cubic feet of gas. The known
reserves are in areas operated by the Italian
energy company ENI and by the Texas-based
company Anadarko.
These discoveries indicate that Mozambique
could become the world’s third largest producer
of LNG, after Qatar and Australia. On Tuesday,
President Nyusi visited Tokyo Gas, the largest
natural gas facility in Japan, which supplies gas
to Tokyo and several other cities, and has 11.4-
million clients. Its gas pipeline network is over
50,000 kilometres long. The President visited
the Tokyo Gas processing plant to see first-
hand how LNG is used to power much of Japan.
Minister Klemens said that other areas of high
priority for the Mozambican government are the
construction of a gas-fired power station at
Temane, in the province of Inhambane, and a
1,200MW coal fired power station in the western
province of Tete.
Coal, however, is regarded as an extremely
dirty fuel, and coal-fired power stations are
major sources of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases that are driving climate
change. However, Japan claims to have made
advances in clean coal technology, preventing
the emission into the atmosphere of many of the
damaging substances produced in coal
consumption.
President Nyusi’s visit is part of the celebrations
of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic relations between Mozambique and
Japan. In addition to official discussions with
Prime Minister Abe, President Nyusi was
received by Japan’s ceremonial head of state,
Emperor Akihito, and attended a Mozambique-
Japan Business Forum.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique/O
País
President Nyusi visits Tokyo Gas
On Tuesday 14 March, President Filipe Nyusi
visited the industrial complex operated by Tokyo
Gas, the largest natural gas utility in Japan, and
held talks with the company management.
The Minister of Mineral Resources and energy,
Leticia da Silva Deusina Klemens, told reporters
that, although there is so far no guarantee that
Japanese companies will buy Mozambican gas,
the Mozambican government is optimistic that
purchases will be arranged.
“We know that Japan is reducing its
consumption of gas, and so it’s important to
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close a deal with Tokyo Gas”, she said. “We’ve
done our part, and now it’s up to Tokyo Gas”.
She was optimistic that “everything will go well,
we are advancing at a good pace, and we hope
that a deal will indeed be closed”.
For his part, the Managing Director of Tokyo
Gas, Kentaro Kimoto, said the company is very
interested in diversifying its sources of natural
gas, and the potential supply of hydrocarbons
from Mozambique opens excellent prospects for
the company’s productive aspirations.
He said that Tokyo Gas currently imports an
annual amount of around 14-million tons of gas
from countries such as Brunei, Malaysia,
Australia and Qatar. This year it plans to start
importing gas from the United States. But the
companies interest in diversifying its sources
means that it is looking favourably at the
possibility of purchasing Mozambican gas.
Discoveries in the Rovuma Basin, off the coast
of Cabo Delgado Province indicate the
existence of at least 160-trillion cubic feet of
natural gas in areas operated by the Italian
energy company ENI and by the Texas-based
company Anadarko.
These discoveries mean that Mozambique has
some of the largest known reserves of gas in
the world, and it could become the third largest
producer of LNG, after Qatar and Australia.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
Japan offers grant aid for Mozambique’s fuel
needs
The Japanese government has promised to
help Mozambique overcome its current fuel
difficulties.
Earlier this month, fuel distribution companies
warned that the current fuel subsidy system is
not working and that, if no changes are made,
the country may soon be unable to import liquid
fuels. The problem is that the prices fixed by the
government for sales to the public of petrol and
diesel are lower than the prices paid by the
importers on the world market.
The government has promised to pay the
companies the difference, but this subsidy is not
paid promptly. The companies complained, in a
letter sent to Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho
do Rosário in early March, that the government
now owed them about US$70-million.
Japan, however, may now be coming to the
rescue. The joint statement issued on
Wednesday 15 March, after official talks in
Tokyo between Mozambican President Filipe
Nyusi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

declared that Prime Minister Abe “expressed his
intention to assist Mozambique’s efforts towards
economic and fiscal reforms through technical
co-operation, and also to support the balance of
payments by extending grant aid to procure fuel
and other necessary goods”.
No details were given but this looks like a clear
pledge of a Japanese grant to purchase liquid
fuels. Nothing was said about how much money
will be involved or for how long this support will
last.
President Nyusi did not shed much further light
on the issue in the press conference winding up
his official visit to Japan. He said the two
governments will work to set up a mechanism to
“stabilise the problem of liquid fuels and of the
public finances”.
The details still needed study, President Nyusi
added, “but everything indicates that it will be
through a grant”.
According to the joint statement, President
Nyusi welcomed “the growing investment by
Japanese companies in Mozambique” and
assured Prime Minister Abe of his government’s
willingness “to provide a safe, secure and stable
investment environment”.
The two leaders stressed the importance of
Japanese co-operation in the Mozambican
electricity sector – but Prime Minister Abe
“stressed the importance of Mozambique
restoring debt sustainability”, as a condition for
future loans.
The Mozambican Finance Ministry has
repeatedly stressed that a return to debt
sustainability requires renegotiating the terms of
the loans to the security-related companies
Ematum, Proindicus and MAM, that were
illegally guaranteed by the previous
government, headed by president Armando
Guebuza. That renegotiation in turn depends on
the international, independent audit of Ematum,
Proindicus and MAM now being undertaken by
the US company Kroll, reputedly the foremost
forensic auditing company in the world.
President Nyusi briefed Prime Minister Abe on
the debt issue and, according to the statement,
he “reaffirmed Mozambique’s commitment to
co-operate with the IMF and other stakeholders,
and to negotiate with the private creditors to
resolve the issue as soon as possible”.
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to
ProSAVANA, a triangular agricultural
development programme between
Mozambique, Brazil and Japan. This
programme has come under attack from some
civil society organisations who claim that it is a
“land grab” that will only benefit Brazilian agro-
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business interests. The Mozambican
government, however, strongly denies that any
peasant farmers will lose their land.
The joint statement says that ProSAVANA, to
be centred on the Nacala Development Corridor
in northern Mozambique, “aims to contribute
directly to the development of agriculture and
food security and thereby benefits the entire
people”.
President Nyusi and Prime Minister Abe
“reiterated their commitment to continue close
dialogue with civil society and rural communities
in the planning and implementation of
ProSAVANA with a view to duly protecting their
rights”.
President Nyusi also thanked Japan for its
“longstanding support in the training of young
Mozambican professionals in industrial work
skills, business education and vocational and
technical training”. Prime Minister Abe
announced that Japan “will promote the
capacity building” of more than 1,000
Mozambicans over the next five years.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
Mining:
Vale to get US$733-million by end of month
from Moatize stake sale to Mitsui
On Wednesday 15 March, Brazilian mining
company Vale SA said that it is nearing
conclusion of a deal to sell a stake in
Mozambique's Moatize coal project to Japan's
Mitsui & Co Ltd. Vale said it expects to receive
by the end of this month an initial payment of
US$733-million from Mitsui from the sale. The
company said it would receive US$2.7-billion
more after the financing for the project of the
mine and the transportation system is
concluded.
Source: Reuters
Energy:
Japanese make mark in Mozambique with
energy projects
Japan’s public and private sectors are moving
into Mozambique in force, securing contracts to
build power plants and agreements to provide
technical assistance and training. On
Wednesday 15 March, trading house Sumitomo
Corp. signed a contract with Electricidade de
Moçambique (EdM) to construct a gas-fired
power plant some 700 kilometres northeast of
Maputo. Work is expected to begin next year,
with completion slated for 2021. The 100,000kW
facility will satisfy 10% of Mozambique’s power
needs. Japanese heavy-machinery maker IHI

will supply the power-generation equipment.
The Chairman of EdM, Mateus Magala, signed
the Temane project accord with Sumitomo
during the trip to Japan this week. The project
will be financed through a concessional loan
from the “Japanese Bank”, Magala said, adding
that EdM also needs to “ensure that the gas
supply contract is signed with ENH”.
The plant will supply southern Mozambique as
well as the central provinces of Sofala and
Manica. Temane is in the district of Inhassoro,
close to gas wells operated by South Africa’s
Sasol. Mozambique’s authorities are also
planning a 400MW gas-fired plant at Temane,
which Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
reported will cost US$700-million to build, plus
US$600-million for an interconnector to link it
with Maputo.
Meanwhile, the government-affiliated Japan Oil,
Gas and Metals National Corp., (JOGMEC), and
trading house Mitsui & Co. were expected to
sign a MoU on Thursday 16 March which will
see them co-operate on natural gas production
technology and training with a state-run oil
company in Mozambique. Japanese plant
engineering company Chiyoda is also expected
to strike an agreement with a state-run oil
producer in the African country to build a natural
gas processing plant.
President Filipe Nyusi visited Japan for the first
time from Monday to Thursday, and met with
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. As a major producer
of coking coal, his country is drawing Japanese
companies’ attention. Mozambique is enjoying
robust economic growth of 6% to 7% a year, but
it has a high level of foreign debt and requires
financial assistance from various countries,
according to the Japan Bank for International
Cooperation (JBIC) and others.
Source: Nikkei Asia Review/Zitamar News/Agencia
de Informacao de Moçambique
Zambezi Basin below 40%: threatens HCB
production
Water levels have dropped by about 40% in the
Zambezi Basin. The situation is critical, and
could compromise energy production at the
Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Power Plant
(Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa, HCB).
The Minister of Public Works, Housing and
Water Resources, Carlos Martinho, made the
announcement on Thursday 16 March, and said
that, although there has been above average
rains in some regions, the Zambezi Basin
suffers from the lack of water. “We can say that
the other basins are in a normal situation. The
Zambezi Basin is in an abnormal situation, far
below what the desired levels should be. At this
moment, we have about 60% of the amount
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needed. This will, in some way, impact the full
production of energy”, explained Minister
Martinho.
Regarding the crisis in the city and province of
Maputo, the Minister has pointed out that there
has been a slight increase in water levels in the
Pequenos Libombos Dam; however, the
reserves are not enough to end the shortage
that the municipalities of Maputo, Matola and
Boane are experiencing.
“The situation remains critical in the Pequenos
Libombos Dam, although less critical than a
month ago due to a small amount of rain, but it
is not desirable, because we continue to have
very low water levels”, he added, warning of the
need for restrictions to continue, because “there
is no guarantee of rainfall that will supply the
Libombos in the rainy season that starts in
October”.
Source: O País
Transport, Construction & Development
Projects:
Mozambique and Japan sign co-operation
agreements
On Wednesday 15 March the Mozambican and
Japanese governments signed two co-operation
agreements in the development of
infrastructures, during the official visit of
President Filipe Nyusi to Japan.
One of the agreements was an exchange of
notes on the construction of roads and bridges
in the northern province of Cabo Delgado,
signed by the Mozambican Ambassador to
Japan, José Vieira de Morais, and his Japanese
counterpart, Akira Mizutani.
Under the agreement, Japan will finance three
bridges in the Messalo River Basin along
National Highway 380, which runs from the
Cabo Delgado provincial capital, Pemba, to
Palma district. The road is of great importance
for the LNG factories that will shortly be built in
Palma.
The second agreement is a MoU on the
development of urban transport in Maputo,
signed by the Mozambican Deputy Transport
Minister, Manuela Rebelo, and the Deputy
Minister for International Affairs, in the
Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry, Hirofumi Katase.
Finding a solution to Maputo’s transport crisis is
one of the questions that President Nyusi
brought with him to Japan, and on Tuesday he
visited part of the Tokyo surface metro network
operated by the company Yurikamome.

The signing ceremony was preceded by a
meeting between President Nyusi and
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Speaking to reporters, President Nyusi said the
dominant theme of the meeting was discussing
short, medium and long-term solutions to
Mozambique’s urban transport problems. He
also stressed the importance of such major
projects as the Nacala Development Corridor in
the north of the country, mining in the Moatize
coal basin, in the western province of Tete, and
the participation of Japanese companies in the
exploitation of natural gas in the Rovuma Basin.
President Nyusi added that Mozambique is
prepared to host the next inter-ministerial
meeting of the Tokyo International Conference
on African Development (TICAD), scheduled for
25 to 27 April this year.
His Japanese host stressed Japan’s interest in
the development of the Nacala Corridor as a
major transport artery for south-eastern Africa.
“We shall undertake economic co-operation with
the improvement of infrastructure as well as
offering support for the establishment of
Japanese companies in Mozambique”, he said.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
President Nyusi briefed on Tokyo metro
system
On Tuesday 14 March, President Filipe Nyusi
said that a surface metro system is one of the
alternatives that his government is analysing in
order to solve the urban transport problems in
the country’s main cities.
He was speaking during a visit to the
Yurikamome metro system which links
downtown Tokyo to the waterfront area. The
driverless, fully computerised trains, operated
by the Tokyo Waterfront New Transport
Corporation, run over a distance of 15
kilometres, and are used by over 160,000
passengers a day.
President Nyusi received detailed explanations
of how the system works, and took a ride in one
of the carriages, which can travel at speeds of
up to 60 kilometres an hour.
He said the government is looking at solutions
to transport problems, but avoided expressing a
preference for any particular model. “We must
have a vision for the future”, he said.
Asked whether Mozambique is able to adopt
high technology solutions, President Nyusi said
he was not aware of any solution that could not
be applicable in Mozambique because of
technological difficulties. He stressed it was
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important to solve in-depth problems, and not
simply take “emergency measures”.
The solution to urban transport, the President
said, is in the hands of private companies, and
they should not be afraid of advanced
technology, because all modern services are
endowed with high technology.
In fact, the dream of a surface metro system in
Maputo has already cost Mozambique dearly.
Under the previous government, headed by
president Armando Guebuza, there was great
enthusiasm about such a system, and a viability
study was signed in 2011, involving the Italian
company SALCEF, on the feasibility of a
surface metro between Maputo and the
neighbouring city of Matola.
But the project was cancelled, because the
financial model proposed by SALCEF was
supposedly too expensive for the Maputo and
Matola municipalities. SALCEF then sued the
Mozambican state through the Paris-based
Arbitration Court of the International Chamber of
Commerce.
The settlement reached, according to
Mozambique’s own Administrative Tribunal, in
its analysis of the 2015 General State Account,
was that Mozambique would have to pay
SALCEF compensation of US$6.5-million.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
Portuguese company to build railway to
Macuse
The Portuguese construction company Mota-
Engil will be hired to build the railway from the
Moatize coal basin (in Tete Province) to a new
deep water port at Macuse, (in Zambézia
Province), according to Abdul Carimo,
chairperson of the Zambézia Development
Corridor (CODIZA).
Interviewed by Rádio Moçambique in the
Zambézia provincial capital, Quelimane, Carimo
said the project, with a cost estimated in excess
of US$2.3-billion, “is on a very good path, not
only because the price of coal, both thermal and
coking coal, has risen significantly, but also
because we have been able to launch the
international tender”.
Carimo said that bids were received from six
companies, from China, Turkey. South Korea,
Brazil and Portugal.
“We were discussing, analysing and assessing
for six months and now we have found the
winning company”, he added. “We have the
price more or less fixed, and we are ready to
sign the contract so that the company can start
work”.

The railway to Macuse will be the third route for
exporting Moatize coal. The other two are the
lines to Beira, and to the northern port of
Nacala-a-Velha (which cuts across southern
Malawi).
The Macuse project has two competitive
advantages. First, the railway, at between 480
and 500 kilometres in length will be shorter than
the lines to Beira or Nacala. Secondly, Macuse
port will be able to receive ships of up to 80,000
tons, considerably larger than the ships that can
dock at Beira.
The Macuse project is 60% owned by the Italian
Thai Development Company of Thailand, 20%
by CODIZA and 20% by Mozambique’s publicly
owned port and rail company, Portos e
Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM).
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
Bus workers threaten strike action
Workers of the Maputo municipal bus company
(EMTPM) have threatened to go on strike as
from Monday 20 March, reports the independent
television station STV. The workers want the
restoration of money discounted from their
wages in January, and a clear explanation of
why they have not been paid the traditional New
Year bonus.
This bonus, known as “the thirteenth
month/cheque”, is equivalent to an extra
month’s wages, and for many years it had been
paid almost as a matter of routine in both public
and private sectors.
But in 2016, the Ministry of Economy and
Finance announced that the money was simply
not available to pay the full thirteenth month to
state employees. Instead, 50% of the bonus
was paid to most state workers, but nothing at
all to the senior ranks.
EMTPM, however, is no longer a state concern,
but is owned by Maputo Municipal Council, and
so the payment or not of a bonus is a municipal
decision.
Some municipalities boasted that they had
managed their finances so well that they could
afford to pay the full thirteenth month to all their
workers (the cases of Beira and Pemba
councils, for example). But most did not.
When it was a publicly-owned company,
EMTPM enjoyed a state subsidy – but that is no
longer the case.
The workers complain that several allowances
have been cut from their wage packets,
including the night shift allowance, the holiday
allowance, and even overtime pay (if overtime is
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no longer being paid, that is a clear violation of
Mozambican labour legislation).
The company is also no longer providing
transport home for workers whose shift ends at
midnight, or transport to work for those who
should clock on at 4.00hrs. The trade union
committee has demanded immediate
negotiations on these points, and warns that, if
nothing is done, the strike will go ahead on
Monday morning.
The EMTPM management has so far made no
public response to the workers’ grievances.
EMTPM workers previously suspended
activities on 24 February in defence of their
rights.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique/O
País
President Nyusi inaugurates Beira Water
Distribution Centre
On Friday 10 March, President Filipe Nyusi
inaugurated a new water distribution centre at
Inhamízua, in the central city of Beira (Sofala
Province), budgeted at around MT231-million
(about US$3.4-million, at current exchange
rates), disbursed by the government in
partnership with the World Bank.
The distribution centre is part of a large-scale
investment programme to improve and expand
the Beira water supply system. It will benefit an
estimated 18,759 people living in the
neighbourhoods of Inhamízua, Nazare, Chamba
and Motel Bispo.
According to data from the government’s Water
Supply Assets and Investments Fund (FIPAG),
initially the job was financed by the World Bank
to the tune of MT152-million, and was entrusted
to the company Ceinsa Contratos e Ingeniera,
SA, of Spain in May 2014.
But the poor performance of this contractor led
to delays and the credit agreement for the
project ended in October 2015. The contract
and the bank guarantees came to an abrupt
stop, resulting in paralysis of work on the
distribution centre. By then 80% of the job had
been done, and MT121-million had been
disbursed.
A new tender was launched and MT109-million
from the Mozambican State Budget was used to
complete the job.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Nyusi said
the distribution centre was built to meet in full
the water supply needs of that part of the city. “It
will overcome the problem of the shortage of
drinking water in Inhamízua and the surrounding
areas”, he added. “We shall not tire of making

efforts to overcome the difficulties that the
people present to us”. “Let us use water in a
rational manner to reduce costs”, urged
President Nyusi. “Water is a determinant
requirement for development. This is one of the
great gains of the Mozambican people”.
He added that he hopes to return to Sofala
Province later this year to inaugurate a dam in
Gorongosa district that will be used both for
water supply and for generating power, allowing
the electrification of the Vunduzi administrative
post.
On Friday, President Nyusi also visited the
Muabve area, in the neighbourhood of Manga-
Mascarenhas, which had been severely affected
by the Beira floods of 26 to 28 February, in
order to express his solidarity with the victims.
He urged the residents of Muabve to accept
their transfer to safer areas, and that when they
build in the resettlement area, they should
ensure that their houses do not obstruct the
drainage of storm waters.
President Nyusi stressed that nobody should be
resigned to suffering just because they want to
stay in the places where they were born and
grew up, but which are no longer fit for human
habitation. “We have to accept change in order
to improve our lives”, he insisted.
He urged his audience to use mosquito nets to
avoid being bitten by the mosquitoes that
transmit malaria, and to purify water before
drinking it in order to prevent diarrhoeal
diseases such as cholera.
Mayor Daviz Simango said the torrential rains of
late February coincided with an exceptionally
high tide, so that the recently inaugurated
floodgates of the Chiveve channel could not be
fully used to channel the storm waters to the
sea. The situation improved once the level of
the sea had dropped, but by then at least one
child had drowned, and several houses built of
flimsy materials had collapsed.
The Mayor recognises that Beira Municipal
Council must build more drainage channels, to
prevent future flooding – but this is difficult,
given that much of Beira was built below sea
level. There are two existing drainage channels
– those of Palmeiras and of Munhava-Matope –
that have yet to be rehabilitated, he said.
“The storm water drainage system is extremely
complex and expensive, and the water can only
be drained when the tide is low”, said Mayor
Simango. “The sewage system is also
expensive, and it was built in the 1960s”.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
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Minister appears before Ethics Commission
The Minister of Transport, Carlos Mesquita, has
appeared before the Central Public Ethics
Commission (CCEP), set up under the Law on
Public Probity, to answer concerns about an
alleged conflict of interest involving a company
he partly owns.
The case involved a contract granted by the
country’s relief agency, the National Disaster
Management Institute (Instituto Nacional de
Gestão de Calamidades, INGC), without a
public tender, to the company “Transportes
Carlos Mesquita Ltd” (TCM).
The Minister is one of the owners of the
Mesquita Group, which is the main shareholder
in TCM.
The TCM contract is worth MT20-million (about
US$296,000, at current exchange rates).
The award of this contract was denounced by,
among others, the Mozambique Bar Association
(Ordem dos Advogados de Moçambique, OAM).
At the ceremony on 1 March, marking the
opening of the 2017 judicial year, the OAM
chairperson, Flavio Menete, said that this case
was “a gross violation” of the Law on Public
Probity.
“These situations must be halted”, he declared.
The chairperson of the CCEP, Alfredo Gamito, a
former Minister of State Administration, cited in
Friday’s issue of the independent weekly
Savana, said that, after speaking with Minister
Mesquita, the Commission drew up an opinion,
which it subsequently sent both to the Minister,
and to the Ethics Commission in the Ministry of
Transport and Communications.
Gamito said that Minister Mesquita has
responded to the CCEP opinion, and the CCEP
is now waiting for a response from the Ministry’s
Commission.
He hoped that the CCEP would be able to take
a definitive position on the matter by Tuesday
21 March.
Gamito declined to reveal what Minister
Mesquita had said, since the case is not yet
closed.
But Savana says it knows that Minister
Mesquita claims he had done nothing wrong,
and can see no irregularity in the award of the
contract.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de
Moçambique/Savana

Agriculture & Fishing:
ProSAVANA to be reactivated
The Mozambican and Japanese governments
took advantage of President Filipe Nyusi’s visit
to Japan to reactivate the agricultural
development project, ProSAVANA.
ProSAVANA is a trilateral project between
Mozambique, Brazil and Japan, to be
implemented along the Nacala Development
Corridor in the north of the country. In theory,
the project covers some 11-million hectares of
land, in 19 districts in Zambézia, Nampula and
Niassa provinces.
The idea behind ProSAVANA is to convert
peasant subsistence agriculture into commercial
agriculture, so that the Nacala Corridor
becomes a granary that can feed the country
and produce a surplus for export.
Agriculture Minister José Pacheco told
Mozambican journalists in Tokyo, ahead of
President Nyusi’s arrival, that some of the pillars
of ProSAVANA, notably that of agricultural
research, are already under implementation.
Minister Pacheco said there has been a
qualitative improvement in laboratory resources,
notably through the establishment of a soil
laboratory in Nampula that has been operating
since 2015.
Thanks to this, samples, not only from the
Nacala Corridor, but from all over northern
Mozambique, which were once sent to Maputo
for analysis can now be analysed in Nampula. A
second laboratory to support agricultural
production will now be established in Niassa.
Mozambican agricultural scientists are being
trained under ProSAVANA, said Minister
Pacheco, including the country’s first ever
doctor in cashew sciences, whose task is to
stimulate cashew nut production throughout the
northern provinces.
The target group for ProSAVANA consists of
small scale peasant producers who will be
exposed to modern technologies, and given
access to improved seeds and other factors of
production.
This is intended to increase production and
productivity, and drive the shift from subsistence
farming to agro-business.
Minister Pacheco said that so far Mozambique
has about 600,000 producers benefitting from
“advanced technological packages”, and
working in an agro-business perspective.
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In the 2017/18 agricultural year, this number
could rise to 800,000.
“It’s still not much, for the universe of producers
we have”, said Minister Pacheco, “but it’s from
this nucleus that we shall acquire the
experience to progress in a speedier fashion in
order to cover the great majority of the 4.5-
million producers in the country”.
Minister Pacheco said the ProSAVANA master
plan is still under discussion, involving
“participatory consultations”, with various
stakeholders.
In Mozambique’s case those consulted included
a range of NGOs, some of whom have been
bitterly opposed to ProSAVANA, claiming that it
is a “land grab” by Brazilian commercial farming
interests. The Mozambican government has
repeatedly denied that peasant farmers will lose
their land because of ProSAVANA.
Once a consensual master plan has been
decided, Minister Pacheco said, the possibility
will be open to obtaining lines of credit to
finance small producers.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
ProSAVANA, the “stone in the shoe” that
President Nyusi takes to Japan
President Filipe Nyusi, who this week conducted
a four-day working visit to Japan, carries among
the other things in his luggage “a headache”:
ProSAVANA. Maputo has spared no effort to
implement the agricultural project, and civil
society spares none to stop it.
President Nyusi travelled to Japan at the
invitation of the Japanese Prime Minister,
Shinzo Abe. The four-day official visit was
aimed at strengthening relations of friendship
and co-operation between Mozambique and
Japan.
Meanwhile, there is the ProSAVANA agricultural
project, which involves Japan and Brazil and
provides for the development of industrialised
agriculture on 700,000 hectares of land, mainly
in northern Mozambique. But the project has
caused much controversy in Mozambique.
Among other things, it is allegedly harming the
environment and pushing small yielders onto
marginal lands.
Deutsche Welle Africa met with the Co-ordinator
of the Academic Action for the Development of
Rural Communities (ADECRU) and member of
the ‘No to ProSAVANA’ campaign, Jeremias
Vunjanhe, to discuss the expectations
surrounding ProSAVANA as part of President
Nyusi’s working visit.

DW Africa: President Filipe Nyusi is visiting
Japan at a time when the status of the
ProSAVANA project, also financed by Japan, is
unclear. Are you expecting this visit to give the
project new direction?
Jeremias Vunjanhe (JV): In principle, yes, from
what is the official position. The visit comes after
the Mozambican government sent two
delegations: the first one, led by the Deputy
Minister of Agriculture, last year, and the second
earlier this year led by the Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs.
This means that all the failed attempts to
unblock financing for the advancement of
ProSAVANA, especially in its master plan
component, are believed to happen at the
moment of the President’s visit which will,
among other things, obviously address the
issues of ProSAVANA, Misui, the probable entry
into gas production in the Rovuma Basin and
the Nacala Corridor strategic development
project, which has been seen as a major
economic driver, especially in that region.
DW Africa: This is a state visit, during which the
President is accompanied by several ministers
and deputy ministers. There is no mention in the
press of civil society representatives involved in
ProSAVANA in their entourage. Can the
absence of such a voice in the dialogue and in
reaching agreements be even worse for the
country?
JV: This civil society exclusion is a reflection of
what has happened in Mozambique. I believe
that the government of Mozambique has been
consistent with its own strategy of not wanting to
talk to organisations and citizens who do not
take a similar position. I think that on this trip to
Japan there may be some members of the
Nacala Corridor Civil Society Co-ordination
Mechanism. But if it is confirmed that there is no
member of civil society linked to the Campaign
‘No to ProSAVANA’, then it means that the
government insists on maintaining its strategy of
not having an internal dialogue but at the same
time trying to pass off a [good] image at the
international level.
DW Africa: In challenges to ProSAVANA, two
factions or wings have emerged, which you
have mentioned before: the Nacala Corridor
Civil Society Co-ordination Mechanism and the
‘No to ProSAVANA’ campaign. Does the lack of
a single position on the part of Mozambican civil
society undermine the fight against
ProSAVANA?
JV: In principle, I do not think so. And I do not
think it’s a faction, I think it’s a process of
enticing and co-opting a part of the civil society
organisations that were part of the campaign
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‘No to ProSAVANA’. That is to say, proponents
of ProSAVANA – Brazil, Mozambique and,
above all, Japan, through the International
Agency for International Co-operation –
managed to co-opt a significant part of the
organisations that were part of the campaign
‘No to ProSAVANA’, headquartered in the
Nacala Corridor, providing financial resources
and even hiring civil society organisations so
that these organisations direct the entire
ProSAVANA outreach component of master
plan discussion in the communities.
Source: Deutsche Welle
Obtala raises more preference capital for
forestry arm Argento Mozambique
Obtala has decided to fulfil excess demand from
a December preference share issue.Obtala
Limited has raised an additional US$3-million
for Mozambique-focused forestry arm Argento
from an issue of new preference shares. The
plan had been to raise the cash from an Asian
institutional investor, but to expedite matters
Obtala decided to fulfil excess demand from a
December preference share issue.
Talks are ongoing with the institutional investor,
but now the Argento Preference share is almost
fully subscribed an investment is not expected
in the near-term.
Obtala has issued an additional 8,573 Argento
Preference shares at US$350 per share,
bringing the total in issue to 69,000 out of the
maximum 75,000 available. Miles Pelham,
Obtala’s chairman, said: “Near completion of
this funding represents a significant step for the
company as we move forward with the
monetisation of latent assets.
“Management and operational teams have been
strengthened and significant planning has been
completed during the rainy season. “Project
teams are working through land purchase, lease
negotiation and site surveys in preparation for
construction of the new Sawmill and Packhouse
facilities that will change the basis of our
production capabilities by the end of 2017”.
Source: ProActive Investors
FinAgro: four years changing the face of
Mozambican agriculture
On 28 February, the FinAgro agribusiness
promotion programme, financed by the United
States and Mozambican governments,
celebrated the results of four years of operation.
The programme supports small and medium-
sized enterprises, associations, co-operatives
and individual entrepreneurs operating in
agriculture, food processing, marketing and

export activities by increasing their productivity
and access to finance.
Launched in late May 2013 by the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID)
and the Mozambican government, and
implemented by TechnoServe, a non-
governmental organisation operating in
Mozambique since 1998, with the support of the
Zambezi Valley Development Association
(ADVZ), the FinAgro programme had by March
2017 made available approximately MT160-
million for investment.
On 28 February, FinAgro held a closing meeting
to share the results and lessons learned from
the project with partners in the agricultural
sector.
The event included participants from the public
and private sector, financial institutions, donors,
NGOs and others. ADVZ and USAID opened
the conference, followed by a presentation of
the FinAgro programme.
Four panel discussions including beneficiaries,
financial institutions, local governments,
equipment suppliers and technical assistance
providers then followed.
Since its inception the programme has financed
78 companies, of which 35 received bank
financing, well above the defined goal of 10%. A
total of MT43.8-million raised privately was
invested in agriculture under the FinAgro
programme, in addition to the MT160-million
from the financing programme itself.
The programme financed 45 tractors, 99
agricultural machines, 23 processing machines,
12 irrigation systems, four energy projects, three
warehouses and 360,000 banana tree
seedlings.
This investment increased the assets of the
companies, reducing the risk of investment in
the agricultural sector by banks. The investment
was expected to create 518 new jobs and
increase the turnover of these companies by a
total of MT174-million a year.
Another notable result is that the project has
encouraged many businesses to register legally
and obtain land use certificates as well as
drawing up proper business plans and
organizing their finances.
The programme has been targeted at activities
in the value chains of legumes, tropical fruits,
oilseeds, cashew nuts and other food crops. It
covered the Beira Corridor, the Zambezi Valley
Development area and the Nacala Corridor.
Source: Finagro/Club of Mozambique
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Fisheries poisoning Mozambique-Malawi
relations
A dispute over fishery resources in Niassa,
Chiuta, Chirua and Amaramba lakes in
Mozambique’s northern Niassa Province is
affecting relations between Mozambique and
Malawi. The dispute centres on the four lakes
on the border between the two countries.
Several analysts find it difficult to make sense of
Mozambique-Malawi relations on the matter,
which is complicated further by political,
economic and even social divergences.
According to Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries
provincial director, Alberto Mucavele, one such
incident occurred in 2012, when police officers
from Malawi “crossed the Mozambican border
and went to Lake Amaramba, arrested 11
fishermen and confiscated two fishing nets”.
Over the years, several other incidents between
the two countries have been reported, including
the sentencing to death in Malawi of six
Mozambicans accused of murder in 2009. Their
penalty was later converted to life imprisonment.
The list of incidents is long. One occurred in
2010 when a vessel that left the port of
Quelimane (Zambézia Province) and
experimentally navigated the Zambezi River to
Nsanje in Malawi transporting 60 tons of
fertilisers, was detained in Marromeu by the
Mozambican authorities.
Sociologist Rogério Sitoi acknowledges that
relations between Maputo and Lilongwe have
often been tense, but says that Mozambique
should not lean towards a tightening of
positions, but rather towards relaxation.
Mozambique and Malawi share a common
border of about 1,400 kilometres.
Source: VOA Portuguese
Tourism:
Minister Dunduru encourages tourism as a
way to bolster state coffers
During a well-attended event, the Minister of
Culture and Tourism, Silva Dunduru, challenged
the hotel and hospitality sector to bring in more
tourists to the country as a way of raising money
for the state coffers, at a time when the
contribution of this sector is around 2.5% of the
national economy.
“Maputo in particular and Mozambique in
general should be visited more by tourists and,
during their stay, they should leave more money
to the country”, Minister Dunduru said, noting
that the hotel sector should be more aggressive
in order to boost their performance.

“We urge entrepreneurs who operate in this
sector to be more aggressive”, the Minister said,
reminding hoteliers that they should bet on the
promotion of Mozambican culture in the
provision of their services.
In turn, the administrator of the Pestana group
in Mozambique, Pedro Martins, promised to
boost the hotel sector in the country, and
promote culture and employment. “We are
today part of an industry that contributes about
6% towards the economy and about 11%
towards employment. Therefore, the tourism
sector is very important worldwide. It is an
inclusive industry, agglutinative of other sectors,
engine of economic and social development”,
Martins said.
Source: O País
Other:
High wages for specialist Finance Ministry
unit
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Adriano
Maleiane, has issued a dispatch approving a
special wages table for staff of his Ministry who
work at the Centre for the Development of
Financial Information Systems (CEDSIF), much
higher than the wages paid in the rest of the
state apparatus.
CEDSIF is a government institution, subordinate
to the Finance Ministry, which co-ordinates the
programme of State financial reforms, through
State Financial Administration System (Sistema
de Administração Financeira do Estado,
SISTAFE).
Its tasks include implementing and maintaining
the electronic version of SISTAFE (e-SISTAFE),
training and certifying users of e-SISTAFE,
assisting other state bodies in designing and
implementing systems that complement
SISTAFE, and promoting change management
in the state financial reforms.
Under the new wage table, a CEDSIF staff
member with a first degree and five years of
experience receives a monthly wage of
MT181,000 (approximately US$2,678).
A staff member with a slightly higher category
earns MT191,000 a month. This is more than
four times the highest salary paid in the Ministry
of Health (MT41,461 a month).
Even CEDSIF drivers earn much more than
their equivalents in other ministries. A driver
with just seven years of education and one
year’s experience earns MT16,780 a month.
With five years of experience the monthly wage
packet rises to MT17,477.
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In other ministries the basic wages of a driver is
less than MT4,500 a month.
A CEDSIF driver also earns more than a
corporal in the police force, with a wage of
MT5,969 a month.
Contacted by Savana, the spokesperson of the
Ministry, Rogerio Nkomo, confirmed the
authenticity of this dispatch from Minister
Maleiane, dated 2 February. He said this was
not a wage increase, but “a fixing of wages” for
the CEDSIF staff.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de
Moçambique/Savana
Minister Vitória Diogo bolsters Inspectorate-
General of Labour of Mozambique
On Friday 10 March, the Labour, Employment
and Social Security Minister, Vitória Dias Diogo,
swore in new heads of departments of the
Inspectorate-General of Labour (Inspecção
Geral do Trabalho de Moçambique, IGT), at the
central services.
They are Maria Judite Bonifácio Mungói, who
was appointed to head the Department of
Health, Hygiene and Safety at Work (DSHST);
Ariel Arnaldo Comé, appointed head of the
Department of Methods and Work Control;
Elísio Bernardo Manhiça, appointed head the
Department of Control and Labour Relations;
and Laura Saimone Zacarias, sworn in as head
of the Department of Financial and Patrimonial
Control.
Addressing the new appointees, Minister Diogo
said that their appointment was an important
step towards the pursuit of the government’s
labour market monitoring policies, defending the
legislation and promoting peace and justice in
the labour sector and an appropriate
environment for business, and the creation of
more jobs.
These jobs, according to Minister Diogo, have a
legal human dignity component which is only
possible with a labour inspectorate that
promotes justice and encourage the main
players in the productive sector to promote a
culture of work, which is essential for increasing
production and productivity.
The Minister drew attention to the fact that the
new directors would now be exposed to all sorts
of situations which would require of them the
highest sense of public service, devoting
themselves more to working towards the
accomplishment of goals and less to fomenting
divisions within the sectoral groups they lead.
She advised them to work with their colleagues
without any discrimination or sense of
superiority.

For this, Minister Diogo said, they would need
professional discretion, rigor, integrity,
dedication to work and, above all, humility,
because the nature of their activities meant they
would be working not only with their colleagues
but with the general public. Their main
barometer of success would be the level of
satisfaction felt by users of IGT services, from
workers and employers to society in general.
Source: Folha de Maputo/Club of Mozambique
Vitória Diogo launches revision of the
Labour Law in Manica
On Wednesday 15 March, the Minister of
Labour, Employment and Social Security,
Vitória Diogo, was expected to announce the
process surrounding the revision of the Labour
Law. The announcement was expected as part
of the Minister’s three-day working visit to
Manica Province.
Minister Diogo’s visit to the province allowed her
to inspect the level of compliance with this
year’s Economic and Social Plan and the
government’s Five-Year Programme.
During her visit, Minister Diogo held meetings
with the provincial government, social partners,
sector employees and various other labour
market stakeholders in the province.
Source: Rádio Moçambique
Government approves new leasing law to be
submitted to parliament
On Tuesday 14 March, the government
approved the revision of Mozambique’s Leasing
Law with the aim of adapting them to current
social and economic dynamics in order to
ensure improved compliance with the current
legislation.
Speaking after a Council of Minister’s (Cabinet)
meeting, government spokesperson and Deputy
Health Minister, Mouzinho Saíde, said that the
law would reform the rules on the sale of real
estate of the state and remove various legal
inconsistencies.
The Deputy Minister of Health explained that the
document, yet to be submitted to the National
Assembly, will bolster mechanisms for the
payment of fees to the Administration of the
State Property (APIE) by sellers of real estate,
and warned that estate agents and their clients
would be penalised if they failed to comply. As
such, the law is intended to ensure that greater
accountability of tenants in state properties.
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“There are some duties that are reinforced. For
example, those who do not pay rent to the APIE
may be sanctioned for the fact, and if they are
repeat offenders, there may be a termination of
the contract. There may also be other types of
penalties if the property is not used for the
purpose for which it was intended. In the case of
commercial activity, the rules overseeing the
purpose for which the property was rented must
also be obeyed”, Deputy Minister Saíde said.
He added that the revision of the leasing laws
would ensure speedier disposal of state
properties.
Source: Folha de Maputo/Jornal Notícias
Employees go on strike at Mozambique
Independent Television
Approximately 100 employees of Mozambique
Independent Television (TIM) went on strike
recently following their employers’ failure to
honour a promise to pay wage arrears by 28
February.
On Wednesday 15 March, the spokesperson for
the striking workers, Paulo Chimane, said that
the arrears were long overdue.
On 23 December, the parties signed an
agreement mediated by the Commission for
Labour Mediation and Arbitration (COMAL),
under which the managers agreed to pay all
salary arrears by 23 January.
“Some of us have been evicted from rented
homes, others are just waiting for owners to
throw them out”, said one of the workers.
Zacarias Timbana, director of Human
Resources at TIM, said that the employers are
making every effort to pay wages as quickly as
possible.
“The money was not paid because it was not
possible yet. We did not get money, but we
believe we will be paid”. he said.
A promise that wages would be paid on Friday
similarly went unfulfilled.
The strike paralysed normal TIM operations.
Some of the TIM employees were detained by
the PRM during Wednesday’s protest. Those
arrested claimed to have not received a salary
for the past nine months. The detained workers
were released two hours later
Source: Agencia de Informacao de
Moçambique/Moçambique Media Online/Jornal
Notícias/Canal de Moçambique

POLITICS
President Nyusi celebrates Exxon’s entry –
Africa Confidential
Bringing in the US oil giant was a personal
triumph for the President but it won’t raise as
much tax as he hopes. President Filipe Nyusi
felt the political ground underneath him get
firmer when news of the Exxon-ENI deal came
through. The United States oil giant ExxonMobil
is buying 25% of the offshore LNG project held
by Italy's ENI in northern Mozambique for
US$2.8-billion. The purchase of half of ENI’s
50% stake in Area-4 needs formal approval by
the government, which will hope for a strong
boost to public finances from the tax payable.
Maputo probably has unrealistic expectations on
the windfall tax revenue, which will be
substantial but probably less than the full rate of
32%. The government will have to wait at least
six months for regulatory assessments to be
completed before being paid and Italy’s double
taxation treaty is likely to mean it will pay less in
addition to deductions for development costs.
There is also a precedent. ENI paid only
US$400-million in 2013 on its US$4.2-billion
sale of 20% of the block to the CNPC. If that
10% rate were applied to this deal, just US$280-
million would go to the exchequer – very
welcome but only a drop in Mozambique's
ocean of economic troubles.
On the brink:
The government is short of money to keep the
state apparatus running. Foreign reserves are
still low and it risks not being able to meet
salaries, while public services fail. The capital is
suffering severe water shortages and frequent
power cuts. So critical is the situation that the
state power company, EdM, was even allowed
to go ahead with a US$140-million state-
guaranteed loan to avoid the dangerous
collapse of the electricity network.
Many other state companies are on the brink of
bankruptcy. Fuel distributor Petromoc’s years of
endemic corruption and mismanagement have
now emerged into the open after recent fuel
shortages led to rationing in January and
February. The oil company, Petróleos de
Moçambique, has been unable to secure bank
guarantees and nervous suppliers refused to
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deliver more than a day or two’s supply at a
time. The government blames ‘logistics
problems’. There is likely to be an overhaul of
Petromoc soon, say sources close to the
Ministry of Mineral Resources. Publicly, the
government is working hard to give the
impression that things are getting back on track.
The propaganda machine is in overdrive,
churning out good news stories about
investment enthusiasm, resource wealth and
economic progress. So enthusiastic are the spin
doctors of Frelimo that they reported that the
government had won a friendly football match
with foreign diplomats by four goals to two. In
fact, said some who were present, the score
was correct but it was the diplomats who won.
Predictions by the central bank, the Banco de
Moçambique, of 5.5% growth this year are
unrealistic, senior economists tell Africa
Confidential, stressing that the macro-economic
situation has improved little since October. The
government’s story is that it will restructure its
loans, get a new IMF programme and all will be
well. It is not so simple.
Discussions about a new IMF programme,
though open, are not making progress.
Negotiations with the bondholders are, in
practice, non-existent. Much hinges on the
outcome of the audit of the hidden loans by
international risk consultancy Kroll, which has
already taken longer than officially planned.
Placing a short time limit on such a potentially
complex enquiry was always risky, leaving room
for the government to escape full disclosure by
being obstructive. As things stand the results
may be inconclusive, we hear.
This would leave the current state of paralysis
with the international community unchanged, as
well as a sense of injustice. Meanwhile,
enquiries by the US and United Kingdom
financial regulators are also under way and the
US Federal Bureau of Investigation is also
conducting investigations into the deals, say
Washington sources. The enquiries are serious
enough to be a concern to Frelimo and also to
the banks that lent the money, whose conduct is
also being scrutinised.
For President Nyusi, the internal party battles
over how to handle the audit and the economy

may be the most difficult problem. He has,
though, secured other victories while his
supporters rally around him to strengthen his
position in the party before its September
Congress. The Exxon deal is seen as a
personal success for the President, who had
been talking to the company since taking office
in 2015. Last July, he met to discuss the deal
with its former chief executive officer, Rex
Tillerson, who is now US Secretary of State.
The arrival of a major company whose relations
are with the current, not the former, President
should strengthen the position of President
Nyusi and his group of supporters.
New spy chief:
Another key shift away from the power bases
created by ex-president Armando Guebuza
came at the end of January with the
replacement of his diehard henchman Gregório
Leão José as head of the secret service, the
Serviço de Informação e Segurança do Estado
(SISE), by a Makonde General, Lagos
Henriques Lidimo. The feared former head of
the army, the Forças Armadas de Defesa de
Moçambique (FADM), Lidimo is seen as one of
few people with enough clout to counter
Guebuza’s deeply entrenched networks in the
security services.
Lidimo’s appointment comes as the Makonde
ethnic group, President Nyusi’s key support
base, moves to strengthen the faction’s control
of Frelimo. Some in the party believe that the
group timed its most publicly assertive move to
date in order to exploit Guebuza’s distress at
the murder of his businesswoman daughter,
Valentina Guebuza. Her husband, Zofimo
Muiane, is accused of shooting her at their
home on 14 December.
Twelve days after the death, President Nyusi
and opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama agreed
a ceasefire, halting the violent conflict between
the guerrilla fighters of Renamo and state forces
loyal to Frelimo. The sudden truce followed
months of little progress in mediated
negotiations. President Nyusi won back some
credibility by beginning to deliver on one of his
key election promises: peace.
Sceptics worry that the move is less about a
commitment to lasting peace and more a
diversion tactic designed to appease donors
and encourage them to take a softer approach
to the country’s economic troubles, on the
grounds that Frelimo is at least trying to resolve
the conflict. Whatever the case, the ceasefire
does provide some respite to a President who
was fighting battles on too many fronts. After
more than two years in power, his party is finally
allowing him to look more like a leader.
Source: Africa Confidential
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President Nyusi meets with Daviz Simango
to discuss the politico-military situation
During his visit to the central city of Beira on
Friday 10 March, President Filipe Nyusi met
with the city’s mayor, Daviz Simango, who is
also leader of the opposition Mozambican
Democratic Movement (MDM).
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mayor
Simango said the two men had discussed
questions concerning the attraction of
investment, and the politico-military situation, in
the context of the working teams set up by the
government and Renamo to secure an effective
peace.
After telephone conversations with President
Nyusi, Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama
declared a truce which took effect on 27
December, and has now been extended until
early May. So far the truce is holding.
No further Renamo ambushes on the roads, or
clashes between the Renamo militia and
government forces have been reported since
the truce was declared. Two working groups
have been established, one dealing with
decentralisation and the other with military
questions.
Mayor Simango said President Nyusi had
informed him that these groups “are now
working on terms of reference, in a collective
effort to ensure that peace will be effective”.
But Mayor Simango insisted that the peace talks
could not be left solely in the hands of the
government and Renamo.
The MDM, and other forces in Mozambican
society, should be involved, he urged, and the
whole process must culminate in the National
Assembly, which will need to give its approval to
the final deal.
Mayor Simango said he had also discussed
public transport with President Nyusi, and the
acquisition of new buses, both for Maputo and
for Beira.
The government recently dissolved the publicly-
owned Beira Bus Company (TPB), and is
dividing its assets between the municipalities of
Beira and the nearby town of Dondo.
Mayor Simango said Beira must have a
sustainable municipal transport company that
can be run at a profit.
Such a company would need at least 50 buses,
operating routes not only within the city, but also
to destinations outside of Beira.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique

Sweden advocates inclusion of women in
the Mozambican peace process
On Friday 10 March, the Swedish ambassador
to Mozambique, Irina Schoulgin Nyoni, said
that, as the main victim of wars around the
world, women should be included in peace
negotiations. Speaking to journalists at the end
of a farewell meeting with Mozambican Prime
Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário,
Ambassador Nyoni said that the Mozambican
peace process should be as inclusive as
possible.
“The main message I can leave to the peace
process is that there should be attention to
inclusion. I am thinking about women, who are
usually the victims of violence”, Ambassador
Nyoni said. In addition to being the most
affected, she said, women should be key
players in the formulation of post-conflict
reconstruction policies to ensure that the right to
gender equality is safeguarded.
Ambassador Nyoni said that she was leaving
Mozambique at a time when bilateral relations
were at a good place, characterised by the
intensification of Swedish support for the
development of its African partner and a frank
dialogue in various areas. “Mozambique and
Sweden are geographically distant but close as
friends”, Ambassador Nyoni said.
On the ongoing international audit of the
Mozambican public debt, which is financed by
Sweden, the diplomat said she only hoped it
would be “performed well”.
Mozambican authorities have commissioned an
international audit of public debt, yielding to
internal and external pressure following the
discovery in April last year of hidden loans worth
more than €2-billion that catapulted the
country’s public debt to more than €11-billion.
Source: Lusa
New “Peace Club” wants to accelerate
dialogue in Mozambique
A “Peace Club”, the newest attempt to mediate
the conflict in Mozambique bringing together
more than 250 religious bodies and political
parties from the provinces of Manica, Nampula,
Sofala and Tete, has been created.
The Peace Club brings together civil society
organisations and political parties such as the
Frelimo and the MDM. Renamo has been
invited to participate but is not as yet part of the
club. Pereira Creva Gama, president of the
Peace Club and the Fraternal Meeting of the
Churches in Manica, does not know the reasons
for this absence.
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“The club does not discriminate against any
entity that wants to be a part”, says Gama. “The
doors are open to all, so we involve the political
parties. We want to gather enough ideas to then
find a strategy to end the political crisis in our
country”, he explains.
The goal of the club, he said, is to impart basic
knowledge about the need to preserve peace.
Peace begins in communities:
The organisation proposes to raise awareness
among political leaders in order to end the
conflict between the Mozambican government
and Renamo. There are also discussions with
young students, cultural events, sports
tournaments and radio discussions with the
population at large.
The initiative has the support of Tearfund, a
Christian anti-poverty organisation based in
England, and another Kenyan organisation
whose name has not been revealed. The
president of the club stresses that it is not just
about politics. “Our main theme is the role of
religious confessions in bringing peace to
society”, Gama says.
“We have seen that the churches do nothing in
search of peace”, he adds. The club wants to
create mechanisms to achieve effective peace –
not only “political peace, but also peace as a
whole”. “We want peace to begin in our
communities, through the churches”, he
stresses.
Frelimo and MDM applaud initiative:
Joaquim Mainato, head of the Frelimo
Mobilisation and Propaganda department in
Manica, told Deutsche Welle Africa that the club
would assist efforts by President Filipe Nyusi to
bring peace to Mozambique. “We, as Frelimo,
embrace the initiative because it aims to bring
the political stakeholders together at a table so
that dialogue can take place and differences are
solved”, he said.
Emerson Francisco dos Santos, delegate of the
MDM in Chimoio and member of the Peace
Club, also welcomes the initiative. “We
congratulate the club on involving religious
people, civil society and political parties”, he
said, lamenting, however, the absence of
Renamo.
“The MDM embraces the initiative because it
believes that the Peace Club is important and
comes at a good time, since we are in a
scenario of talks at the highest level of our
government and the Renamo Party”, dos
Santos concluded.
Source: Deutsche Welle/Club of Mozambique

Parliament discusses proposed Mobilisation
and Requisition Bill
The National Assembly may approve a law
authorising the defence sector to recruit and/or
utilise human or material resources from any
institution, public or private, in an emergency
situation such as natural disaster or war.
On Monday 13 March, the Minister of Defence,
Atanásio Ntumuke, addressed parliament and
explained the essence of the proposed law,
which was submitted by the government.
“We will have the authority in any situation that
might arise, in the case where a state of
emergency is declared, where we have a legal
instrument to implement the presidential decree
that may emerge”, the Minister explained.
The MPs understand that this is a fitting law,
given that Mozambique is prone to natural
disasters.
“The bill that regulates mobilisation and
requisition is opportune because it closes a void
in our legal system. There was a need to
approve a law regulating the conditions for the
preparation and execution of the mobilisation of
persons and the requisition of assets, on the
one hand, to defend the public interest,
sovereignty, security, the Republic and, on the
other hand, the private interests of the citizens
that are targeted by the mobilisation or the
requisition”, Edson Macuácua said.
The proposed Mobilisation and Requisition Act
was drafted in 2008 and provides for the
General Staff to be responsible for recruiting
people for civilian or even military service in
emergencies.
Source: O País
President Nyusi starts four-day official visit
to Japan
On Monday 13 March, President Filipe Nyusi
commenced a four-day official visit to Japan at
the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe.
During the visit, the two countries defined
strategies for strengthening political, economic
and business relations. The visit included a
business forum for Japanese and Mozambican
entrepreneurs aimed at showcasing
Mozambique’s potential and looking for
business.
President Nyusi held official talks with Prime
Minister Abe, and met with the Japanese
Emperor and other political notables.
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The Mozambican head of state was
accompanied by his wife, Isaura Nyusi; the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation,
Oldemiro Balói; Agriculture and Food Security,
José Pacheco; and Mineral Resources and
Energy, Leticia da Silva Deusina Klemens; and
Deputy Ministers of Transport and
Communications, Manuela Rebelo and Industry
and Trade, Ragendra de Sousa.
Source: Rádio Moçambique
Japanese parliamentary delegation expected
in Mozambique
A delegation of Japanese MPs will pay a
working visit to Mozambique to lay the
foundation for parliamentary co-operation
between the two countries. While the exact date
of the visit is not yet known, one publication
suggested that the delegation may arrive in
Mozambique in April.
According to Rádio Moçambique, the
announcement was made by a member of the
House of Representatives of the Japanese
Parliament, Ichiro Aisawa, after a meeting on
Tuesday 14 March with President Filipe Nyusi.
Aisawa said that such co-operation between the
two institutions will certainly generate benefits
for both countries. Aisawa, who is also the
chairman of the Japan-African Union Friendship
League, said that talks with the Mozambican
President also revealed possible areas of co-
operation and a better understanding for
President Nyusi's diplomatic vision.
He added that the visit of the Mozambican
leader will create the conditions for an even
better relationship and mutual trust. Japan has
pledged to invest more than US$30-billion in
natural gas in Mozambique to enable the
country to produce 20-million tons of LNG per
year.
Source: APA/Rádio Moçambique
Japan and Mozambique leaders jointly
condemn North Korea missile launches
On Wednesday 15 March, Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe and President Filipe Nyusi
jointly condemned North Korea for its nuclear
programme.
A joint statement issued in Tokyo after talks
between the two leaders said they “condemned
in the strongest terms North Korea’s nuclear
tests and repeated missile launches and
underlined the need to maintain peace, security
and stability in the region by fully implementing
the relevant UN Security Council resolutions”.

This statement came just 10 days after the
Pyongyang regime had launched four missiles
into the Sea of Japan, which fell about 200
kilometres from the Japanese coast.
President Nyusi and Prime Minister Abe “urged
North Korea to refrain from any provocation and
to fully comply with UN Security Council
resolutions and other international
commitments”.
President Nyusi, the statement said, “expressed
his support for the Prime Minister’s efforts to
pursue a peaceful solution” to the questions of
North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, and its
abductions of Japanese. The abductions
occurred between 1977 and 1983. The North
Korean regime admitted abducting 13
Japanese, but the Japanese government says
the figure was at least 17, and could have been
much higher.
This is the first public condemnation of North
Korea’s nuclear tests by a Mozambican leader.
Mozambique has longstanding relations with
North Korea, which provided some military
support for the national liberation struggle
against Portuguese colonial rule. After
independence North Korea provided assistance
in various areas, including agriculture, health,
culture and defence, and some Mozambican
officers received military training in Korea.
Prime Minister Abe also explained to President
Nyusi Japan’s position on the tensions in the
South China Sea. According to the statement
“[President] Nyusi stated that Mozambique
respects Japan’s position on maritime security”.
The two leaders “expressed their strong
opposition to any unilateral actions that could
alter the status quo and increase tensions”.
They also reaffirmed their commitment “to
maintaining a rules-based maritime order in
accordance with universally recognised
principles of international law, including those
reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of
the Sea”.
President Nyusi and Prime Minister Abe
stressed the important of co-operation on
maritime security “including fighting against
piracy, illegal fishing and other illegal maritime
activities, through capacity building and
enhancing maritime connectivity between Asia
and Africa to build a free and open Indo-Pacific
region”.
They agreed that reform of the United Nations
Security Council, including the expansion of
both permanent and non-permanent members,
“should be expeditiously advanced to make it
more legitimate, representative and effective”.
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President Nyusi thanked Japan for its “leading
role in contributing to Africa’s development
through the TICAD”. They stressed “the unique
role that TICAD has played as an open,
inclusive and transparent forum to address
common challenges in Africa”. Prime Minister
Abe thus welcomed Mozambique’s offer to host
the TICAD VI Follow-up Ministerial Meeting in
Maputo later this year.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de
Moçambique/The Japan Times
Government approves ratification of
agreement between Mozambique and Turkey
During Tuesday’s Council of Ministers session,
the government approved the ratification of the
agreement signed on 24 January between
Mozambique and Turkey. This agreement aims
to promote and protect investment between the
two countries.
The consideration of the review report on
Mozambique’s Trade Policy was another
subject highlighted this week’s Council of
Ministers meeting. This revision aims to improve
trade relations between the member countries
of the World Trade Organization. Every six
years, the World Trade Organization reviews
trade policy as a way of adjusting trade between
countries.
Source: O País
Prime Minister participates in SADC
Extraordinary Summit in Mbabane
Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário
was in Mbabane (Swaziland) from 16 to 19
March where, on behalf of President Filipe
Nyusi, he participated in the SADC
Extraordinary Summit.
Prior to the Extraordinary Summit, the SADC
Council of Ministers held their meeting at the
Royal Swazi Sun Convention Centre on 15 and
16 March.
According to a press release from the Office of
the Prime Minister, the Extraordinary Summit
focused on the current stage of Regional
Integration with emphasis on the dynamization
of the process through the implementation of
the SADC Industrialisation Strategy 2015 and
the Roadmap, adopted during a similar event
held in Harare (Zimbabwe) in 2015.
The agenda of the Summit also included a
discussion and decision-making session on
possible expansion of the regional organisation,
and welcomed new members of the SADC.
On 17 March the SADC Double Troika Summit
was held, during which the heads of state and

government of the Kingdom of Swaziland,
Botswana and South Africa (Summit Troika),
Tanzania, Angola and Mozambique (Organ
Troika) discussed political and security
developments in the Kingdom of Lesotho and in
the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Prime Minister was accompanied by the
Minister of Industry and Trade, Ernesto Tonela;
and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Co-operation, Nyeleti Brooke Mondlane; as well
as other government officials.
Source: Folha de Maputo
Rift between Nampula Mayor and MDM
grows wider
The rift between Mahamudo Amurrane, mayor
of the northern city of Nampula, and his political
party, the MDM, has grown wider, with the
Mayor now demanding a public apology from
the party’s leader, Daviz Simango.
Interviewed in Monday’s issue of O País, Mayor
Amurrane said reconciliation with Mayor
Simango would only be possible if he [Simango]
accepted responsibility for the split, and
apologised for the “political lynching” the
Nampula mayor claims to have suffered.
Mayor Amurrane, who is also a member of the
MDM Political Commission, gave his version of
the background to the crisis, and particularly of
a meeting of MDM members in Nampula in late
2016, chaired by Mayor Simango. “I was clearly
defamed by almost everyone who spoke, before
the complicit gaze of Daviz Simango”, he said.
Mayor Simango had come to Nampula to re-
establish harmony among the Nampula MDM
members, “but the way he chaired the meeting
aimed to achieve anything but the reconciliation
for which his presence had been requested”, he
said.
During the meeting, Mayor Amurrane recalled,
he was accused of disloyalty towards the MDM,
of working with the ruling Frelimo Party, and of
“expelling workers from Nampula Municipal
Council because they were members of the
MDM”.
He replied by saying that, since it was obvious
he no longer enjoyed the support of the MDM, it
would be better for the party to start looking for
another mayoral candidate for the 2018
municipal elections.
“I will not change”, said Mayor Amurrane. “I will
continue to defend the interests of the state and
of the citizens of the municipality. At the same
time, I shall continue to expel those who are
corrupt, and all those who break the law and the
rules”.
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Mayor Simango responded, he said, with the
remark that “politics is not for children. Children
do not play politics”.
He recalled an earlier disagreement at a
meeting of the MDM Political Commission in
September, discussing possibly constitutional
amendments. There was unanimous agreement
on all issues, except how provincial governors
should be elected.
Mayor Simango proposed indirect election –
that is, the voters would, as now, elect the
Provincial Assembly, and that Assembly would
elect the governor from among its members.
Initially, Mayor Amurrane’s was the only voice
calling for the direct election of governors. Thus
the voters would be faced with ballot papers for
the Assembly and for the governor – and, as
Mayor Amurrane’s opponents were swift to
realise, the person they chose for governor
would not necessarily come from the majority
party in the Assembly.
Initially, all the members of the Political
Commission sided with Mayor Simango. Mayor
Amurrane recalled the MDM General Secretary,
Luis Boavida, explicitly stating that indirect
elections would allow a greater degree of party
control over the governor.
“By means of indirect election, we, as a party,
will have greater control over the governors in
the provinces where we win”, Boavida
supposedly said, “unlike what happens now in
some municipalities where the party has lost
control”.
Mayor Amurrane did not give up, he
approached several other members of the
Commission during an interval, and then
demanded that the discussion be reopened. It
was then that three other members (Venancio
Mondlane, Maria Moreno and Linette Oloffson)
came out in favour of direct election.
Eventually, so did the head of the MDM
parliamentary group, Lutero Simango (older
brother of Daviz), who said it would be better to
end the discussions and opt for direct elections.
Daviz then yielded, and switched to supporting
direct election.
A further point of friction, Mayor Amurrane told
O País, was that he rejected a demand that the
Municipal Council should build an MDM office in
Nampula.
“I explained that I can’t build an office of a
political party, a private entity, with public
funds”, Mayor Amurrane said. “We can’t try to
do what we say we are fighting against”.
In a second interview, with the independent
weekly Savana, Mayor Amurrane declared “The

people are more important than the MDM”, and
that Mozambican society would never advance
“as long as we don’t take off our political party
shirts when we are in government positions”.
He thought it wrong that people in senior
positions, either in municipalities or in central
governments, were told they could not
contradict the positions taken by their political
parties. “In my opinion, this is very wrong”, he
said. “We have to position ourselves to defend
the majority in order for this society to advance”.
In Nampula, he continued, he staffed the
Municipal Council with those he regarded as
competent, regardless of whether they were
supporters of the MDM or of other parties. “I
don’t look at the party a person belongs to, I
look at whether he is competent to undertake a
task in terms of providing municipal citizens with
services”, Mayor Amurrane said. “That’s what
the rulers of this country need to do”.
When the Savana journalist asked if he was
leaving the MDM, Mayor Amurrane refused to
answer on the grounds that the question was
just “speculation”. The reporter persisted on this
line of questioning, asking why Mayor Simango
had not attended a recent meeting of the MDM
Political Commission held in Nampula. “Ask the
president of the MDM (Mayor Simango)”, he
replied.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique/O
País/Savana
Daviz Simango claims “freedom of
expression” within MDM
The leader of the opposition MDM and mayor of
Beira, Daviz Simango, has shrugged off the
attacks on his leadership by the mayor of the
northern city of Nampula, Mahamudo Amurrane.
In a long interview published in O País on
Monday 13 March, Mayor Amurrane had
demanded a public apology from Mayor
Simango for the “political lynching” he had
allegedly suffered at the hands of other MDM
members.
Cited by the independent television station STV,
Mayor Simango said that Mayor Amurrane’s
denunciations merely prove that there is
freedom of expression inside the MDM.
As for the allegation that Mayor Amurrane has
been the victim of “harassment” inside the party,
Mayor Simango said he did not have enough
information to venture an opinion on this. He
said the MDM has set up a commission which is
working among the party’s membership to
ascertain whether there is any truth in the claim.
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He stressed that the MDM’s focus right now
must be on the party’s second congress, due to
be held in Nampula in December, and the 2018
municipal elections.
A more substantial response to Mayor
Amurrane came from the MDM national
spokesperson, Sande Carmona, who,
interviewed by Mediafax, remarked “the fall of a
swallow doesn’t mean that spring is over”.
Asked if this meant that Mayor Amurrane was
no longer an MDM member, Carmona denied
this, since the Nampula mayor has not
presented the party with any formal letter of
resignation.
Nor did the MDM have any intention of expelling
Mayor Amurrane from its ranks. “That thought
never crossed our minds”, Carmona said.
The MDM’s National Jurisdictional Council was
analysing the case, he added, and had even
gone to Nampula to speak to Mayor Amurrane.
“I have no information about that meeting”, said
Carmona. “But I can add that it will end with the
opening of a case. I can’t specify what sort of
case”.
As for the harassment claimed by Mayor
Amurrane, Carmona found it difficult to
comment, because “he never presented any
facts, data or even names of those who were
harassing him”.
He accused Mayor Amurrane of “acting in bad
faith” by taking internal problems of the MDM to
the press. The problems he complained of
“concern the party, and the only appropriate
forum for discussing them is inside the party”.
Mayor Amurrane had spoken at length about a
meeting of the MDM Political Commission in
late 2016, at which he claimed he had been
repeatedly slandered. That was not Carmona’s
view.
“The members at that meeting were expressing
their points of view about Amurrane’s
governance in Nampula”, said Carmona. “If we
preach democracy, then we have to accept
differences of opinion. We have to accept that
there are various points of view about the same
subject”.
He admitted that Mayor Amurrane had only
been given the opportunity to speak at the end
of the meeting, but denied that the whole
purpose of the meeting had been to attack and
insult the Nampula mayor.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique

Sérgio Machava sworn in as deputy national
delegate for Mobilisation and Propaganda of
the MDM
On Saturday 11 March, MPs of the MDM
expressed their party’s commitment to intensify
the efforts in order to win the next municipal
elections in 2018.
In this context, the party has appointed Sérgio
Michaque Machava as deputy national delegate
of Mobilisation and Propaganda of the southern
region.
On the occasion, Geraldo de Carvalho, national
head of the MDM for Mobilisation and
Propaganda, challenged the newly elected
Machava to generate more members and votes
in the upcoming elections.
In fact, De Carvalho said that it is the task of all
members of the party to actively bring in more
members to join the MDM. In turn, Machava
said that he is committed to publicising the
party’s propaganda.
Machava acknowledged the challenges that he
faces. Focus will be channelled into meetings
with the youth as a way to mobilise them to join
the party.
Source: O País
Mozambique’s 2018 municipal elections
slated for 15 October
On Wednesday 15 March, Mozambique’s
National Electoral Commission (Comissão
Nacional de Eleições, CNE) submitted its
suggested date for the 2018 municipal elections
to the Council of Ministers.
The date was approved by consensus of the
members of the CNE, who include
representatives of the three parties with
parliamentary seats: Frelimo, Renamo and the
MDM.
The date has not been officially revealed,
because the CNE only proposes the date and
approval is the responsibility of the Council of
Ministers, but a source from the electoral body
informed VOA, on condition of anonymity, that
the proposed date is 15 October 2018.
The CNE meeting also assessed logistical
aspects of the elections and set the total budget
at approximately US$13-million, which the state
must either provide or obtain from co-operation
partners.
Renamo, which has boycotted previous
municipal elections, has already started the
process of preparing to enter the 2018 race.
Source: VOA Portuguese
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CNE proposes budget for elections
The CNE has proposed a budget of MT900-
million (approximately US$13.3-million, at
current exchange rates), to cover the
requirements of both the 2018 municipal
elections and the 2019 presidential and
parliamentary elections.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday 15 March,
after the first meeting of the CNE this year, the
Commission’s spokesperson, Paulo Cuinica,
said the CNE has also proposed a date for the
municipal elections. But since that date still has
to be accepted by the Council of Ministers
(Cabinet), Cuinica did not feel at liberty to
disclose it.
“What we did today was approve, by
consensus, the date which will be submitted to
the Council of Ministers today”, he said.
The electoral law states that the municipal
elections must be held by no later than the first
fortnight of October 2018, and that the Council
of Ministers must announce the date at least 18
months in advance.
Cuinica said the CNE approved its plan of
activities for the rest of this year. This will focus
on training staff for the municipal elections, and
setting up the provincial and district elections
commissions, which must begin within 60 days
of the announcement of the election date.
These are extraordinarily large and expensive
bodies: each of the provincial, city and district
commissions has 15 members. Six of these are
appointed by the political parties represented in
parliament: three by the ruling Frelimo Party,
two by Renamo, and one by the MDM. The
other nine members are appointed by civil
society bodies.
The municipal elections must be preceded by
voter registration. But the registration period can
only be announced after the election date is
confirmed. Estimates of the number of voters to
be registered will depend on the population
projections made by the National Statistics
Institute (INE), based on the 2007 population
census.
The last municipal elections, held in 2013, were
a battle between Frelimo and the MDM, since
Renamo boycotted them. But this time Renamo
has promised to participate. As in previous
years, a number of minor parties are likely to
emerge from obscurity and compete – but they
have little or no chance of winning any seats in
the municipal assemblies.
CNE and Technical Secretariat for Electoral
Administration (Secretariado Tecnico de
Administração Eleitoral, STAE) staff training

activities will start later this year, 60 days after
the Council of Ministers approves the date of
the municipal elections. “Activities for 2017 will
focus on the training of CNE members”, the
CNE spokesperson explained.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique/O
País
Mozambicans in Swaziland urged to register
On Friday 17 March, Prime Minister Carlos
Agostinho do Rosário urged Mozambicans living
in Swaziland to register with the Mozambican
authorities.
It is estimated that there are some 40,000
Mozambicans living in Swaziland, but only
about half of them are registered with the
Mozambican High Commission.
Speaking to a meeting of dozens of
Mozambicans in the Swazi city of Manzini,
Prime Minister Rosário said that a registration
campaign will begin within two weeks and will
last for nine months. Mozambican civil
registration brigades will attempt to register all
Mozambicans living in Swaziland, and Prime
Minister Rosário called on the Mozambican
migrants to co-operate.
“President Filipe Nyusi has spoken with King
Mswati III, and the work will go well, if we all co-
operate”, he stressed.
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Mozambicans living in Swaziland without any
official registration have frequently complained
that they cannot enrol their children in
secondary schools, and are unable to obtain
residence or work permits. When Mozambican
migrants who lack identification die in
Swaziland, they are buried in common graves.
Some of the Mozambicans in this situation fled
into Swaziland during the war of destabilisation
that ended in 1992, and never returned. With
the return of Mozambique to peace, they lost
the refugee status they once enjoyed. Other
Mozambicans simply crossed the border into
Swaziland in search of better living conditions.
Joaquim Bule, an advisor to Mozambican
Interior Minister Jaime Monteiro, said “the next
step is to find each and every Mozambican
living here and provide them with documents
such as identity cards and passports”.
But he noted that the last registration attempt
was a failure. “We were frustrated when the
possibility for registration was opened in the
past”, said Bule. “We stayed here for about a
month, but very few people registered”.
“This time, anybody who does not register will
have to deal with the Swazi authorities”, he
warned. The main purpose of Prime Minister
Rosário’s visit to Swaziland was to represent
President Nyusi at an extraordinary summit of
heads of state and government of SADC.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
 Return to Contents Page

SECURITY

HEAT MAP OF POLITICAL AND SECURITY INCIDENTS

(01/01/2016 – 23/02/2017)

High Risk

Low Risk

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The following graphs relate to the political and security incidents in Mozambique recorded
from 01/01/2016 to 23/02/2017.

GRAPH 2 – REGION BY DAY OF WEEK

GRAPH 3 – TOTAL INCIDENTS PER TIME SLOT

GRAPH 4 – PROVINCE BY TIME PERIOD

45

Truckers denounce military abuses along
the EN7
Long-distance truck drivers and other EN7
users have reported an upsurge in cases of
military abuses including extortion, robbery and
physical aggression.
The alleged abuses are said to be common
along the road formerly subject to mandatory
army escorts between Vanduzi (Manica
Province) and Changara (Tete Province) in
central Mozambique.
The denunciations come days after Renamo
leader Afonso Dhlakama extended the peace
truce between Renamo and the government for
another 60 days.
On the Pungue-Catandica river section of the
EN7 – one of the main economic routes in
Mozambique and for its neighbours and a
section patrolled by the Defence and Security
Forces – users have reported thefts of cargo,
cell phones and cash, and cases of physical
assaults have been recorded when drivers
resist attempts at extortion.
“There is some trouble in the forests between
the Pungwe River and Catandica”, said
Almuade Ali, a Tanzanian truck driver, who was
referring to the areas where ambushes were
frequently reported during the conflict between
Renamo’s armed wing and government forces.
Ali claims that he was stopped by a group of
three armed men wearing a mixture of military
uniforms and civilian clothing as he returned
from the port of Beira (Sofala Province). The
armed men subsequently searched his car and
stole his cell phone and money.
Another trucker told VOA that a week and a half
ago, his cell phone was taken by armed men as
“compensation” following his refusal to
surrender the cargo he was transporting to
Malawi.
The incident occurred in Chiuala (a village that
had previously been transformed into a barracks
for the Defence and Security Forces).
“The young men wore green/brown t-shirts.
Everyone was armed, but some had boots,
while others wore slippers.
On the same day that I was targeted, another
truck driver was assaulted at the first entrance
point to Catandica, also during this alleged
truce”, he said.
“The situation is not good. And we fear that this
could jeopardise the peace we so long for”,
Rafael Bindula, another long-haul truck driver,
told VOA, revealing that several truck drivers
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have since stopped circulating along the
affected stretch of road in the afternoon and
early evening.
Meanwhile, the Mozambican police in Manica,
which received several reports of robberies and
physical assaults along the stretch, is said to be
conducting a thorough investigation aimed at
identifying those responsible.
“Along the EN7, robberies and assaults occur
more often at night, and investigations are
underway … currently we cannot determine who
is involved (whether military or civilian)”, said
Elcídia Filipe, spokesperson for the Manica
Police Command.
Truck drivers want the withdrawal of military
positions on roads as the country is currently
experiencing another extension of the 60-day
truce until 4 May.
Source: VOA Portuguese
More than 220,000 register for military
service
On Monday 13 March, the Mozambican
Defence Ministry announced that it has
registered 220,211 people for military service, in
the registration period that ran from 2 January to
28 February.
The Ministry proclaims this as a victory,
because the registration target was only
170,000. But in fact, as has happened every
year since conscription was reintroduced in
1997, the vast majority of young Mozambicans
did not register.
Under Mozambican legislation, all Mozambicans
should register for military service in the year of
their 18th birthday. Thanks to the projections
from the 2007 population census, we know that
this year 565,000 Mozambicans will celebrate
their 18th birthday.
Thus only 39% of those who should have
registered did so, and the target was a mere
30%.
The figures are even worse, when one
considers that all those who failed to register in
previous years (provided they are less than 35
years old) should have taken the opportunity to
register this time.
Speaking at a Monday press conference, the
director of human resources in the Defence
Ministry, Edgar Cossa, said that the overall
result was a 1% improvement on last year’s
figure.
He added that 71,890 of those who registered
are women.

Several provinces had surpassed their targets,
he said.
Thus, Maputo city had achieved 167% of its
target, Zambézia 148% and Maputo Province
141%. In Cabo Delgado, the figure was 130%,
and Gaza. Tete and Niassa all achieved 126%
of their targets.
Definitive figures will only be available at the
end of the month, including Mozambicans living
abroad, who are supposed to register at
Mozambican embassies or consulates.
Registration by no means implies joining the
armed forces. The FADM is a relatively small
army, and does not have the resources to
recruit and train more than a few thousand
people every year.
Hence the vast majority of those who registered
in January and February will never set foot
inside a barracks.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
Japan and Mozambique agree on maritime
security co-operation
On Wednesday 15 March, Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe and President Filipe Nyusi
reached a co-operation agreement between
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their countries on maritime security and other
fields.
In a joint press conference after the meeting,
Prime Minister Abe said that the Japan-
Mozambique partnership is important to
realising a free and open Indo-Pacific region,
and expressed his eagerness to strengthen the
bilateral relationship.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic relations between
the two nations.
“I would like to further develop relation with
Mozambique, which is a country that faces the
Indian Ocean and is an entrance to southeast
Africa, a place in which Japanese companies
have great interest”, Prime Minister Abe said.
Source: JiJi News
Spokesmen promoted to generals
On Tuesday 14 March, President Filipe Nyusi
promoted the former spokesperson of the
command of the city of Maputo (Arnaldo Chefo)
and the current spokesperson of the Ministry of
the Interior (Francisco Simões) to the rank of
deputy of the Commissioner of the Police, in the
rank of General Officials.
Source: Folha de Maputo

CRIME
President Zuma addresses KZN-
Mozambique cross border crime
On Tuesday 14 March, South African President
Jacob Zuma visited Manguzi on the KwaZulu-
Natal and Mozambique border. The visit was
part of the South African government’s
campaign to intensify the fight against crime.
The President inspected the Kosi Bay border
between KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique. He
also met with the affected communities.
Residents have been living in fear, saying they
are being terrorised by armed gangs who target
4×4 vehicles. They have been hit hard by cross
border syndicates.
Despite police intervention, the syndicates don’t
stop. Affected residents called for the
President’s intervention.
The communities have held several marches
and appealed to the President to intervene and
engage with his counterpart in Mozambique.
The Induna of Mnyayiza Village in Manguzi,
Joseph Tembe, said he hopes President Zuma
will come up with solutions to what has become
a crisis.
Tembe says there needs to be co-operation
between South Africa and Mozambique to stop
these crimes. He expressed the hope that
President Zuma can assist in ensuring that
vehicles that have already been stolen are
brought back.
He says even when a vehicle has been
positively identified by its owner, the person is
forced to pay a large sum of money for it to be
brought back across the border. Tembe says it
is almost like buying your own vehicle for the
second time.
The chairperson of ruling party’s youth league
(ANCYL) in the Far North Region, Sandile
Sibiya, told News24 that they wanted
government to build a “huge wall” along the
Mozambican border to prevent criminals from
stealing their cars.
“The criminals just cut through the wire fence
separating the two countries and get away. So
now we want a huge wall to be erected here to
prevent any further cross border crime and we
want government to deploy more soldiers”, he
said.
“What’s worrying most is that those criminals
don’t even change number plates on the
hijacked cars once they get them to
Mozambique. Our local police can’t do anything
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once the cars have been taken across the
border”, he said.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu, who
was part of the government's delegation,
announced that ZAR48-million has been set
aside to fight cross-border crime.
“Rural communities are under a huge yoke of
poverty and have to bear the burden of stock
theft and car hijackings”, Mchunu said.
However, during the meeting, the South African
Defence Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula,
informed President Zuma that the country
simply does not have the money or manpower
to step up security of the country’s porous
borders.
“We do everything but we always hit a snag
when it comes to finances. There are huge
expectations from us but budget cuts remain a
problem. Our force guarding and patrolling the
border has been cut down by about 4,000”, she
said.
Minister Mapisa-Nqakula said the issue has
been highlighted in the Defence Review‚ which
talks about the rejuvenation of the force. But
fiscal decisions were hampering their work.
President Zuma encouraged the Minister and
her cluster ministers to take this issue to
Cabinet.
He also questioned the roles being played by
other governments. “Do you have joint
collaborations with your counterparts in
Mozambique?” President Zuma asked. Minister
Mapisa-Nqakula said these were in place‚ but
were not reciprocal.
“The joint collaborations appear to be on our
side only. As I speak‚ three of our members
were arrested in Mozambique and it took us a
long time to negotiate their release”, she said.
Later in the week, South Africa’s Deputy
President Cyril Ramaphosa shot down the
suggestion that South Africa should build a
massive wall on the border between
Mozambique due to crime.
Deputy President Ramaphosa was responding
to questions in the National Council of
Provinces (NCOP) on violence against
foreigners.
“On the issue that you raise on building of a
wall. We are a nation that does not build walls.
We do not believe in building walls‚ it defines
who we are. We say South Africa is an open
country and when people come here we must
deal with them with dignity and respect and

within parameters of our own constitution”, said
the Deputy President.
Deputy President Ramaphosa‚ who was
answering questions in the parliament for the
third time in as many weeks‚ added that building
a wall wouldn’t come cheap.
“We will never subscribe to that. And besides‚
we don’t have money to build walls”, he said.
Source: SABC/News24/TMG Digital/The
Times/Parliamentary Bureau
Supreme Court concerned about poor
dissemination of alternative sentences
The Supreme Court recently admitted that some
segments of society still do not understand the
mechanisms for applying alternative measures
to imprisonment, which is why it advocates
greater disclosure of the relevant legislation.
Pedro Nhatitima, a judge-advisor and a
spokesperson for the Supreme Court, told
reporters that since the adoption of the Penal
Code, which provides for alternative measures
to imprisonment, opinions remain divided as to
their application, with some arguing that all
offenders should be taken to jail.
“Unfortunately it seems that the introduction of
these alternative measures was not
accompanied by widespread disclosure. Our
perception is that society is not yet ready to see
a citizen convicted of a particular crime serving
an alternative sentence to imprisonment, rather
than being incarcerated. One gets the feeling
that the condemned individual did not receive
the due punishment. Not really. The judge, in
the light of all the tools, of all the facts, elements
and the law, on a case-by-case basis, can verify
the best measure to be applied. Incidentally, it is
necessary to take into account the
resocialisation of the convict and not only the
punishment”, explained Nhatitima.
He added that alternative prison sentences are
modern forms of resocialisation of individuals
who have committed a particular criminal
offense.
In order to reverse the scenario, Nhatitima
defended that state institutions, particularly the
Ministry of Justice, the Institute of Legal
Sponsorship and Assistance, the Bar
Association, the various associations dealing
with matters related to Human Rights, religious
and traditional leaders, should make their
contribution in legal and civic education to
society so that it is aware of this philosophy.
Source: Jornal Notícias
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Supreme court proposes to cut judges’
holidays
In a major shake-up of the Mozambican legal
system, the country’s judges will now find their
annual holiday entitlement cut from two months
to one.
Announcing the proposal, the spokesperson for
the Supreme Court, Pedro Nhatitima, said that
from now on judges should take their holidays
like any other state employee, and will be free to
enjoy a month’s paid leave at any time in the
year.
The current system of collective “judicial
holidays” covers the entire first two months of
the year. In January and February only trials
that began the previous year can continue, and
no new trials may be started. So during those
two months, Nhatitima noted, “the courts were
stopped, interrupting the operations of a public
service”.
Adding to the absurdity, one study has found
that, although their holidays are supposed to
take place in January and February, about 40%
of Mozambican judges take their holidays
outside of that period, thus reducing still further
the productivity of the judicial system.
The “judicial holidays”, Nhatitima accused, were
partly responsible for overcrowding in the
prisons, “particularly in the months of March and
April, when the judges are returning from leave,
and the courts are working at half speed”.
Detentions made by the police in January and
February are not properly accompanied by
magistrates (who should validate a detention
within 48 hours), because they are all at home,
he continued.
“We want to transmit the idea of continuity of
service”, said Nhatitima. “Judges will take their
holidays in the same way as anyone else.
Reducing the holiday period will allow us to
reduce the problem of prison overcrowding, and
the excessive work load on the courts, and will
guarantee a certain continuity in managing
cases”.
Another reform proposed by the Supreme Court
is to allow district courts to decide on the
granting of provisional freedom to prisoners,
instead of passing all such cases up to the
provincial courts.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de
Moçambique/Jornal Notícias

Gaza:
Owner of Complexo Aquárius
do Bilene abducted
On the morning of Tuesday 14
March, the owner of the tourist
resort Complexo Aquárius do
Bilene was abducted by five unknown
individuals.
According to reports, the victim (identified as
José Apolinário) was travelling to his office
located in the municipality of Bilene (Gaza
Province) at approximately 6:45hrs when he
was intercepted at Bilene Beach and abducted
by five armed men in a Toyota Runnex.
The PRM were immediately informed of the
occurrence.
Apolinário (who is of Portuguese origin) was
released at 3:00hrs on Wednesday after being
held for 21 hours. Accord to him, the kidnappers
released him at dawn in a forest in the district of
Bilene. The five men originally demanded a
ransom of US$1-million in exchange for his
freedom; however, when Apolinário explained
that he did not possess that amount, the
kidnappers accepted the MT100,000 that
Apolinário was carrying in his car at the time of
the abduction.
This is the second reported kidnapping in the
space of two weeks. The first kidnapping
occurred in the Manhiça district (Maputo
Province). The victim was later released and
has been reunited with her family. This is also
the second reported kidnapping in Gaza
Province in the space of three months. In the
first case the victim (a teenager) was released
by his abductors a few days after being
kidnapped.
Source: Folha de Maputo/Jornal Notícias/Correio da
Manhã
Inhambane:
Man arrested for killing his
grandchild in Inhambane
A 64-year-old man was recently
arrested in the district of Inharrime
(Inhambane Province) on charges
of murder.
According to the PRM, the man murdered his
seven-year-old grandson and buried the body in
the forest before fleeing to neighbouring Panda.
The man allegedly killed the young boy because
he refused to feed the detainee’s cattle.
Source: Moçambique Media Online
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Teacher arrested for raping 14-year-old
student in Zavala district
During the course of the week 3 to 10 March, a
26-year-old school teacher was arrested in the
Zavala district (Inhambane Province) on
charges of rape.
According to reports, the detainee raped a 14-
year-old student in a nearby informal shop.
According to reports, the teacher blackmailed
the young victim into submission.
The teacher was subsequently arrested when
the victim’s parents reported the case to the
police.
Source: @Verdade
Three arrested for fuel theft
During the course of the week 3 to 10 March,
the PRM arrested three men on charges of fuel
theft.
According to reports, the three detainees stole
more than 1,000 litres of diesel from EdM. The
theft involved an EdM workers.
The detainees were intercepted by the PRM en-
route to Maxixe, where they intended to sell the
fuel.
Source: @Verdade
Manica:
Portuguese man accused of
forging US currency
On Wednesday 15 March, the
Mozambican police arrested a
Portuguese citizen, accused of
forging foreign currency.
The man was found at Machipanda, on the
border between the central province of Manica
and Zimbabwe, illegally changing what seemed
to be US dollar bills into Mozambican currency.
However, the dollars turned out to be fake.
According to the spokesperson for the Manica
provincial police command, Elcídia Filipe, the
Portuguese citizen (whose name has not been
revealed, but is currently resident in Beira) was
in possession of US$5,700 in forged notes.
“He was detained when he was changing
money on the border”, said Filipe. “We found
him in possession of 57 forged 100 dollar bills.
We presume he left Beira (Sofala Province),
where he lives, and went along the Beira
Corridor, changing money as he went”.
She did not believe he had intended to cross
into Zimbabwe, since he did not have the

appropriate documentation. “He was just there
changing the fake money”, she said. Filipe
added that investigations are now under way to
discover where the forged notes were printed,
and to identify others involved in the forging
network.
Criminal charges are bring brought against the
man, and he is expected to appear in court
soon.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
Maputo:
Police arrest two suspected
kidnappers in Maputo
During the course of the weekend
11 to 12 March, the PRM arrested
two men on suspicion of being
part of a kidnapping gang
operating in Maputo and Gaza.
The suspects have also been charged with
being implicated in the kidnapping of
Portuguese-Mozambican hotel owner José
Apolinário in the Bilene district (Gaza Province)
on Tuesday 14 March.
The police said that two other gang members
were on the run, but that officers were pursuing
them.
According to the police in Maputo Province, the
gang kidnapped a woman and injured her
husband in the Manhiça district in February, and
kidnapped a businessman in the vicinity of the
Maputo Shopping Supermarket in the central
area of the country’s capital.
The gang used a vehicle (currently in the
possession of the police) that was driven from
Gaza to Maputo, and then returned to Gaza,
where they hid it.
“They are part of the group of kidnappers”,
Emídio Mabunda, a PRM spokesperson in
Maputo, told the press, pointing out that the
operation was launched by the police and the
National Criminal Investigation Service
(SERNIC) of the city and provinces of Maputo
and Gaza.
The two individuals have been in police custody
since the weekend, while the abduction of José
Apolinário occurred on Tuesday.
However, Law and Order officials believe that
they and their alleged accomplices (who are still
at large) were the masterminds behind the
abduction of Apolinário.
One of the detainees argued that he was only
guilty of lending his car to William Matusse, a
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friend and neighbour. It was not the first time he
had done it, but he never asked what his friend
needed the car for. According to the man, the
police arrested him at his house in Bilene
because his vehicle was used in a kidnapping in
the Manhiça district.
The other suspect also protested his innocence,
but the police dispute the defendant’s version,
claiming that he had prepared the place where
the victims were held captive.
Source: @Verdade
Military officer accused of raping 10-year-old
girl
A military officer assigned to the Mozambican
Air Force has fled his home after being accused
of raping a 10-year-old girl in the Maxaquene
neighbourhood (Maputo Province).
The incident occurred at the rented home of the
accused. According to reports, as soon as
neighbours became aware of the incident, the
officer and his wife fled, leaving behind all of
their personal belongings.
The parents of the victim reported the case to
the police, and the young girl was subsequently
sent for medical examinations, which confirmed
that they child had indeed been raped.
According to the young victim, she was at the
perpetrator’s house watching television with the
offender and his wife. The offender
subsequently excused himself and went to his
bedroom where he called for his wife to join him.
The child continued to watch television until the
wife returned, at which point the child fell asleep
in front of the TV. According to the victim, she
woke up to find the perpetrator’s hands around
her neck, at which point she passed out.
“I was asleep in the living room when Uncle
Brigido woke me up. He covered my mouth and
squeezed my neck. I fainted and I do not
remember what happened next”, the child said.
When the young girl awoke, she was in the
perpetrator’s garden, covered in sand and
various injuries.
The victim subsequently walked home, where
she was confronted by her mother regarding the
wounds on her body. The young girl revealed to
her mother that she had been raped.
The police immediately arrested the perpetrator,
who was later able to secure his freedom under
known circumstances and flee the area with his
wife.
Source: @Verdade

Maputo women fear violence and sexual
harassment
Maputo residents have called for tougher
punishment for sexual offenders, for the
reinforcement of police patrols and for more
street lights.
Approximately 90% of the women and girls who
circulate the streets of Maputo after 22:00hrs
fear for their safety. This is according to a study
conducted by UN Mulher. The study, recently
released by the UN agency, further states that
60% of the women and girls who had been
circulating in the streets after 22:00hrs during
the last 12 months in the city of Maputo were
victims of violence or sexual harassment.
Deutsche Welle Africa toured the streets of
Maputo at night, listening to several women
complaining about insecurity. The majority of
those interviewed are employees at restaurants,
pastry shops, bars and kiosks, as well as
students. Carlota da Conceição is a civil servant
and understands that the phenomenon already
has dire consequences.
“We have seen cases where girls and young
women who study at night, many of them living
in areas susceptible to robberies or violence
against women, stop studying because they
encounter such crimes”, he says.
Giving up work is not a feasible solution for
working women, explains Felicidade Mazanga,
a maid working in downtown Maputo. “I think a
lot about giving up (working at night) but I
cannot, especially with this crisis”, she
confesses. Arminda Vasco, also a labourer in
downtown Maputo, suffers the same dilemma. “I
have to work because I have children who
depend on me”, she says.
Many women leave the workplace after
22:00hrs, at a time when public transport is no
longer in circulation. In such cases, workers are
forced to use the “My love” minivans or walk to
their residence. However, in fear of violence,
many of the women have resorted to going out
in groups. However, they add, “sometimes it is
not possible because we work in shifts. For
example, it's just us today”.
For Conceição the scenario is worrying.
"Society must stop and start to see what should
be done in relation to the protection of women”,
says Arminda Mahumane, an informal
saleswoman in Maputo. “There must be more
laws. For example, (men) who rape women
should be detained”.
Arminda Jaime argues that there must be “more
police to protect the streets, especially at night”.
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In the opinion of UN Women’s representatives
in Mozambique, Florence Raes, in order to
combat the phenomenon, it is necessary to hold
more talks, rehabilitate recreational spaces and
more. It is also necessary that there be a
“rehabilitation of the urban space so that we do
not have so many narrow alleys and without
lighting”.
Coalition of Mozambican Youth Association:
One of the organisations that has been involved
in combating the phenomenon is the Coalition of
Mozambican Youth Association. The co-
ordinator of the organisation reported to
Deutsche Welle Africa on the work they have
been doing in this regard: “We show through
awareness campaigns, through cultural events
such as music, theatre and sports, that it is
important for them to know how to respond and
prevent situations of violence and rape”, he
says.
Source: Deutsche Welle Africa
Prison guard arrested in Maputo for illegal
weapon possession
On Monday 13 March, 25-year-old T. Macie was
arrested by the Maputo PRM on charges of
illegally possessing a gun. The detainee, who is
employed as a prison guard, was stopped by
police along the public road in the Mahotas
neighbourhood and found to be in possession of
a gun loaded with four rounds of ammunition.
Macie was subsequently taken into custody.
Between 4 and 10 March, the PRM recovered
six firearms (two of which were AK-47s), and
119 rounds of ammunition. Of these, at least
112 rounds were for an AK-47 and seven were
for pistols, according to the General Command.
Source: @Verdade
Nampula:
Home invaders rape minor in
Nampula
On the night of Saturday 11
March, two unidentified criminals
raped a 12-year-old girl in the city
of Nampula. The victim is the
daughter of a police officer.
The victim was in the care of her grandmother
at the time of the incident as her mother was at
work.
According to police sources, the two men broke
into the victim’s house with the intention of
stealing various items; however, the attackers
abducted the young girl, taking her to a
secluded area in the neighbourhood where they

raped her and subjected her to physical and
psychological abuse.
The child was immediately taken to the nearby
police station and referred to the Central
Hospital of Nampula for medical treatment.
The young girl told the police that the men
intended to kill both her and her grandmother,
but she begged them to spare their lives. One of
the men allegedly told his accomplice to leave
the girl and her grandmother alone, but his
collaborator initially insisted on killing the two
victims.
Following the rape, the men instructed the
young victim to run home “without looking back”.
Source: @Verdade
Sofala:
Illegal Chinese exporter of
prawns uncovered in
Mozambique
Fisheries authorities of Sofala
Province recently seized at least
one-ton of premium prawns
smuggled by an illegal Chinese
company. The PRM also seized more than 80
kilograms of processed crabs at the Beira Port.
Authorities revealed that the Chinese firm
packaged top-quality prawns and processed
crabs in freezers to put them up for export.
Furthermore, the company did not have any
documentations or authorisation to export the
seized produce.
Carlos Sindela, the provincial director of
fisheries authorities, said the company refused
to address the media. Workers didn’t present
any justifications except that the firm’s owner is
in China.
HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND NGO’S
Twenty-first century slavery: Mozambican
victims of human trafficking
We’ll call him Artur, to protect his identity. He
left Inhambane for Maputo to earn some money
in order to continue studying. When he arrived
in the big city, he expected a better life. Every
week he was able to save MT100 towards his
goal. Time passed, until one day two young
men, apparently of good character, offered him
a job that would pay 10 times more than what
he was earning. His imagination sprang to life,
filling his mind’s eyes with illusions that seemed
the right path. But fate had betrayed him. The
prospect of having a job had delivered him into
the hands of traffickers, that dream became the
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The Chinese firm’s activity was not even
registered in the country, explained Sindela.
The police inquiry also proved that the Chinese
firm was using an old site of a bankrupt local
company to conduct their illegal activities.
“The owners of the fake Chinese company had
no documentation, at all”, he added.
According to Sindela, all the parties involved in
this illegal activity will be punished accordingly
as a heavy fine is expected.
Although, Mozambique is known for the
richness of its fisheries resources, it is still a
vulnerable sector in the country. Prawns are
among the most valuable seafood in
Mozambique. Over the last decades, several
companies had to close their doors due to a
major price drop.
Fisheries authorities are increasing efforts to
improve the sector by stopping the
overexploitation of fisheries resources.
Source: Afrika News
Tete:
Gang arrested in Tete on
kidnapping charges
During the course of the week
3 to 10 March, the Tete PRM
arrested a group of three men
(aged between 22 and 25) on
charges of kidnapping.
The gang had been implicated in the abduction
of a 12-year-old child in the Tsangano district
(Tete Province). The child has since been
rescued and reunited with her family.
Source: @Verdade
first step into a living nightmare. He was taken
to the Ressano Garcia border along with three
other young people, who also dreamed of a
promising future. But in a short time, he was in
South Africa clandestinely, and torture was his
only welcome. The group of men who promised
dreams delivered only nightmares. They
violated him, leaving scars his body will carry for
the rest of his life. His right index finger was cut
with a knife and you can still see a scar on his
foot where the men tried to cut it off, but he
resisted and they gave up.
“I was tortured. The beatings I took, I hope I’ll
never feel them again in my life. That was
terrible. It was meant to be a job, but it only

brought me marks that I will not forget for the
rest of my life,” he said, with furrowed browed,
as if feeling the same pain yet again. Artur was
rescued and was able to return to Mozambique.
The dream, in fact, the nightmare of the
promising South Africa was behind him. His job-
to-be was, in fact, to be trafficked for organ
harvesting.
Selling lives:
Although abolished in 1836, slavery persists in
contemporary societies in various forms of
exploitation. Some call it 21st century slavery,
others modern slavery. Here, there are lives that
no one dreams of. Women, children and men
are the target of a network where everything is
sold and everything is bought. False promises
make future “slaves”.
Demand makes the offer; sexual exploitation,
forced labour, forced begging, organ sales
make the circuit. The victim profile, according to
the Episcopal Commission for Migrants,
Refugees and Displaced Persons (Cemirde), is
one of vulnerable people deprived of basic
means of subsistence and in search of better
living conditions.
Women and teenagers fuel the trafficking
industry:
Catarina and Joana (not their real names), aged
14 and 17, respectively, also fell into the
trafficking networks. The two teenagers were
betrayed by a cousin. Their nightmare began at
home, where their cousin overwhelmed them
with promises of a job in South Africa,
guaranteed housing and salary. Vulnerable and
in need for money, one of the girls was tempted
by the promises and took her friend along.
“She (human trafficker) said that I would to go to
work in South Africa as a maid and babysitter. I
accepted because I wanted money to study
during the day, since my grandfather does not
work and does not have the money to pay for
me”, the minor says.
But at the end of the day, the promises were
empty. The trafficker sent off with the two girls
to Boane district, 45 kilometres from Maputo.
They were to be taken across the Swaziland
border first, then illegally into neighbouring
South Africa. There, they were to be sold into
prostitution for MT5,000 each. Fortunately, the
intervention of the Mozambique police
prevented the scheme, which almost certainly
promised nothing but a bitter future for the
minors. But this is how more and more young
people fall into the trafficking network of so-
called modern slavery.
Source: O País/Club of Mozambique
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The human and organ trafficking routes
Mozambique is a gateway, transhipment,
supplier and destination country for organ
trafficking.
A study by the Human Rights League (Liga
Mocambicana dos Direitos Humanos, LDH)
indicates that Mozambique has seven main
routes for organ trafficking, namely, Cuamba
and Nchinji (in northern Mozambique); Chire,
Machanga and Beira (in the centre); as well as
Limpopo and the extreme south.
The study also reveals that the central region of
Mozambique has the highest number of cases,
with 70% of cases of organ harvesting occurring
in Tete, Zambézia, Manica and Sofala.
According to a UNESCO report, citizens from
the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Great
Lakes region and Somalia constitute the bulk of
the flow. They arrive at Nacala by boat, and
then join the routes.
The complexity of the routes is not limited to
entering the country. As mentioned by the
International Organization for Migration (IOM),
Mozambique is a potential supplier to the sex
industry in Portugal, Angola and South Africa, in
the latter through the great corridors: Ponta de
Ouro and Ressano Garcia – a vast, allied
frontier to the presence of corrupt guards who
allow the entry of Mozambicans into South
Africa illegally.
The influx of illegal entry is reflected in the
numbers of Mozambicans deported annually.
The National Institute of the Mozambican
Communities Abroad reports that about 10,000
illegal Mozambican immigrants are deported
every year and that every 10 minutes a
clandestine enters the South African territory.
In fact, entering the South African territory
without any document is “normal” along
Ressano Garcia. It happens under the
complicity of the PRM, border guard and South
African police.
“We pay the guards, we pay the PRM and the
soldiers (South Africans). It's MT100”, reveals a
facilitator, commonly known as ‘mareyanes’.
Regarding what they charge the illegal
immigrant, the facilitator said: “A person who
does not have a passport is charged ZAR150.
Sometimes it's ZAR100”.
Thus, the illicit business is leveraged. A
complex network that involves even those who
must fight it.
Source: O País

Maputo water supply remains critical
Despite a recent increase in the level of water
stored in the Pequenos Libombos Dam, the
water supply for the Greater Maputo
Metropolitan Area remains critical, warned
Mozambique’s Minister of Public works, Carlos
Martinho on Thursday 16 March. The water
supply for Maputo, the neighbouring city of
Matola and Boane district depends on the
pumping and treatment station on the Umbeluzi
River. The Umbeluzi rises in Swaziland, and
then flows towards Maputo via the Pequenos
Libombos reservoir.
Minister Martinho said there had been some
rain in the Umbeluzi Basin, but not enough to
raise the reservoir to healthy levels. According
to the National Hydrological Bulletin published
by the National Directorate of Water Resources,
on Thursday the reservoir was 26.06% full.
While this is an improvement on the situation in
early January, when it was only 13% full, it is
not enough to lift the current water restrictions in
force in Maputo, Matola and Boane.
The Maputo Regional Water Company (AdeM)
is pumping water to each neighbourhood on
alternate days. This is not a major problem for
people who have tanks on the roofs of their
houses which can store water for a couple of
days, but people who rely on standpipes may
find themselves seriously short of water. For the
first few days in March, the authorities closed
the floodgates on the Pequenos Libombos Dam
completely, in order to increase the amount of
water stored in the reservoir. This was possible,
because there was still water downstream, at
Movene, which could supply the Umbeluzi
pumping station.
That water is now exhausted, and as from
Monday the Pequenos Libombos reservoir was
releasing 1.5 cubic metres of water a second
into the Umbeluzi. The current rainy season
(October to March) is drawing to a close, and
not much rain can be expected in the April to
September period. Even when the next rainy
season begins in October “there is no guarantee
of rainfall that will supply the Pequenos
Libombos reservoir”, warned the Minister.
The Zambezi Basin is also causing some
concern. Low levels of water at the Cahora
Bassa dam could compromise its capacity to
generate electricity. However, the level of the
Cahora Bassa lake has been steadily rising, and
on Thursday it was 66.4% full. The country’s
other river basins “are normal”, said Minister
Martinho. The threat of severe flooding on the
Limpopo river, in the southern province of Gaza
has receded, and the level of the river is
currently dropping.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
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Alleged diversion of cyclone victim
donations in Inhambane
In Inhambane Province citizens are alleging that
donations to the victims of cyclone Dineo are
being diverted. According to some beneficiaries,
the criteria for selecting beneficiaries and
distributing food and other goods to cyclone
victims are unclear. Residents interviewed by
Rádio Moçambique say that the support
provided by the government, partners and
people of goodwill only benefit those working for
the government and their relatives in the
neighbourhoods involved.
“The distributions were absurd. Even those
obviously in need got nothing. There were
people who prevented them from entering other
homes that suffered from the storm”, said one
interviewee, complaining about the lack of
transparency in the process of distribution of
food and other goods. In the wake of such
allegations, Rádio Moçambique reporter
contacted some neighbourhood secretaries,
who denied involvement in the diversion of
donations.
Source: Rádio Moçambique/Club of Mozambique
Mozambique: cyclone Dineo Office of the
Resident Co-ordinator Situation Report
Highlights:
• There are 207,000 students affected and
in need of emergency education
services;
• Reallocated 19 motor ambulances to
reinforce emergency referral system at
community level and 21 hospital tents
were provided;
• There is a US$8.7-million funding gap to
provide immediate assistance to people
affected by the cyclone;
• Roughly 27,000 hectares of several
crops were lost affecting 15,000 farmers;
• The response provided to date in the
education sector is meeting less than
10% of the needs;
• There is need to repair essential health
infrastructure to ensure wide access of
health services in affected areas;
Situation overview:
On 15 February 2017, the south of Mozambique
(specifically Inhambane Province) was affected
by cyclone Dineo resulting in damages to social
infrastructure, government offices as well as
individual houses. The provincial authorities of

Inhambane reported that the cyclone affected
approximately 550,691 people (112,513
families), of which 7,651 families were
considered most vulnerable. At least 33,712
houses were totally destroyed and a further
71,294 houses were partially destroyed with
Massinga, Morrumbene, Maxixe and
Inhambane city being the most affected areas.
In terms of infrastructure, 389 government
offices, 70 health units (including 52 maternity
units), as well as 2,200 classrooms were
partially destroyed. The education authorities
estimated that 207,000 students and 4,500
teachers were affected. Furthermore, 899 power
poles were damaged and/or destroyed leaving
eight districts without electricity for at least five
days, affecting the water supply in Maxixe and
Inhambane city.
In the agriculture sector, approximately 27,000
hectares of several crops were lost with
Massinga, Morrumbene, Inhambane and
Funhalouro being the most affected districts.
Moreover, about 135,865 fruit trees (cashew
and coconut trees) were lost. These fruit trees
represent an important source of income for the
affected population (most of affected districts
were Massinga, Inharrime, Morrumbene and
Jangamo).
It is important to acknowledge the early warning
issued by the government authorities before the
landfall of the cyclone. On 13 February the
government called on the Technical Council for
Disaster Management to discuss and
recommend prevention and readiness
measures which included communication with
the local government in concerned provinces
about the cyclone and its potential impact, the
activation of local committees for disaster
management, the intensification of monitoring
measures, among other procedures.
As a result of cyclone Dineo, several basic
social services such as health care, education
and water supply (especially in urban areas)
were disrupted due to lack of electricity and
partial destruction of the respective
infrastructures (health units and classrooms).
The joint needs assessment conducted by the
government and HCT indicated that main
humanitarian needs requiring urgent response
are: 1) repairing the homes of the most
vulnerable population; 2) providing livelihood
support to households adversely impacted by
the cyclone; 3) ensuring the provision of health
services and the restoration of health
infrastructures, and 4) restoring the education
infrastructures for the resumption of education
services.
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In line with the humanitarian needs, the
response to date has been provided by the
government with support of Humanitarian
Country Team, and it included the provision of
tents for maternity services in affected health
units in Maxixe and Morrumbene, the provision
of fuel for emergency water pumping in
Inhambane, the provision of food and shelter
kits for the most vulnerable people as well as
food for work/assets for road cleaning/debris
removal, the provision of school tents and
leaner kits.
The above-mentioned response activities are
being implemented in close co-ordination with
the government authorities. However, the
availability of funds from donors is key to enable
the humanitarian community to meet the needs
effectively. The HCT members are providing the
initial response using existing stocks but these
are below the needs and do not respond
properly to what is required.
Efforts to mobilise additional resources are
ongoing. On 22 February, the government
(through the INGC) invited the donors and
partners to share information regarding the
impact of the cyclone and requested their
support to respond to the existing needs.
Moreover, on 1 March the INGC sent a request
letter to the HCT chair to mobilise funding
resources to provide humanitarian assistance.
As a response to this call, the HCT prepared a
flash appeal to inform the donors and
humanitarian community on the needs and
funding requirements to assist the cyclone-
affected people in Inhambane Province.
Source: Relief Web
Dirty rivers in drought-hit Mozambique kill
as much as lack of food
Depleted harvests are not the only threat to the
lives of vulnerable communities in drought-hit
Mozambique, one of Africa’s poorest countries.
Lack of access to clean water and proper
hygiene is affecting the lives of many people,
who contract diseases and infections that
impact them harder as their immune system is
already weakened due to inadequate nutrition.
In the Changara district (Tete Province), people
have died after drinking water from the nearby
river, which is polluted. “When communities do
not have access to clean water, they face
several problems such as the spread of
diseases, including cholera. In some cases,
people defecate in the open and the faeces can
infect the water people will then drink”, Vania
Ali, wash co-ordinator at charity World Vision,
told IBTimes UK.
The NGO has given the community in Changara
a water pump. People, who were also shown

how to use water purifiers to clean containers
they use to fetch water, will have to contribute a
small amount to maintain the pump, which can
prevent deaths. However, access to clean water
is not enough to prevent the spread of mortal
diseases and ailments. “Hygiene is very
important and building latrines is essential”, Ali
continued.
The project is funded by the UK government’s
Department for International Development
(DfID). The UK, which has spent around £59-
million (US$73-million) on Mozambique aid in
the past year, also provided £32-million for the
drought fightback in the country to buy
emergency life-saving food, water and shelter in
the drought-affected communities.
“As the world faces a number of unprecedented
humanitarian crises this year, almost two-million
people in Mozambique are facing the daily
threat of going without enough food and large
numbers of children are malnourished due to a
prolonged drought”, DfID's Africa minister,
James Wharton, told IBTimes UK.
“That is why the UK is leading the response.
Tackling the global challenges of our time such
as drought and disease which fuel migration,
insecurity and instability is the right thing to do
and is firmly in Britain's interest”.
A school in Changara is using theatre to teach
pupils and the rest of the community about the
importance of hygiene, good use of water and
education. “People become aware when they
see demonstrations, they can relate and
understand problems”, Anabela Arnaldo, a first
grade teacher at the school in Changara, told
IBTimes UK.
Access to clean water – coupled with food
distribution and training programmes on
measures that can reduce the effects of the
drought – not only prevent deaths, but also
protect children from abuses including trafficking
and child marriage.
“If a child has to walk miles to fetch water, they
would not have time to go to school and this is a
violation of their rights. Even things such as
access to clean water can help prevent crimes
against children”, Simione Carlos Mhula, child
protection manager at World Vision
Mozambique, told IBTimes UK.
“We have so many cases of child marriages
because lack of food”, he continued. “We have
situations where fathers say they go to the city
to find jobs, but then they disappear. People
approach mothers saying they can feed their
children, but they want their daughters as brides
in exchange”.
Source: International Business Times
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US$11-million available to rebuild schools in
Nampula, Zambézia and Niassa
Approximately US$11-million is currently
available to finance the rebuilding of schools
damaged by natural disasters across the
country, using more resilient materials and
technology. The provinces of Nampula,
Zambézia and Niassa, worst affected by recent
adverse climatic conditions, will be the main
beneficiaries of the project. According to official
figures, about 1,471 classrooms will be rebuilt,
of which 1,038 will be built using local materials.
The National Director of Infrastructures and
School Equipment of the Ministry of Education
and Human Development, António Grachane,
announced the development in an interview with
Notícias, adding that the work will start within
days, and must comply with material and
construction quality standards. The programme
will be implemented over a period of three years
and may be extended if necessary. Tenders for
contractors are to be launched shortly.
“There are schools to be rebuilt in other parts of
the country, but our attention is focused on
these three provinces. Much of the
infrastructure that will be rebuilt was destroyed
by the floods of 2015/16”, Grachane said.
Grachane explained that the buildings erected
must take into account the climate in the region,
so that schools are not routinely destroyed by
bad weather.
“Stronger schools should be built in areas where
there are strong winds, and where there is
flooding, buildings must also be built to
withstand it”, Grachane said. Grachane said his
department has information on weather
conditions in each region of the country to help
technicians design buildings that take specific
problems into account.
Source: Jornal Notícias
Schools closed by conflict are already open
On Monday 13 March, the Mozambican
Education Minister said that the situation in
areas where there had been conflict between
the Defence and Security Forces and Renamo
had normalised and that schools that had been
closed are back in operation.
“All the schools that were closed due to this
situation were reopened and, fortunately, things
are underway as per normal”, Minister
Conceição Sortane told Lusa at a book donation
ceremony in Maputo.
Official figures released earlier this year
indicated that around 20,000 students in
Mozambique’s central provinces risked failing
final exams in November last year (2016) due to

unrest in the central part of the country.
Conflicts between the FADM and the armed
wing of Renamo caused thousands of students
to miss lessons and closed dozens of schools
mainly in the provinces of Manica, Zambézia
and Sofala.
Although the beginning of the school year was
marked by some fear in the former conflict
zones, Minister Sortane said that the truce
between the parties “gave back hope” to
Mozambicans, and it was already possible to
see the schools in these regions full again and
functioning normally. “The truce was the most
important moment for us”, Minister Sortane said,
noting that peace and stability are basic
preconditions of government strategies for the
education sector.
Calling for the involvement of everybody in the
attainment of a definitive peace, the Minister
said: “We believe that peace has come to stay,
for the good not only of our students, but of the
entire population”.
Source: Lusa
Anadarko strengthens educational support
in four provinces
Anadarko and its partners have joined an
initiative to produce books in local languages as
a way of contributing to literacy in four of
Mozambique’s provinces. The initiative,
covering Cabo Delgado, Niassa, Tete and
Maputo, is being implemented by the Ministry of
Education and Human Development, the
Progresso Association and Canada’s CODE
HEALTH
Cholera outbreak now in four provinces
The current cholera outbreak in Mozambique
has claimed two lives out of 1,222 confirmed
cases, according to the Deputy National
Director of Public Health, Benigna Matsinhe.
Speaking at a Maputo press conference on
Tuesday 14 March, Matsinhe said the most
alarming situation was in Tete, where 395 cases
were diagnosed in just five days. In Tete, “the
spread of the disease is very rapid”, she said.
The Tete districts affected by the outbreak are
Tete city, Cahora Bassa, Chiuta, Magoe,
Moatize and Changara.
In the northern province of Nampula, where
cholera has been detected in the provincial
capital, Nampula city, and in the districts of
Memba, Mogovolas, Mecuburi, Muecate,
Mogincual, Nacaroa, Mossuril and Rapale, the
cumulative number of cases stands at 494.
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non-governmental organisation. The project
employs a variety of strategies to improve the
quality of teacher education in the provinces
concerned.
Speaking at the launch, Anadarko
representative Eva Pinto reaffirmed the
company’s commitment to developing and
supporting initiatives that create long-term
benefits for Mozambicans. This commitment to
the country’s development, Pinto said, was
demonstrated by its support for the launch of
the 11 titles, produced in each of the six national
languages, including Portuguese.
The event took place at the Pemba Teacher
Training Institute in Cabo Delgado, and included
a reading competition for students from first to
seventh grades and trainees to become first to
third grade teachers.
The National Director of Teacher Training,
Feliciano Mahalane, said the date was a
celebration of reading.
“Today is a day we celebrate reading. Our life is
made up of reading, but there is no good
education if we do not have good teachers. It is
they who define the good course of education”.
According to the Director of the Teacher
Training Institute, Joaquim Alberto Chipande,
the books were a contribution to the challenge
of training teachers and teaching children to
read.
Source: Rádio Moçambique
In Maputo city, 278 cholera cases have been
diagnosed, and there have been 93 confirmed
cases in Maputo Province (Matutuine, Magude
and Namaacha districts). The Health Ministry
has set up cholera treatment centres in the
affected areas, and has mobilised activists to
raise public awareness of the need to purify
water and protect food against contamination.
“People must act to prevent the disease”, said
Matsinhe. “We must all, working together, put
the brakes on this disease. Diseases come from
the community. It’s the community that
produces the diseases”. Since cholera is a
water borne disease, the authorities are
distributing water purifiers to ensure that
drinking water is safe. Benigna said the public
education measures also included urging
people to wash raw food thoroughly before
eating it, and to wash their hands after using the
latrine.

Matsinhe also reported an increase in the
number of cases of malaria since the start of the
year. So far in 2017 1,483,121 cases of malaria
have been reported, compared with 1,340,104
cases in the same period of 2016 – an increase
of 10.7%. The number of malaria deaths has
also risen – from 234 to 288 (a 23% rise).
The rise is doubtless explained by this year’s
rains. In 2016, a devastating drought hit most of
southern and central Mozambique, but this year
torrential rains have occurred across much of
the country, creating favourable conditions for
the proliferation of the mosquitoes that transmit
the malaria parasite.
“Right now we are engaged in a massive
distribution of mosquito nets, in a campaign that
will cover the entire country”, said Matsinhe, “At
the same time, we are educating people on the
use of insect repellents, and the need to
eliminate the pools of stagnant water around
houses where mosquitoes breed”.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
Cholera in Maputo: two deaths and more
than 200 cases of diarrhoea
Although cholera has not been seen in the
Mozambican capital since 2010, two people
have died and more than 200 cases of the
disease have been diagnosed in Maputo since 7
March.
Cases have occurred in four of Maputo’s seven
districts – Ka Maxaquene, Ka Lhamanculo, Ka
Mubukuane and Ka Mavota. Luís Cabral is
worst hit, with more than 50 cases, and the
Cholera Treatment Centre of Mavalane’s
general hospital has had to be reopened to
receive patients. By Wednesday 8 March, it had
27 patients admitted for treatment.
The resurgence of cholera is due in part to the
water crisis in Maputo and Matola causing
people to resort to water sources that are not
suitable for consumption.
“We have to treat the water, always wash our
hands and eliminate puddles. If we all adhere to
these measures, we can return to the situation
of not reporting cases of cholera since 2010”,
Maputo mayor David Simango said at a meeting
in the Chamanculo neighbourhood.
“I would like to urge neighbourhoods to continue
investing in individual and collective hygiene
and take note of the lessons that are transmitted
to us in different ways, especially regarding
water, made worse by the fact that Maputo is
experiencing a crisis of this precious liquid”,
Mayor Simango said.
Source: O País
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Government taking measures against spread
of cholera in Maputo
On Monday 13 March, the governor of Maputo
city, Iolanda Cintura, guaranteed that the
Government is taking measures to halt the
spread of a cholera outbreak in the capital. She
was speaking after a visit to the Cholera
Treatment Centre at Maputo’s Mavalane
General Hospital. The cholera outbreak in
Maputo began in mid-February. Approximately
276 suspected cases were investigated, but a
definite diagnosis of cholera was only made in
22 of these patients, one of whom died.
Governor Cintura said that isolation and
treatment of cholera patients was being handled
well by the Mavalane medical staff, ensuring
that the disease does not spread out of control.
“The staff are well trained”, she said. “We found
that the centre is fully functional and the
conditions are good, in terms of the installed
capacity (the centre has 38 beds), and in terms
of food for the patients. All the required
medicines are guaranteed. The patients are
receiving fluids for rehydration, since some of
them arrive here in a very weakened condition”.
When Governor Cintura visited, there were nine
patients in the centre, who told her they had
been well treated. They said they were now
feeling much better, and were preparing to go
home. This is the first outbreak of cholera in
Maputo since 2014. Health professionals
attribute the outbreak to poor sanitary conditions
in parts of the city, and the drinking of
contaminated water. The torrential rains earlier
in the year, which flooded several low lying
neighbourhoods, probably played a role in
spreading this water-borne disease.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
Diarrhoea kills eight people in Lichinga
The country is on high alert due to outbreaks of
cholera and other diarrheal diseases. In the
district of Lichinga (Niassa Province), for
example, such outbreaks are already resulting
in fatalities. During the first two months of the
year (January and February), eight people died
from diarrheal diseases in the district of
Lichinga, where more than 3,500 diagnosed
cases were registered.
The number of diarrhoea-related deaths is on
par with the same period in 2016, when the
number of registered cases reached more than
4,000. A report from the district government
indicates that 510 cases of dysentery were
diagnosed in the first two months of 2017,
compared to 553 cases recorded in the first two
months of last year.
Source: Rádio Moçambique

Cholera outbreak threatens six more
districts in Nampula Province
Health officials in Nampula warned that the
outbreak of cholera affecting the province could
spread to other districts if the population
continues to ignore the basic rules of collective
and individual hygiene. In Nampula Province
(mainly in the districts of Monapo and Meconta),
465 cases of cholera were registered in
treatment centres as of Tuesday 14 March.
According to the head of the Department of
Public Health in Nampula, there is a high
number of cases of diarrheal diseases, which is
mainly affecting adults in Lalaua, Malema,
Mogincual, Ribáuè, Murrupula and Nacarôa.
It is an indicator that, if no mechanisms are put
in place to reverse the situation, the cholera
outbreak may spread in those districts.
Américo Barata points out that in these districts
the number of cases of diarrhoea has risen by
30% in adults, and this has forced the health
sector to redouble its efforts in a bid to make the
population aware of basic health and hygiene
rules.
In the last epidemiological week, a total of 1,781
cases of diarrhoea were registered at the
province level, of which 423 were recorded in
adults, with a higher incidence in regions
considered to be at high risk. However, the
source explained that the outbreak has not
resulted in any deaths in the region.
“We are offering ‘Certeza’ (a disinfectant) to
communities for water treatment. We urge
populations to change their behaviour regarding
individual and collective hygiene and
environmental sanitation, as well as to abandon
the practice of open defecation”, the source
said.
Since the outbreak, the health sector in
Nampula has distributed approximately 1,500
bottles of ‘Certeza’ and disinfected 72 houses in
the two most affected areas, where more than
5,000 people have been educated on the
prevention of diarrheal diseases and cholera.
“During this period, a collection of water
samples of 60 fountains was carried out. After
laboratory analysis, it was found that 15
contained water unfit for consumption”, he
added.
Meanwhile, a community leader was recently
beaten by an angry mob in the Monapo village.
The mob accused 71-year-old João Baptista of
spreading cholera in the neighbourhood.
According to reports, the confusion arises from
the fact that some inhabitants struggle to
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pronounce the word “chlorine” in their native
language, confusing it with the word “cholera”,
thus Baptista (who was hospitalised following
the attack) was thought to be spreading cholera
when he was in fact encouraging the use of
chlorine for safe drinking water.
Source: O País
Mozambican health sector is testing cholera
vaccine
Mozambique is testing a vaccine against
cholera, the disease currently affecting Maputo,
Tete and Nampula provinces, and likely to
spread to other parts of the country. The
vaccine’s impact is currently being tested in
Nampula Province, considered a high-risk
region. The trial is now in its final analysis phase
before deciding on its use throughout the
country.
“We think that this experience could bring
positive results, since the epidemiology of this
disease varies. In some places, the
transmission can be done from person to
person, but in other places it can be done
through common sources of contamination. So
we will have to see what its epidemiology is and
how we can then tailor its application in our
country. But all the work has been done to
ensure that we can in fact apply the vaccine as
soon as it is available for that purpose”, Deputy
Minister of Health, Mouzinho Saíde, said.
Speaking recently in Maputo at the meeting of
the multi-sectoral group made up of
representatives from various ministries, co-
operation partners, municipalities and
government, Deputy Minister Saíde pointed out
that there are availability challenges in
introducing the vaccine. It was necessary to
take into account that it is not yet widely
available on the market, and that supplies have
to be requested from the World Health
Organization (WHO).
“It is a WHO candidature process where the
candidate countries show the relevance of
having the vaccination, and whether there are
conditions to that effect. I think that
Mozambique has demonstrated over time that it
has the conditions to ensure that the vaccine is
applied with some quality and that there is
adequate monitoring to ensure its success”, the
Deputy Minister of Health explained.
The vaccine has been widely used in Sudan
and, together with preventive measures such as
improved sanitation and collective and individual
hygiene measures, has contributed to a
reduction of the epidemic there.
Source: Jornal Notícias/Club of Mozambique

Health officials in Malawi raise alarm over
cholera outbreak in Mozambique
Malawians travelling to Mozambique are being
advised to exercise caution and implement safe
hygiene practises following the outbreak of
cholera in that country.
The outbreak has hit Moatize (Tete Province),
which is a popular destination for shopping and
other business activities among Malawians.
The outbreak has also effected neighbouring
Mwanza and Chikwawa districts, which host
many Mozambicans.
According to a statement from the Ministry of
Health, approximately five people from
Mozambique had been admitted for cholera at
the Gaga heath centre in the Changoima area.
This area borders between Chikwakwa district
and Mozambique.
The five patients tested positive for cholera
using the Rapid Diagnostic Tests, and the
Ministry of health is in the process of confirming
the tests at a laboratory in Lilongwe.
Health authorities in Chikwawa are working
together with their Mozambican counterparts to
control the problem.
Mwanza District Health Office is also engaging
its counterparts in Mozambique to ensure that
the disease does not affect travellers from the
two countries.
Media reports suggest that the outbreak was
triggered by tropical cyclone Dineo, which hit
the country last month.
Source: Capital FM Malawi
Towards open-defecation-free communities
in Mozambique
When the African Development Bank (AfDB)
partnered with other donors and the
Mozambican government back in 2010 to
finance the National Rural Water Supply and
Sanitation Programme (PRONASAR) in
Nampula and Zambézia provinces, one of the
ultimate goals was to achieve open defecation-
free communities.
“Despite delays experienced in the
implementation of this programme, we are
delighted to see that some communities in both
provinces are now on their way to being certified
as open-defecation-free. These outcomes are
critical for the long-term health, hygiene,
sanitation, and livelihood of targeted
communities. As the programme enters the final
phase, we must ensure the sustainability of
results for lasting impact on the Mozambican
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people”, said Osward Chanda, officer-in-charge
of the Water Development and Sanitation
Department of the AfDB.
PRONASAR was designed with the assistance
of a grant by the Bank’s African Water Facility
(AWF) in 2006. The programme started in 2010
with a total pledge by development partners of
US$179-million, of which US$6.74-million was
contributed by the Rural Water Supply and
Sanitation Initiative Trust Fund (RWSSI-TF) and
an African Development Fund loan of US$7.14-
million.
“Creating an enabling environment where
governments, donors, civil society, and the
private sector work together for access to
sustainable rural water and sanitation through
innovative approaches is central to the work of
the RWSSI Trust Fund (TF). In Mozambique,
the TF grant was specifically used for training,
capacity building, community mobilisation, and
awareness-raising campaigns. These activities
empowered communities to take greater
ownership in delivering on their sanitation and
water supply needs”, says Chanda.
Over 100,000 toilets were built by households in
both provinces through the Community Led
Total Sanitation approach, contributing to the
eradication of open defecation.
Access rate to sanitation in both northern
provinces now stands at 48% compared to 40%
in 2010. Overall, roughly 490,000 individuals in
about 1,200 communities have been reached
and trained through community awareness-
raising campaigns financed by RWSSI-TF.
Improving water supply in Nampula and
Zambézia provinces was also central to
PRONASAR. Through the complementary
contributions of RWSSI-TF, the additional
number of persons now accessing more reliable
water supply is estimated at 200,000, according
to the latest quarterly progress report of the
programme.
“RWSSI-TF has enabled the project to establish
a register of communities demanding water
supply services. This has created a sense of
ownership, resulting in communities working
harder to maintain the infrastructure”, says
Boniface Aleobua, Project Task Manager and
Principal Sanitation Engineer in the
Mozambique Country Office.
The sustainability of rural water and sanitation
services has become a paramount priority for
communities, countries and development
actors. This explains why this programme
placed a great premium on enhancing the
sustainability of interventions.

“Users are billed for water services and the
money is collected at the household level. Four
private water operators have been hired to
manage the small water supply systems
constructed as part of the project”, the AfDB
Task Manager explains.
Other activities that are contributing to the
sustainability of the project include the training
of 125 community builders.
These local artisans are now adequately
equipped to respond to the repair needs of
various communities and can also construct
toilet slabs for the local markets. The AfDB has
been supporting the water and sanitation sector
in Mozambique since 1981.
Overall, close to 90-million people gained
access to improved sanitation, and 135-million
people had access to water in rural areas in
Africa during the last decade thanks to
interventions of the AfDB and other partners.
Yet, the sanitation and water supply challenge
in Africa is far from resolved. According to 2015
statistics of the United Nations Joint Monitoring
Report, close to 480-million people out of 700-
million living in rural Africa are without access to
improved sanitation, and 280 million are without
access to clean drinking water.
In response to the urgency to tackle this
challenge while ensuring the Africa Water Vision
2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals
are achieved by 2030, the AfDB is stepping up
its efforts to deliver water and sanitation to
populations in rural and urban areas.
Through its New Development and Business
Delivery Model which prioritises decentralisation
and proximity of services to regional member
countries, the Bank is looking to achieve its new
five strategic priorities.
The new agriculture, human and social
development vice presidency and the
reconfigured water development and sanitation
department are specifically mandated to deliver
on two of the five strategic pillars namely:
agriculture and improving the quality of life of
Africans.
Two of the Bank's flagship initiatives in the
water sector are also retooling to better address
the current challenge. RWSSI is at present
developing a new strategy that would enable it
to provide a focused and targeted response to
the challenges of rural water and sanitation on
the continent. The African Water Facility
recently adopted a new strategy that would
allow it to address the water challenges of Africa
for the next 10 years.
Source: AfDB
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Inspectors close 30 establishments in a
fortnight
The government’s National Inspectorate of
Economic Activities (Instituto de Actividades
Económicas, INAE) ordered the closure of 30
establishments out of the 382 inspected over
the past 15 days, according to the INAE
General Inspector, Maria Freitas, cited in
Mediafax.
All but two of the establishments closed were
restaurants or bakeries, and the motives were
lack of hygiene and cleanliness.
“In general, the problems that determined the
closures are those that we already know about,
namely serious problems with hygiene and
cleanliness”, said Freitas. “And when we note
problems that put public health at risk, we have
no option but to close the establishment”.
She thought it very sad that so many
businesses handling food continued to have
serious difficulties with basic hygiene. The INAE
offensive has been under way for more than a
month, and has been highly publicised in the
Mozambican media. The fact that inspectors
continue to find serious health problems in the
places they inspect, Freitas added, shows that
many business people are not concerned about
regularising their situation.
Freitas said that many more establishments
would be inspected if INAE had enough staff.
But it is currently operating with a serious
shortage of inspectors. The establishments
closed over the past fortnight are located all
over the country – in Maputo city and province,
Inhambane, Sofala, Tete, Nampula, Niassa,
Zambézia and Manica.
Some bakeries have hit on a novel way of
avoiding the inspectors. Freitas said they
operate only at night, and close their doors in
the early morning. “This shows bad faith on the
part of some bakeries, but, with the help of the
consumers, we shall put things in order”,
promised Freitas.
She noted that, at the recent meeting between
INAE and the Mozambican Association of
Bakers (Associação Moçambicana de
Panificadores,, AMOPAO), some bakers had
complained about the pictures of their
workplaces shown on Mozambican television
stations. But Freitas defended the work of the
media, and said the television footage was
crucial in exposing a sad reality that is
endangering the health of consumers.
“They raised complaints because, as you know,
thieves never admit that they are stealing”, said
Freitas. “Some AMOPAO members are not
pleased with the publication of these images,

but we stress that they are important. We need
to show the consumers that a particular
establishment is operating in critical hygiene
conditions”. Freitas admitted there have been
problems with corruption among some
inspectors, and she urged businesses to
denounce any attempt by inspectors to demand
bribes. She was reacting to the announcement
last week by the Central Office for the Fight
against Corruption (Gabinete Central de
Combate a Corrupção, GCCC) that an INAE
inspector was arrested when caught red-handed
WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Why Mozambican timber operators reject the
sale of the wood seized in ‘Operation
Tronco’
The Mozambican Association of Timber
Operators (Associação Moçambicana de
Operadores de Madeira, AMOMA) has
congratulated the authorities behind the recent
seizures as part of ‘Operation Tronco’.
However, they argue that the seized wood
should be incinerated as a way of discouraging
the syndicates involved.
The organisation considers that incineration
“constitutes in itself a mild measure, but among
several, it is the recommended one”. AMOMA
also went on to point out that when the sale of
seized timber is not transparent, it encourages
illegal exploitation. “In this way, AMOMA
reiterates its continuous support for government
initiatives such as Operation Tronco, until the
last wrongdoer and his associates are dealt
with”, the organisation says.
The association maintained that the high
volumes of timber seized by the authorities
involved in Operation Tronco were accumulated
during the closed season, despite all the
legislation on the maturation period of the raw
material. “Perpetrators of this type of abuse
show clearly that the measures taken by the
government are not enough to discourage them.
On the contrary, they constitute a means of
legalising unlawfulness and of laundering the
proceeds of illegal exploitation of this resource”,
AMOMA explains.
Source: O País
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receiving a bribe of MT8,000 (about US$118)
from the manager of a Maputo shop. Freitas
believed that the practice of demanding bribes
was deeply rooted among some inspectors, and
insisted that businesses facing such extortion
should immediately contact the GCCC. “These
situations damage all the work that INAE is
doing”, she said.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de
Moçambique/Mediafax
Mozambique’s poaching castles are
crumbling
Young Mozambicans living along the border
with the Kruger National Park leave their
families without saying goodbye and, motivated
by the pursuit of money, head out on a journey
that most of the time means no return.
In their pursuit of rhino horns and, more
recently, elephant tusks, these ground-level
poachers are intercepted by game rangers and
security officers inside the Kruger carrying
firearms. Usually they shoot before asking
questions. Often the young Mozambicans die.
Massingir is a dusty, dirt-poor district about 550
kilometre drive from Johannesburg. It is located
in the north-west of Gaza Province and borders
with Chicualacuala district in the north, with
Magude district in the south, Mabalane in the
east and South Africa’s flagship Kruger Park in
the west.
Despite its potential, described in the
development plan of Massingir in 2010, there
are no industries or employment, agriculture is
minimal, and the recent development of
ecotourism does not yet benefit the local
population on a large scale.
Meeting the leaders:
As the sun rose on the red village, we set out for
a morning encounter with Justice Ngwenya
(also known as ‘Nyimpine’); Simon Ernesto
Valoi (also known as ‘Navara’); and a man
called Chiure – all identified as leaders of the
youths eager to earn money out of killing.

Attracted by the wealth the leaders flaunt, the
youths come to them to request firearms and
instructions on how to poach inside Kruger.
Acting as the interpreter for a film crew, I
wanted to sit face-to-face with the poachers but
things didn’t work out as expected. Only Chiure,
the original and the oldest poaching leader, and
Nyimpine, the second in the system, would
meet us.
Navara, the most notorious, was unavailable
though we were told by locals that he was seen
coming in and out of his home precinct in a
white Land Cruiser. The first in the local
hierarchy is Chiure, followed by Nympine and
then Navara – although there are others
poachers in Nyangani and Nkanhine, such as
Chief Lucas Ringane, who in 2014 saw his
young brother killed in Kruger Park.
Nympine’s mansion along the main road to Chokwé
district remains half-built
First we went to the home of Jaime Cumbane’s,
the community leader of the Eduardo Mondlane
neighbourhood, recently created when about
500 families were resettled out of the Limpopo
National Park – the transfrontier park that is
shared between Mozambique and northern
Kruger.
The resettlement process is part of the regional
socio-economic plan, and has brought some
new opportunities to the communities that were
previously exposed to wild animals and drought
in Limpopo National Park. However, there are
still about five communities comprising more
than 13,000 families living inside the park,
according to Antonio Abacar, the park’s
outgoing administrator.
While talking to Cumbane, his eyes were
constantly surveilling his yard, trying to monitor
his kids’ activities, since the departure of youths
to the killing fields of the Kruger is never
announced. Seeking easy money and
mansions, the youths have no time for
goodbyes and much less prospect of return, he
said. “The possibilities are they return with rhino
horns, or come back inside a coffin”.
Abacar said a lot needs to be done in terms of
the Mozambican judicial system because it is
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“fragile” and still benefits the poaching
syndicates. “The current legislation only serves
to punish the low-level poachers, leaving the
traders, transporters and middle men at large”,
he said. “There is a difference in the legislation
in South Africa, and the Mozambican law is
weak”.
The home of the original and the oldest poaching
leader, known only as Chiure
Lottery: easy money or certain death
Those poachers who have returned and
managed to make money out of the illicit
business have guzzled it up in the acquisition of
fancy vehicles and flashy homes. The incentive
for poaching declined in 2016 due to the high
number of the deaths and arrests by rangers in
Kruger, said Cumbane.
“Before it was a profitable business, but now
because of the many deaths and the tight
security in Kruger, the same men are suffering
and they have parked their vehicles and
motorbikes, and their houses remain unfinished.
And now they have nothing to do, it is a misery”,
said Cumbane.
The way the business works, he said, was that
the boss places orders, and in case of death he
supports all the funeral expenses “as a way of
demonstrating being a good person, but we
know that they are bad people”. He said the
government knows all the poachers and could
reduce the levels of criminality, but the political
leaders are also involved.
In Massingir everybody knows the people from
the syndicates, because they drive luxury
vehicles, possess fancy houses and nobody
detains them. “This comes from the top and we
are at the bottom, we mean nothing”, said a
local leader who did not want to be named.
“They are the ones doing things here and
shipping out the horns. It has been difficult to
find solutions for these problems”.
Another community member said the poaching
syndicates had misused the money. “With the
money involved in this business Massingir could
have reached a high level of development, and
at this moment of the crisis the poachers would

not be suffering. “The poachers have only spent
10% of the money they earned through
poaching on houses and cars. I even saw some
people keeping money inside broken fridges.
Can you imagine a broken fridge full of dollars
and rands?”
With time ticking it was necessary to find the
bosses of the poaching. We met Chiure, the
original poaching leader, in his village shop and
chatted with him about his area. He sold us beer
and water and talked about the drought, but
avoided any conversation about poaching.
It was a risk to look for Navara because of his
popularity within the community and the
government. He is known as a dangerous
criminal, linked not only to poaching but also to
alleged murder and car hijackings – which
apparently was his first “profession”.
“Navara is a very dangerous person. If you
investigate him the population will report you to
the police, like what happened to the overseas
journalists who were here and were almost
killed by the locals”, said one of our sources on
the street who did not want to be named.
He was referring to the incident in March 2015
when German reporter Bartholomaus Grill and
Swedish photographer Toby Selander were held
hostage by locals after they approached
Navara’s house in an attempt to interview him.
They were arrested by police in Massingir and
hauled before a local court before the Swedish
Embassy intervened and arranged for them to
leave Mozambique.
Outside Navara’s home
Death pact:
Among the syndicate kingpins and their
associates, there is a pact that if poaching
assignments succeed the payment is fulfilled
and in the case of death, the same bosses take
responsibility for sponsor all the funeral costs.
They say the son of that family had gone to
them asking for a job, and a firearm. In most
instances the parents are afraid of being
victimised or killed by the chief, so they play
along.
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Chiure has buried more than seven boys from
the area that he hired for poaching. He
possesses a block of flats and a grocery, and
drives a white Land Cruiser. He knows Navara,
but they are not friends. Navara is younger than
him.
We then drove to ‘Nympine’s’ mansion along
the main road to Chokwe district. The poacher-
preacher was waiting for us and our
conversation was conducted sometimes in
Changana, English and Portuguese, but it was
not easy to get the full story. It wasn’t the first
time Nyimpine was in such a situation, he
already knew what we were going to do and
immediately expressed his availability in
collaborating with us – so long as he could
charge us ZAR15,000 for the interview.
“Are you the ones looking for me?” he asked. “I
can sit here with you and tell you everything as
long as you pay ZAR15,000 to record, shoot
and film. Otherwise no recording, shooting and
filming is allowed”. It took us almost two and a
half hours to convince Nyimpine that we were
not paying. As the interpreter of the group I was
getting a headache from speaking in three
different languages.
Nyimpine said he knew the crew were
journalists and insisted they needed to pay.
“This is my place and everyone is under my
orders. Do you want to know whether they are
poaching? Yes, of course they are”, he said. “I
am Justice Nympine and not a simple citizen”,
he continued. “I am the greatest and I am not
easy to find. Massingir lays down before me and
I am not here to waste my time”.
Nympine went to school until standard four, has
four wives and 21 children to look after. He runs
cattle breeding, butchery, and banana plantation
businesses in Massingir. He said he wants to
see all his children go to university. He claimed
to be a humanitarian, forgetting that many of the
youths sent to Kruger Park by him and his
partners to hunt rhinos were shot dead by the
rangers.
“This is a gift I was given by God to help others.
I am the preacher of my church”, he said,
showing some videos on his cellphone of mass
and inviting us to his church to attend one of the
masses conducted by him. Then he returned to
his main activity: “I am a poacher, I order and
sell. I don’t miss a job, I am the boss and I risk
my life to work and get money.
“I know how it is done and who are involved,
including the market and the potential buyers.
This is a network, a powerful syndicate”.
Without payment, though, he would not reveal
the details.
Blame game:

According to Nyimpine, the business of
poaching has also benefited some rangers
inside the Limpopo National Park, the
transfrontier reserve created in 2001.
“At that time there was no poaching. Then a
South African ranger [name withheld] who is still
there started patrolling the park all alone,
against the rules. He had a gun and killed some
‘problem animals’ such as elephants and rhinos.
His vehicle and helicopter were never
inspected”, Nyimpine said.
The leaders of the poaching gangs did not
originate in the Massingir community, he said,
because the community was originally keen to
protect the species in the Limpopo National
Park.
Before the rhino poaching started to rise in
2009, the Limpopo National Park hosted up to
20,000 tourists a year and the local
communities receive 20% of the tourism profits.
After the rhinos disappeared from the
transfrontier park, the tourism numbers dropped
and so did the revenues.
Nyimpine said his sources had told him that
some South African conservationists were
helping the poachers to buy luxury vehicles in
South Africa. “I saw one car bought for cash.
Where did they get all that money to buy such a
car? There is lot of connivance in this poaching
business”, he said.
The poacher-preacher: This 2015 photo of Justice
Nyimpine, leaked to Oxpeckers, showed him in a
SANParks helicopter
Source: Oxpeckers
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Elephant tusks seized in Maputo market
On Friday 10 March, the Mozambican police
arrested two men caught trying to sell 22.5
kilograms of elephant tusks in Maputo Central
Market. According to Paulo Nazare, a
spokesperson for the Maputo City Police
Command, the men (named as Beltrano
Salvador and Justino Sitoe), were also in
possession of 100 grams of shark teeth and one
kilogram of leopard skin. The police moved in to
arrest them after they received a tip-off about
this attempted illegal sale of wild life products.
As soon as the police command received the
tip-off it dispatched officers to the market who
made the arrests. In their defence, the two men
claimed that the ivory and other items did not
belong to them and that “a brother” had left
them on their market stall. This “brother” had
asked the two to look after his property, and
promised he would return to collect it. The items
were inside a bag which they had not opened,
and so they did not know what it contained, they
claimed.
The two said that, if they had known that the
bag contained ivory and other prohibited wild life
produce, they would never have agreed to look
after it. The mysterious “brother” had not
returned, and the two said they did not know
where he was. Nazare did not buy this story,
and said the two men were selling the wild life
products clandestinely. The police also seized
items of carved ivory (including statues,
bracelets and necklaces) during their raid.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique
Judge releases illegal pangolin hunters
Every year more than 100,000 pangolins are
taken from their habitat and sent to China or
Vietnam, making it the most trafficked mammal
in the world and putting it on the brink of
extinction.
Recently, three pangolin poachers were
detained in possession of one of these animals
in Mozambique, but they were subsequently
released by order of a provincial judge.
In a provincial court (which was not named in
order to protect the sources), three poachers
were recently tried by prosecutors from an
unnamed conservation area after they were
found in possession of a pangolin.
Strangely, the trial was scheduled without
notifying of the offended (in this case the
conservation authorities of the Mozambican
state), but thanks to a happy coincidence a
representative of the authorities that participated
in the detention went to the court and witnessed
the moment when the honourable judge decided

to release the poachers, claiming that there
were no grounds with which to prosecute the
men because the pangolin was caught outside a
conservation area – that is, according evidence
based solely on the testimony of one of the
criminals.
With permission from the court the
representative of the conservation area was
able to intervene and explained to the
magistrate the animal was actually hunted
inside the protection zone.
The prosecutor also argued that even if the
animal had been caught outside the
conservation area, the pangolin is a protected
species, thus the poachers violated Law 10/99
of July 07, 1999.
@Verdade discovered that the judge upheld his
ruling to release poachers and even threatened
to arrest prosecutors for allegedly acting outside
their area of jurisdiction.
Incidentally, the poacher’s defence lawyer even
argued that it was impossible to capture the
pangolin because “they fell from the sky”.
The beliefs about Manis temmincki, the
scientific name of the species of pangolin found
in Mozambique, vary depending on the
geographical region.
In the south, its appearance is associated with
calamity or natural disasters. In the centre and
north it is believed to be an animal that brings
luck and prosperity.
Nonetheless, its meat is a delicacy in Asia
where its scales are also used in traditional
medicine.
A BBC investigation revealed that there are
restaurants in Vietnam where pangolins are on
the menu.
For a modest sum of US$250 (about MT17,500)
the animal is served alive and the throat cut in
front of the client, who drinks the blood because
it is believed to be an aphrodisiac.
In China, where traditional medicine is highly
prized, the pangolin’s scales are reduced to
powder and used to allegedly improve blood
flow, or to reduce bloating or even for the
treatment of arthritis.
The Mozambican academic Jorge Ferrão
considers that the extinction of this small animal
could be extremely harmful to the ecosystem,
because the pangolin helps keep the ant and
termite species down.
Source: @Verdade
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Three game wardens suspended in
Zambézia
The management of the Gilé National Reserve
(Zambézia Province), has suspended three
game wardens, suspected of complicity in the
poaching of three elephants last year.
“They have been suspended and disciplinary
proceedings have begun”, said the administrator
of the Reserve, José Dias. “At the same time
criminal proceedings will be opened at the
district branch of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
They haven’t been summoned yet, and the case
is still being handled internally”.
Dias was angered at what he regarded as the
lenient handling of poachers by the courts. He
said that a poacher had been caught in the
illegal possession of three firearms, believed to
have been used in the killing of the three
elephants. But the man was released on
payment of bail.
“After he was released, he rang up members of
the reserve’s staff and threatened them”, said
Dias. “I am scared because I too am at risk and
could be shot”.
Dias believed that bail should not be made
available for people accused of the illegal
possession and carrying of firearms.
The Zambézia provincial timber associations
warn that large amounts of precious hardwoods
are still being taken out of the Gilé Reserve by
illegal loggers, and blamed Chinese interests for
this (although, under legislation passed late last
year, no unprocessed logs can be exported
from Mozambican ports).
A spokesperson for the timber associations,
Inocencio Taibo, declared “the great potential of
Zambézia is being lost, and we must focus on
preserving our resources. The Chinese partners
are now dictating the rules of the game, and this
is damaging us”.
Source: Agencia de Informacao de Moçambique/O
País
The poaching war near Gorongosa Park
With their dark green uniforms and weapons,
the rangers, recruited from the buffer zone of
Gorongosa National Park (PNG) in central
Mozambique, walk through inhospitable areas in
a paradise setting under the immense heat and
sleep in the bush, with the aim of detecting
poachers and neutralising traps.
“Traps, poachers, steel cables, weapons as
well, machetes ...” This is what Antonia Vasco
and his colleagues are accustomed to dealing
with, facing the actions of people from their own

community who, during the intensification of the
conflict between the government and Renamo
last year, illegally sought meat from large
herbivores for consumption.
In addition to reducing the effects of the military
confrontations, which while not entering the
park’s territory have recently come very close
and had serious indirect impacts on the park’s
restoration project, the rangers also seek to gain
knowledge about the importance of the
environment and conservation, which will
provide for their families.
Long before being recruited for the PNG in the
village of Gorongosa, Costa Jornal was already
fond of conservation, which he now puts into
practice as patrol chief, a job that is not like the
others.
“When I see an animal in a trap, I feel
uncomfortable, because the people who put it
out are putting an end to biodiversity”, he
laments. “But when we only see a steel cable
and the animal has not yet been caught, we
have an advantage because we still have not
lost an animal”, says Jornal, stressing the
importance of daily surveillance in the Park.
According to data from the PNG inspection
team, in 2016 alone, approximately 521
poachers were detected in the park, while 35
guns, 247 mechanical traps and 9,258 SWR’s
were recovered.
The African wild boars, imbabalas, pivas,
buffalos and other herbivores are the main
targets, but sometimes poachers even target
lions.
Paola Bouley, the PNG Lion Project director,
has the daily task of capturing GPS satellite
signals that give her the location of each of the
park’s lions. This is an important task as it tells
the team if an animal has been caught in a trap.
After the civil war between 1977 and 1992, PNG
lost 95% of its wildlife and “lions had almost
been completely eradicated”, according to
Bouley, winner of the National Geographic Big
Cats Initiative.
The arrival of the North American biologist
coincided with the worsening of the political
crisis between government and Renamo and
since then marked by episodes of
confrontations, especially in the Gorongosa
mountain area.
It is because of the war that the PNG pursues
restoration efforts, which began in 2007 by the
American philanthropist Greg Carr Foundation,
and in which Project Leon is one of its main
components. The renewed conflict in 2016
threatened the remarkable success achieved in
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the park with regard to restoring animal
numbers. “We have thousands and thousands
of herbivores here and enough food to support a
group of 200 lions”, says the biologist, who
estimates that the Park is about half of a bastion
designation, in a scientific project
unprecedented in Africa with regard to the
recovery of a population in non-fenced systems.
“As a conservationist of large carnivores and a
biologist, I look at vast areas and this park is
relatively small compared to the region in which
it lies”, says the project director, noting that the
lion cannot survive in the “bubble” of 4,000
kilometres of PNG, and it needs corridors that
connect it to the neighbouring territories, like the
forest concessions.
At the end of November, PNG signed an
agreement with the Entreposto for the
conversion of more than 200,000 hectares of a
contiguous game reserve in a protected area
that could almost double the area of the park to
that of the Zambezi, and to bring in new
corridors, not only for the lion but also for the
viability of other species, such as the first group
of six leopards.
A good way to create new areas of wildlife
expansion was the cleaning project along the
Cheringoma plateau, where, according to
Bouley, until recently “one could not walk there
without literally touching a trap”.
In addition to poaching, the war also affected
tourism, which, before the political crisis, was
peaking at more than 7,000 visitors per year;
however, last year less than 2,000 tourists
visited the area. Certain access zones to the
Gorongosa mountain range are still closed for
security reasons. With the implementation of the
truce, many hope that the destruction will come
to an end, bringing to life once more, the most
iconic national park in the country.
Source: RTP News
The big problem with legalising rhino horn
sales in South Africa
Last month the Environmental Affairs Minister
Edna Molewa made two announcements
relating to rhinos in South Africa. The big news
was that there had been a 10% decrease in the
number of rhinos killed in South Africa for their
horn. This was largely due to a drop in killings in
the Kruger National Park and even though the
killings in the rest of the country and poaching
incidents overall increased, it was truly good
news.
Except that in the same month she also
published draft regulations to legalise the sale of
rhino horn under certain conditions. I (Melanie
Verwoerd, Former ANC MP and South African

Ambassador to Ireland) was totally
gobsmacked.
While I was in parliament I served on the
environmental portfolio committee so I am
familiar with the need for political compromises
and balancing diverse demands – sadly even
when it comes to the environment. But this
proposed change in the regulatory framework
around rhino horn is truly ludicrous and what is
worse it is not new.
The exact same arguments were put to us over
and over years ago around elephant ivory. In
the end there were a couple of “fire sales” of
stockpiled ivory and we saw what happened.
The research was done – and no one can refute
today that it resulted in more elephants being
poached and killed – despite the arguments
from the pro-sell advocates at the time that it
would reduce the price and thus the demand for
poached ivory.
Yet, here we are again. Same arguments –
except this time round it is about an animal that
is far more endangered than even elephants.
So what is going on? The regulations came
about largely as a result of pressure by some
farmers, who farm with rhinos on privately held
land. They have stockpiles of rhino horn that
they want to sell – as does the government.
Selling rhino horn is a very lucrative business. It
is estimated that rhino horn can sell for between
US$60,000 and US$100,000 per kilogram. And
with a horn weighing between one and three
kilograms – well, you do the math.
The advocates for selling the horn argue that by
selling it legally the price will drop as will the
demand for illegally obtained horn. They also
say that the money that will be made can be
used to increase anti-poaching efforts. It is also
argued that the regulations are very limiting and
that the sale will be strictly regulated.
In a nutshell the regulations allow rhino horn
and products to be sold and exported if the
necessary export and import permits are held
and under certain conditions. The main
condition, strongly emphasised at the briefing to
the parliamentary committee, is that only two
rhino horns per person would be allowed.
Firstly, what was not made clear at the briefing,
but is in the regulations, is that this restriction
only applies to foreign citizens who travel to
South Africa. South Africans or foreigners who
own rhinos in South Africa can export an
unlimited number. Secondly, the regulations do
not mention over what period of time these
numbers are applicable – so whether it is two
per visit, two per month or two per annum.
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The regulations also state that it can only be for
personal use. Now one has to ask why on earth
would people want rhino horn for personal use?
Even though rhino horn really is only of use to
the rhino since it is made out of keratin (the
same material as our nails), people in Asian
countries use it mainly for medicinal purposes.
So are we really suggesting that people will sit
in their kitchens and every night file a little more
of the horn to put in their drink?
Of course people also want rhino horns as
trophies, but I have yet to hear of anyone who is
interested in a horn as a trophy if they did not
shoot the rhino themselves. “Personal use” will
almost always result in only one thing – the horn
will be sold on to underground commercial
traders.
It is clear that this part of the regulations is there
purely to circumvent CITES which has banned
all forms of rhino horn sale since 1977. And
while I am on CITES, it is worthwhile noting that
South Africa will go against the wishes of 100
other countries who voted last year against the
sale of rhino horn.
So what then about the argument that a
regulated sale will reduce demand and thus
reduce the price and so make it less profitable
for poachers? This is where we have to learn
from what happened with the limited sales of
stockpiled ivory.
All reputable studies and conservationists have
shown that demand went up and poaching
increased during and after the sales. It is really
economics 101 – supply fuels demand. If people
see others having it or using it – they want it too.
To argue that the sale of horn from a few farms
and parks in South Africa will be able to satisfy
the enormous existing and increasing demand
in Asia and thus saturate the market is just
ridiculous.
Secondly, I have no doubt that those with
stockpiled rhino horn will want top dollar for it.
Otherwise why bother? Now if they agree to a
fixed price of say ZAR100 per kilogram, well
then perhaps there might be some validity in
their argument. But of course they won’t and so,
as we have seen with the elephants, the prices
won’t fall.
And even in the very unlikely scenario that the
prices do decrease, it will only mean that the
poachers will poach more. After all, it is not as if
the poachers are going to sit back and politely
allow the rhino farmers to sell only their
stockpiles.
Lastly, if the money from the sale does go
toward poaching prevention (a lot of money
from the ivory sales did not end up in poaching
prevention as was promised), but the poaching

increases as a result of the sale, it seems pretty
much like a zero sum game.
The only way to curb rhino poaching (as we
learnt from elephant poaching) is a sustained
campaign to ban all sales and consumption of
rhino horn. After decades the Chinese
government has finally made the carving,
buying and selling of ivory illegal from the end of
this year. We have to seek the same outcome
for rhino horn and not fuel the demand and
confuse consumers with these kinds of sales.
The only people that will benefit from this sale of
rhino horn are the rhino farmers, the
speculators/traders and possibly officials and
politicians who might get illegal kickbacks. The
one stakeholder that won’t is the rhinos.
So if you are one of the thousands of people
who have continued to give money to save the
rhinos – know that these regulations are really
making a laughing stock of us all.
At the same time as we have been spending our
hard earned money to save the rhinos our
minister is willing to allow the sale of their horn –
an action that will put them right back into more
danger than ever before.
Source: News24/Conservation Action Trust
More questions than answers as Kruger park
continues shooting buffalo
Confused explanations at a public meeting in
Skukuza on Saturday11 March are concerning
stakeholders as the Kruger National Park forges
ahead with its programme of shooting buffalo as
part of a sustainable offtake program that does
not appear to have clear objectives.
Last year‚ SANParks officials justified culling of
hippo as drought-related – explaining it was
better to kill the animals before they suffered
from the drought that ravaged much of the first
half of 2016 – but given the protracted rainfall in
the area recently‚ the explanations for the
continued killing has shifted to that of feeding
impoverished rural populations that border the
western boundary of the park.
Kruger Park rangers will shoot 300 to 400
buffalo and 200 hippo in 2017‚ on the back of
105 buffalo and 52 hippo killed in 2016 and the
refurbishment of the Skukuza abattoir to
process the carcasses for sale of meat for
human consumption.
“This re-direction of culling to feed settlements
is alarming given the timeframe of a few
months”, says Richard Prinsloo of Africa Wild‚ a
public forum that monitors the governance
within SANParks‚ “since it creates many more
questions regarding the management‚ planning‚
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motivation‚ as well as confusion among the
scientists and public alike”.
Prinsloo says the park has never been
mandated to provide sustenance to
communities and that this new strategy of
commercialisation of meat seems to have taken
priority over conservation and has “not borne
public scrutiny”.
Ralph Sibande‚ another stakeholder at the
meeting agrees: “We are all concerned about
poverty in South Africa‚ but selling meat will not
solve the problem … Besides”, he reasons‚
“issues of hunger are the responsibility of the
Department of Social Development who are
better placed than SANParks to tackle the
issue”.
“Biodiversity conservation involves certain
trade-offs”, says Louise Swemmer‚ the scientist
for social and economic management at the
park‚ “it’s about human well-being as well as
conservation”.
Swemmer‚ speaking at a stakeholder seminar
hosted by SANParks at Skukuza over the
weekend specifically to address public concerns
about the animal off-take programme‚ said the
process will provide “tangible benefits” to
schools on a small-scale feeding scheme and
will in no-way impact the overall numbers of
buffalo in the park.
The Kruger National Park currently has a
population of 48‚000 buffalo‚ the highest in the
park’s history according to Danie Pienaar‚ head
of the Kruger’s Scientific Services.
But stakeholders are sceptical of the about-turn
in rationale.
Sibande is concerned that the Kruger Park’s
obsession with community upliftment is taking
over from genuine conservation practices.
“What are the conservation or scientific
justifications of the buffalo off-take?” He asked
of the ecologists present at the meeting.
Danny Govender, who specialises in disease
ecology at the park, responded that the limited
off-take was about minimising the spread of
bovine tuberculosis‚ anthrax and foot and mouth
disease in buffalo‚ an answer that instantly
raised questions of food security in selling
potentially infected meat.
To add further confusion‚ the park’s head of
conservation‚ Freek Venter, admitted that the
buffalo to be shot were selected purely on a
random basis‚ meaning disease-management
couldn’t be the main driver for the off-take
either.

Another question raised was given that the 17
rural municipalities bordering the western
boundary of the park comprising of some two-
million impoverished citizens‚ how could they
possibly hope to feed even a fraction of them
with the meat of a few hundred animals?
“Where then are the tangible benefits for the
large majority of people who won’t get any
meat?” asked one stakeholder‚ “and what are
the justifications for selecting those that do?”
William Mabasa‚ acting head of communications
at SANParks‚ responded that a forum had been
established among the communities to
determine which schools would benefit from the
feeding programme and those that didn’t benefit
“would understand”.
He added the Kruger has to be seen to be doing
something‚ rather than nothing.
“We have to start somewhere‚ and try and build
a base of support for people who have
historically been excluded from benefitting from
the park”, he said.
But whatever the justifications for the off-take
scheme‚ it’s unsure how the hundreds of
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thousands of visitors to South Africa’s iconic
game park will view the slaughter of wildlife.
Around 80% of the park’s revenue comes
directly from tourists who could take a dim view
if they knew the animals they were
photographing one day may be butchered
carcasses dangling on meat hooks the next.
“That’s not good!” said a visitor at Skukuza
when asked her view‚ “I come to the Kruger
every year‚ but I think I will now consider
Botswana or Kenya in future”.
Head Scientist‚ Danie Pienaar confessed that
the programme wasn’t perfect. “This is a
process of continually learning”, he admitted‚ a
point taken up by the park’s Managing
Executive‚ Glenn Phillips‚ who has invited the
public to engage and seek a compromise. “It’s
about co-learning and transparency”, he said.
Phillips has undertaken to hold other such
public seminars around the country. The public
are invited to attend‚ to raise questions‚
concerns and contribute to discussions of this
controversial topic.
Source: Times Live