Mozambique Chronology 01-28 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/03-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - LITERATURE - PUBLISHING PRIZE
Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano presented the "Noma Award for Publishing in Africa" to the 1998 winner to the Sudanese writer Peter Adwok Nyaba. The ceremony was timed to coincide with the commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the death of the founder and first president of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), Eduardo Mondlane, killed in a parcel bomb on 3 February 1969. Chissano praised the decision to hold the award ceremony in Maputo as a tribute to Mondlane "as an intellectual in his own right". Chissano added he understood the decision was also "to salute efforts that are being made by public and private sector institutions in Mozambique to publish school textbooks and general books, to encourage Mozambican authors and to develop the book industry in general". The president admitted he had not yet read Nyaba's book, entitled "The Politics of Liberation in Southern Sudan". Choosing his words carefully, he said, "I understand the book is a work of scholarship on the problem of southern Sudan. I am also told that it is a work, which treats the subject with consummate skill in analysing deep-seated issues". Fountain Publishers of Uganda publish the book, and the award is a cheque for US$10,000.
From: Publishing prize awarded in Maputo / AIM / 3 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/03-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - HEROES - MONDLANE
Chissano unveiled a bronze bust of Mondlane, in front of the main entrance to the Frelimo Central Committee offices. Addressing the crowd that had gathered outside the building, Chissano said the example of Mondlane "guided the people to independence, guided us in the years that followed, and will continue to guide the people in the future". He took the opportunity to attack the fashionable theory that there have been "three Frelimos", all different in ideology and politics - one led by Mondlane, one led by Samora Machel, and a third, led by himself. There was just one and the same Frelimo, growing from the same roots, he claimed. "Still today Mondlane represents that Frelimo, which is continuing to rule Mozambique for the progress and well-being of the Mozambican people, continuing to consolidate the Mozambican nation", concluded Chissano.
From: Bust of Mondlane inaugurated / AIM / 3 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/03-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - HEROES - MONDLANE
Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano praised the founder of Frelimo, Eduardo Mondlane, as a man "with a great sense of the nation and who never turned his back on the struggle". "Let him serve as an example for all of us", declared Chissano, who was speaking on the 30th anniversary of Mondlane's assassination. After depositing a wreath at the Monument to the Mozambican Heroes in Maputo, where Mondlane lies buried, Chissano briefly summarised the life and work of the founding father of Mozambican nationalism. He recalled the priority that Mondlane had placed on education. To earn money to pay for his studies "he washed hospital bandages, and swept the floors", Chissano said. He noted that, whereas the Portuguese regime had a "Ministry of War", in Frelimo Mondlane set up a "Department of Defense" - because it was Mozambicans "who were being attacked and massacred by the colonialists" he said. "We still have to ask foreigners to help us do this, to invest here and lay the foundations. We must have the courage to continue, and we must know that the path is still long", the President added. Mondlane died on 3 February 1969, when he opened a parcel bomb, sent by the Portuguese secret police, the PIDE, to his office in Dar Es Salaam.
From: Chissano praises example of Mondlane / AIM / 3 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/05-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano and Austrian Chancellor Victor Klima declared in Maputo that the balance sheet of cooperation between the two countries is "very positive". Speaking at a joint press conference, the two stressed the need to expand bilateral cooperation into new areas, as well as ensuring the success of the projects that have already begun. "While we carry through the current cooperation programme, we shall study new ways to increasingly improve our cooperation", said Chissano. Austrian cooperation strategy has been to concentrate efforts on one part of the country, the central province of Sofala, where over 16 million US dollars is being used in water supply, agriculture, decentralisation and democratization programmes, among other areas. Klima stressed the priority position Mozambique occupies in the Austrian aid programme, as one of eight African countries receiving special treatment under a cooperation programme baptised "Africa-2000". He pledged that Austria would support Mozambique's second multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for October. During their meeting Chissano and Klima also discussed international politics, particularly the wars in Angola and Congo- Kinshasa.
From: Cooperation between Mozambique and Austria / AIM / 5 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/05-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - ECONOMIC CONDITIONS - INVESTMENTS
If all goes according to plan the largest shopping center in Mozambique will open by April of the year 2000 in Matola, the industrial city that adjoins Maputo. The center is to be known as the Matola Plaza, and will be built by the South African Company McCormick Property Development, at a cost of between 23 and 25 million US dollars. The man who runs this company, John McCormick, said that the center would cover an area of 21,500 square metres. There will be between 67 and 85 shops in the Matola Plaza, said McCormick, including a supermarket, fashion stores, stores specialising in electrical equipment, a restaurant complex, cafes and cinemas. There will be a stand for the sale of cars, automobile repair shops and a filling station. The mayor of Matola, Carlos Tembe, said that the municipal authorities and the city's residents had to "accompany the rhythm" of the mega-projects planned for the area - such as the MOZAL aluminum smelter, the Maputo-Witbank highway, the rehabilitation of the Maputo-Matola port complex, and now the Matola Plaza commercial center.
From: Gigantic Commercial Centre planned / AIM / 5 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/06-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - ELECTIONS - BUDGET
Mozambique's second multi-party presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for October, are budgeted at just over 42 million US dollars, according to the Minister of State Administration, Alfredo Gamito. About 90 per cent of the money is already available. From its own funds, the government is only able to provide the equivalent of nine million dollars. 23 million dollars is being offered by the European Union, and the remaining 10 million will be channeled by other donors via the United Nations Development programme (UNDP). The budget required for the elections, said Gamito, resulted from studies carried out by the government, the European Union and the UNDP. He added that the negotiations over funding the elections had taken place in an atmosphere of "mutual collaboration and salutary openness". The budget for the elections does not include money for political party campaigning. In the 1994 elections donors simply threw money at Mozambican parties, particularly at Renamo.
From: Elections costed at 42 million dollars / AIM / 6 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/08-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Mozambique's publicly owned Telecommunications Company, TDM, issued an invitation to tender for the design, supply and installation of an underwater fibre-optic cable between Maputo and Beira. The cable, which should also have landing points at the towns of Xai-Xai, Inhambane and Vilanculos, will form what is described as "the first phase of a new backbone transmission network connecting tertiary and secondary switching centres to the national telecommunications network of Mozambique". The project is partly financed by Germany, which has imposed the condition that the components for the fibre-optic cable must come either from Germany or from member states of SADC (Southern African Development Community). The tender documents are available from TDM at a fee of US$3,000. Bids must be submitted by 8 April, accompanied by a tender guarantee of half a million dollars.
From: Tender for underwater fibre-optic cable / AIM / 8 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/08-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - JOURNALISM - ELECTIONS
Radio Mozambique will take "strong disciplinary measures" against any of its staff who behave in a corrupt fashion when covering the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for later this year, said the radio's production director, Joao de Sousa. "For proven cases of corruption, disciplinary measures are envisaged", he pledged. But mere allegations that a reporter was biased towards one party or another would not be sufficient: the radio would need firm evidence as to the circumstances under which a reporter acted to favor one political party to the detriment of another. The radio plans to make a major effort to ensure full coverage of the elections. Sousa said that about 90 radio professionals throughout the country would be involved in the coverage. He said the radio would work from now until the elections to ensure that its staff was well aware of the need "to uphold the image of impartiality attained in previous events of this sort".
From: Radio will not tolerate corruption / AIM / 8 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/09-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - TELECOMMUNICATIONS - LIBERALISATION
Mozambique's Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Antonio Fernandes, announced in Maputo that a draft law liberalising the telecommunications sector is near conclusion. Fernandes was speaking at the opening of a meeting of the Steering Council of the African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI), a specialised body dealing with telecommunications training especially of senior and mid-level managers. The new telecommunications bill will be approved by the full cabinet, and then submitted to the country's parliament. Until then, the publicly owned telecommunications company, TDM, will be preparing to face the challenges that liberalisation will bring. According to Fernandes, TDM will only be able to compete effectively through a "strategic alliance" with a foreign company, that will provide it with better access to new technologies, a greater transfer of knowledge and skills, and the possibility of new forms of financing. Fernandes later said that bringing private capital into TDM and liberalising the sector would improve the services provided to clients. There would be a multiplicity of choices, which would make prices "more competitive", to the benefit of users. TDM joined AFRALTI in April 1998, and so far more than 30 TDM workers have benefited from AFRALTI training. The AFRALTI Steering Council, which meets twice a year, consists of representatives of Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
From: Liberalisation of Telecoms sector / AIM / 9 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/12-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - AGRICULTURE - MOSAGRIUS
The Mosagrius Development Programme, under which South African farmers are investing in the northern Mozambican province of Niassa, is currently facing an institutional and financial crisis, according to the provincial governor, Aires Aly. Aly visited the former state farm of Matama, just outside the provincial capital Lichinga, which has been taken over by Mosagrius. He had gone there to be briefed about the level of production to be expected from this year's harvest, but instead the South African and Mozambican farmers who are working under Mosagrius let him know how disillusioned they are with the programme. They claimed that the Mosagrius Development Corporation (SDM), which is supposed to be running the programme, had abandoned them. The company is supposed to have initial capital equivalent to a million dollars, half provided by the Mozambican State, and half by SACADA: but SACADA has not yet made its contribution. Aly promised that he would make efforts to persuade SDM to get the machinery of the programme working properly as soon as possible.
From: Financial crisis at MOSAGRIUS / AIM / 12 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/14-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - NATURAL DISATERS - FLOODS
The latest estimate from the government's Technical Emergency Commission (CTE) is that at least 100,000 people have been affected by this year's flooding in central and southern Mozambique. A CTE source said that about 4,000 tones of maize and 360 tones of beans will be needed in food aid for the victims, who are mainly peasant farmers in the Pungue, Zambezi and Shire valleys in Sofala and Tete provinces. The preliminary estimates made by the CTE earlier this month are that about 29,700 hectares of crops have been lost to the floods. This is considerably less than the 45,000 hectares and 100,000 hectares of farmland swamped by the floods of 1998 and 1997 respectively. Agriculture Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario, who has just returned from a tour of the central provinces, said he was "very concerned at storage conditions for grain, given the high level of humidity". The flood losses can be recovered - but to achieve this, seeds must be made available so those farmers can sow again. Rosario stressed the need to monitor the situation permanently "so that our figures correspond to the reality on the ground. We must also ascertain whether there are people in need of relief".
From: 100,000 affected by floods / AIM / 14 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/15-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - GREAT LAKES REGION
The European Union's special envoy to the Great Lakes region, Aldo Ajello, told reporters in Maputo that he hoped Mozambican diplomacy could play a role in confidence- building measures to help solve the central African conflicts. He was speaking after a meeting with Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano. Ajello said that some progress had been made towards ending the Congolese war since he had last visited Mozambique in October. A draft cease-fire agreement now existed - but so far nobody had signed it. "So we can't be too optimistic", he cautioned. Ajello believed that Chissano, drawing on the Mozambican experience of peace and reconciliation, could play an important role in confidence-building measures. He stressed that the success of the Mozambican peace agreement was a beacon for the rest of Africa, and that Chissano enjoyed "great moral standing" on the continent. On meeting Chissano, Ajello declared that it was "very pleasant" to be back in Mozambique - where he had been UN special representative during implementation of the 1992 peace accord - because "this is a place where things are going well. It's a huge success story".
From: Chissano receives Aldo Ajello / AIM / 15 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/16-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - INTERNATIONAL AID - MINE CLEARANCE
The Canadian non-governmental organisation COCAMO (Cooperation Canada-Mozambique) has made 2.5 million Canadian dollars (about 1.7 million US dollars) available for a three year mine clearance programme in three Mozambican provinces. The areas covered are Maputo, Inhambane and Nampula provinces. In addition to mine clearance as such, the programme also includes components of assistance to land mine victims, and community rehabilitation projects.
From: Canadian aid for mine clearance / AIM / 16 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/19 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - BANKING AND FINANCE
A top-ranking mission from the African Development Bank (ADB) concluded a five-day visit to Mozambique, declaring that "we are hopeful and optimistic with what we have seen on the ground". The mission leader, Alice Dear said, "The study mission is a trip we try to take at least once a year", she said. "It's important for us because we don't get to travel on a regular basis". She thought it important to observe what was happening in Mozambique at first hand "rather than depending on documents". The ADB began lending money to Mozambique in 1977. A total of 44 operations have been approved since then, budgeted at around 800 million dollars. However, an assessment of the ADB portfolio of projects in 1995 concluded that performance was unsatisfactory". This was blamed on the war and on "inadequate technical and management capacities". From 1996 to 1998, however, there was "a great improvement in the quality of project implementation", attributable largely to conditions of peace, said Dear. Mozambique is also one of the 39 countries eligible for money from the recently replenished African Development Fund.
From: ADB Mission in Mozambique / AIM / 19 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/19--MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - REGIONAL RELATIONS - REGIONAL SECURITY
Mozambican President Chissano declared in Maputo that the problems facing the Zimbabwean government have been "exaggerated". Chissano was speaking after returning from Harare where he held discussions with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, which centred on the conflicts in Congo-Kinshasa and Angola. Asked about the situation in Zimbabwe, Chissano said the country "is more stable than people think. The economy has its problems, but they're not as alarming as is said". Chissano also said that information on the deaths of Zimbabwean soldiers in the Congolese war had been distorted. He said that soldiers had indeed died, "but there are people who invent numbers, and this discredits the government's data". "There was even a case where they had to exhume the body of a Zimbabwean soldier who died in combat, in order that it could be believed that he was buried in one piece", said the President. "This resulted from a story, according to which only the head had been buried".
From: Chissano defends Zimbabwean government / AIM / 19 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/20 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - HEALTH - AIDS
There are some signs that awareness of the lethal disease AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is on the increase in Maputo. Medical staff believes this is shown both in the increased demand for condoms and in the use of confidential counseling services. According to Emilia Adriano, executive director of MONASO (Mozambican Network of Anti-AIDS Organisations), in January the Counseling Center in the inner Maputo suburb of Alto Mae attended to 95 people who had gone there for information on AIDS. The center also carried out 80 blood tests on people who wished to know whether they were carrying HIV. 24 of these people (30 percent) - 13 men and 11 women - were indeed HIV-positive. The Centre also has a "help line" where people who are worried about AIDS or want information on the disease can ring up and ask. Confidentiality is guaranteed. In December and January, 165 people, aged between 15 and 25, used this line. Most of those who contact the Centre are people who fear they may have picked up HIV - perhaps because they have engaged in casual sex without condoms, or perhaps because they have learnt that their partner is HIV-positive.
From: Awareness of AIDS growing / AIM / 20 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/22 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - CONGO CONFLICT
Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, in his quality as the deputy chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), arrived in Zambia where he is to discuss the Congolese and Angolan conflicts with Zambian President Frederick Chiluba. He met with the Presidents of Uganda, Burundi, Angola and Congo Democratic Republic to discuss the situation in the region. Chissano has visited Zimbabwe, where he talked to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe about attempts to reach a peace agreement in Congo. On this issue Chissano said that he had a "good impression, but one cannot say much about it because of rumors of renewed attacks by the Congolese rebels, supported by Rwanda and Uganda". On the next concrete steps, taking into account the unfolding of the situation in Congo, Chissano said that "all of us, including President Mugabe, are awaiting the report that President Chiluba will give us, as he has scheduled visits to various countries in the region".
From: Chissano in consultations on Congolese conflict / AIM / 22 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/22 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - WILDLIFE
Three South African citizens, whose names have not been revealed, are under police guard, though not yet formally arrested, in Chimoio, capital of the central Mozambican province of Manica, accused of poaching. The three men were arrested on 12 February, and the police found a helicopter, two heavy trucks, a bulldozer and fencing materials in their camping site, but the men were put on parole, pending further investigations. According to the head of the Manica Provincial Forestry and Wildlife Services, Muino Taquidir, citing residents of the districts of Barue and Macossa, the accused flew into the province by helicopter several times, trying to capture Sable antelopes at the Nguala reserve and elsewhere in Barue. There is no confirmation, however, that the alleged poachers managed to catch any animals.
From: South Africans accused of poaching in Manica / AIM / 22 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/22 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - REGIONAL COOPERATION
Malawi's acting high commissioner in Maputo, P. Kanyengambeta, has denied reports that Malawi intends to divert its trade away from the Mozambican ports of Nacala and Beira to the Tanzanian port of Mtwara. Mark Phiri, chairman of the Malawi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), was cited by Pan-African News Agency (PANA) as saying that Mtwara would be cheaper than the Mozambican ports because of its proximity - but a glance at the map shows that this claim is only true for the far north of Malawi. Kanyengambeta said that he believes that Phiri "was misquoted or was deliberately misunderstood". He insisted that the Nacala Corridor remains Malawi's priority route, and described it as the country's "life line". Kanyengambeta puts the Mtwara corridor as the country's second priority, and the Sena line to Beira as number three. He said that the Malawian authorities are setting up "National Corridor Steering Committees for the Nacala, Mtwara and Sena lines, which will be responsible for particular corridors". "None of these development corridors will preclude others, but all will go together", he added. The Malawian trade delegation "did not go to Mtwara to discuss the possibility of switching from Nacala", he insisted. "The delegation went to study and assess the situation for possibilities of using the Mtwara corridor supplementary to Nacala and other routes".
From: Malawi denies intention to switch trade from Nacala / AIM / 22 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/25 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - BANKING AND FINANCE - ECONOMIC POLICY
Mozambican and foreign NGOs urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ensure that generous debt relief is granted to Mozambique, and warned that macro- economic success has brought little or no benefit to the poorest strata of the population. In what is seen as a welcome break with precedent, IMF Deputy Managing Director, Shingemitsu Sugisaki met not only with government ministers, but also with NGOs, trade unions, and business representatives. Sugisaki's opening remarks implied that Mozambican access to the HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) debt relief initiative is not yet guaranteed. "So now is a very crucial period for Mozambique to continue its economic structural reform, so that the country can benefit from this debt relief initiative", he said. Graham Saul, of the British based charity Oxfam, pointed out that Mozambique has been implementing structural adjustment for the past 11 years. "If there's any country in the world that deserves HIPC, it's Mozambique", he declared. Saul thought it would make no sense to deny Mozambique access to HIPC at the last moment, just because some of the rigorous targets set in negotiations with the IMF had not been met. Saul pointed out that, if the IMF is really interested in poverty alleviation, then the debt relief it sponsors "must result in a real release of resources, and not merely the scrapping of unpayable debts".
From: IMF delegation meets NGOS / AIM / 25 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/25 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - INTERNATIONAL AID - HEALTH - CHOLERA
The Italian government has granted US$140,000 worth of equipment and medicines for the fight against the cholera epidemic in northern Mozambique, according to a press release issued by the Italian Embassy in Maputo. The package, including emergency kits of dehydration serum, water tanks materials for the setting up of dehydration centres among other equipment. Since the current epidemic began, in August 1997, Italy has disbursed about US$370,000 to support the fight against cholera in Mozambique.
From: Italian support against cholera / AIM / 25 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/25-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - ECONOMIC POLICY - ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
Despite near-unanimous opposition from Mozambican businesses, the government is still pressing ahead with plans to introduce a Value Added Tax (VAT) on 1 April. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, Shingemitsu Sugisaki, Finance Minister Tomas Salomao insisted that the government has not changed its position on VAT, despite the repeated calls from the business sector that it be delayed for nine months. Salomao claimed that implementing VAT on schedule was part of the government's macro-economic policy, and would bring more advantages than disadvantages. Formal sector businesses stress that they are not opposed to VAT as such: indeed, they accept that it is fairer and more modern than the current sales and consumption taxes. The suggestion from business is that VAT is introduced on 1 January 2000. It is probable that the real reason for a hasty introduction of VAT is that it is one of the pre-conditions, imposed by the IMF, for Mozambican access to the HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) Debt Relief Initiative.
From: VAT: Government still wants early introduction / AIM / 25 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/26 -MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - TRANSPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
Mozambique's main north-south highway is cut in two places, following the collapse of a bridge over the Inharrime River in the southern province of Inhambane. The road was already impassable further north, in Sofala province, where a bridge over the Muari River was swept away. Repair work began after the rains had relented enough to make it possible to begin reconstructing the road. One consequence of the collapse of the Inharrime Bridge is that land mines sown to protect the bridge during the war have been exposed. Some have been swept into the river and out to sea. Others have merely shifted their position, will be buried in mud, thus posing a serious threat to local residents. Communications in Inhambane province are now extremely difficult. Most of the northern districts of the province are cut off from Inhambane city: three districts - Govuro, Inhassoro and Vilanculo - are said to be completely isolated. The pipeline has ruptured and gas is escaping: but the torrential rains have made it impossible for technicians to reach the area and start repairs. The flooding has also destroyed homes in Inhassoro and severely damaged a health unit.
From: Worsening situation on main north-south road / AIM / 26 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/03/26 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - LEGISLATION - ASSEMBLY
The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, opened what should be the last ordinary sitting of this five-year legislature. The most important bill before this sitting is a last minute attempt by deputies of the ruling Frelimo Party to save the country's cashew processing industry, which is on the brink of collapse. The matters that will be dealt with first are those needed to prepare the ground for the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for October. The Assembly must elect 15 members of the National Elections Commission (CNE), which will supervise the elections. The Assembly must also deal with bills demanding state pensions for former Renamo fighters, and the denationalisation of property taken from religious organisations in 1976, when all rented property was nationalised. This sitting will hear the Annual State of the Nation Address from President Joaquim Chissano, and the annual report from the Attorney General, Antonio Namburete. Matters that dropped off the agenda of the last session reappear - including the bill on deputies' pension rights and the highly critical report on the ssembly's use of funds by the Inspectorate-General of Finance. Reports will also be delivered from the Assembly's ad-hoc commissions on the national anthem and on constitutional amendments.
From: Assembly sitting opens / AIM / 26 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/26 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - ENVIRONMENT - WATER - PESTICIDES
Obsolete pesticides and other toxic waste stored at the waste treatment station in Matola, about 15 kilometres west of Maputo, are said to be escaping and contaminating the water of a nearby pond. It is suspected that recent heavy rains have been carrying the toxic residues further afield, affecting Matola farmland. The residents fish in the pond and not only eat the fish themselves but also sell it in the local market. There are even reports that dead fish have been seen floating on the pond, which confirms the suspicion that the water is contaminated. Rosa Batista, of the Matola health authorities, expressed concern over the lack of information given to the local residents, who are still fishing in the pond and using the water for domestic purposes. She noted that since the beginning of the rainy season there has been a slight increase in cases of diarrhea and vomiting in the area, though one cannot be sure whether those cases are due to cholera or to the contaminated water. At the health post of the nearby Fasol vegetable oil factory, the chief nurse said that the local health authorities never had the idea of investigating the causes of the cases of diarrhea and vomiting that have reported to the post, but send them immediately to larger health units.
From: Obsolete pesticides contaminate water in Matola / AIM / 26 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/27-MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - CRIME - HUMAN RIGHTS
The Mozambican police have arrested three men whom they accuse of murdering and decapitating a citizen, whose identity is not yet known, in order to sell his head. The three men, named as O. Amade, A. Antonio, and A. Muchalamo, who have confessed to the crime, said that it was a contract killing: they said they had been hired by an Islamic priest, an Imam, who offered to pay them 100 million meticais (about 8,070 US dollars) for a human head. The alleged request had some gruesome details: the head was to be delivered "fresh, but without eyes, ears, nose and hair". Amade claimed the Imam had contacted him, and he then asked the other two members of the gang to help him in the murder and mutilation. The killers told the police where they had dumped the body. It was removed, and taken, along with the head, to the morgue at Maputo Central Hospital. The Imam in question is an Indian citizen who arrived in Mozambique a year ago, and preaches in the Babus Salam mosque, in the inner Maputo suburb of Alto Mae. Confronted with Amade's story, the Imam said he did not know the assassins, and was not involved in any dealings with them.
From: Human head for sale / AIM / 27 February 1999

ITEM 99/02/28 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - NATURAL DISASTERS - FLOODS - EMERGENCY
The Mozambican government is preparing to launch an emergency appeal for international aid for the victims of the flooding and torrential rains that have hit the country, according to Silvano Langa, director of the country's relief agency, the DPCCN. He has just returned from a visit to the southern province of Inhambane, where heavy rains, the like of which this normally semi- arid province hardly ever sees, have swept away roads, bridges and houses. The country's main north-south highway is cut in two places in Inhambane, thanks to floods on the Inharrime and Govuro rivers. A bridge over the Inharrime has been destroyed, and, as soon as the weather allows, the government hopes to install a temporary metallic bridge so that traffic can resume.
From: Government preparing emergency appeal / AIM / 28 February 1999

ITEM NO. 99/02/28 - MZ
MOZAMBIQUE - INDUSTRY - SUGAR
Large scale smuggling of sugar from Zimbabwe and Malawi is threatening the rehabilitation of the Mozambican sugar industry, warns the director of the National Sugar Institute (INA), Arnaldo Ribeiro. Over 200 million US dollars is involved in repairing and upgrading the sugar mills at Xinavane and Maragra in Maputo province, and at Mafambisse and Marromeu in the central province of Sofala. In the case of Marromeu, a Mauritian consortium is prepared to rebuild the factory, which was destroyed by Renamo during the war of destabilisation. The consortium has already worked on the plantation, putting the irrigation system back into order, and has rehabilitated one of the main access roads. But the condition for foreign investment was effective protection for the Mozambican industry against the dumping of cheap imports. Thus, in November 1997, the government introduced surtax on imported sugar. The strategy for rehabilitating the sugar industry depends on the domestic market. The glut of sugar on the world market makes it impossible to export sugar at a profit. Ribeiro pointed out that the world market price of sugar does not cover the costs of production - even for Malawi, which produces the lowest cost sugar in the world. Thus the Mauritian investment in Marromeu is aimed at supplying Mozambican consumers. Obviously the Mauritians will not put in the rest of their investment if the authorities are unable to deal with contraband sugar.
From: Smuggling treatens Mozambican sugar industry / AIM / 28 February 1999

Compiled by SARDC Maputo