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Mozambique Chronology 1 - 30 April
State of the Environment Info:Reporting Concemptual Frameworks

Mozambique - Natural Disasters - Political Parties
Item No. 00/04/01 - Mz
   After six weeks of silence about the catastrophic flooding in central and southern Mozambique, Afonso Dhlakama, leader of Renamo party, has finally visited some of the flood-stricken areas. According to a source, Dhlakama visited the town of Vila Franca do Save and witnessed relief operations for the victims of flooding in the Save valley. Floods on the Save affected four provinces - Gaza and Inhambane on the south bank and Manica and Sofala on the north bank. Dhlakama took the opportunity to meet with the governors of Inhambane and Sofala, Francisco Pateguana and Felisberto Tom s, with whom he discussed the flooding and relief work. Dhlakama acknowledged that the situation created by the floods was extremely serious. "I am 47 years old and I have never seen anything like it", he said. "Even my father tells me he cannot remember seeing a natural disaster like this before". (Dhlakama's father lives in the Sofala district of Chibabava, which was badly affected by flooding on the Buzi River.)
From: Dhlakama visits flood zone / AIM / 1 April 2000

Mozambique - Economic Conditions - Economic Policy
Item No. 00/04/03 - Mz
    The Mozambican government is planning to table to the Mozambican parliament a proposal to adjust the government's investment funds to cater for the emergency situation, caused by the recent floods in the southern and central regions. Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi made this announcement after visiting the southern province of Gaza where he met with the provincial government, which recommended urgent repairs to the damaged Chokwe irrigation system in order to take advantage of the renewed fertility of the soils for the second season planting. Mocumbi also noted the need to provide about 2,625 tonnes of rice, beans, peanuts and vegetable seeds to peasant farmers to replant areas where crops were washed away by the floods. Of about 650 deaths caused by the floods, 460 occurred in Gaza, where 604,200 people were affected, and 218,000 hectares of crops were inundated. The damage in Gaza also includes the destruction of 1,603 kilometres of road, nine bridges, 245 schools, 20 health units with their equipment, and a large number of shops. From: Budget to be adjusted to cater for emergency / AIM / 3 April 2000

Mozambique - Floods - International Cooperation
Item No. 00/04/05 - Mz
   Portuguese marines, who were working in operations of humanitarian assistance for the victims of flooding in southern and central Mozambique, said farewell after completing their mission. The Portuguese mission included 45 marines, who worked at Vila Franca do Save and in the districts of Machanga, and Govuro in the flooded, Save valley, which marks the conventional boundary between southern and central Mozambique. During the farewell ceremony, the Portuguese military offered to the Mozambican navy the 20 motorboats they used in their operations. The commander of the Mozambican navy, Rear-Admiral Pascoal Nhalungo, said on the occasion that the donation was more than a symbol of cooperation between the two countries, and would "strengthen our navy's capacity for intervention in future humanitarian rescue missions".
From: Portuguese marines end mission in Mozambique / AIM / 5 April 2000

Mozambique - Government - Political Parties
Item No. 00/04/06 - Mz
   Mozambican Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi denied that there are any negotiations with the main opposition party, Renamo, aimed at holding early general elections, or securing governor ships for Renamo in those provinces where it won a majority in the December elections. Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama claimed that such negotiations were taking place: on the same day, a Frelimo deputy, Teodato Hunguana, declared in parliament that all such talk of negotiations was "an invention". Mocumbi clearly inclined towards Hunguana's version. He told a Maputo press briefing that, as a cabinet member, he knew nothing of any such negotiations. "There are no negotiations between the government and any political party", he said. Mocumbi added that "what the government has been doing is to ensure that Mozambique remains a stable country where dialogue is a basic methodology which guarantees that the ideas and the diversity of opinions between members of Mozambican society can be debated, and can lead the country to economic growth that we expect to be between six and eight per cent this year".
From: Mocumbi denies negotiations with Renamo / AIM / 6 April 2000

Mozambique - Agriculture - Investment
Item No. 00/04/07
   The Mozal Development Foundation, the company that owns the aluminium smelter under construction at Beluluane, on the outskirts of Maputo, is to support agricultural development in the surrounding area. According to a press release from the foundation, on 31 March it signed an agreement with a joint project team consisting of a Mozambican company, CODEMO, and a Danish NGO, ADPP, to launch an agricultural development programme. The plans involve establishing farmers' association, and providing training, seeds and guidance on crops to be planted. In the longer term, the programme will also assist in agricultural marketing. The programme also stresses job creation, respect for the environment, and "use of natural resources in a responsible way". This is the second project supported by the Foundation. The first was a malaria control programme.
From: MOZAL supports agricultural development / AIM / 7 April 2000

Mozambique - Flood - Children
Item No. 00/04/07 - Mz
    Mozambique's Minister for Women's Affairs and Social Welfare, Virgilia Matabele, laid the first stone for the building of a house in Manhi‡a, about 80 kilometres north of Maputo, for five children who lost both their parents in the February floods on the Incomati River. Apart from building them a house, the government has promised to accompany the future life of the children, assisting in their schooling, and even ensuring that they receive food aid. Matabele delivered part of the building materials for the house - namely 20 sacks of cement, three doors, three windows, ten rafters, and 20 sheets of zinc roofing. She said that the rest of the material needed will shortly be made available˙by various women's associations who have promised to help. Matabele called on the local government officials to follow the construction work, to ensure that the house could be finished "as soon as possible".
From: Flood orphans to be rehoused / AIM / 7 April 2000

Mozambique - Regional Cooperation - Energy
Item No. 00/04/08 - Mz
   South Africa is prepared to discuss the possibility of reviewing its agreements with Mozambique and Portugal on the supply of electricity from the Cahora Bassa dam (HCB), said Castigo Langa, the Mozambique's Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. Under the agreements, which are more than two decades old, all the electricity generated by Cahora Bassa, located on the Zambezi River, is earmarked for the South African Electricity Company Eskom. Mozambique is in the odd position of requiring permission from Eskom to use power generated from a dam on its own soil. South Africa is prepared to review the agreements because it now has surplus electricity generating capacity, and so is not at all dependent on Cahora Bassa, which is not the scenario imagined when the dam was built in the 1970s. Langa confirmed the South African interest in reviewing the agreements, and noted that this will allow increased supplies to Mozambique, whose needs have also been growing lately. He said that reviewing the agreement is part of a plan of the Mozambican government aimed at improving HCB's services in the interest of the country.
From: South Africa to review Cahora Bassa agreements / AIM / 8 April 2000

Mozambique - Southern Africa - Health - Aids
Item No. 00/04/10 - Mz
    Mozambican Labour Minister M rio Sevene said that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) stands to lose its economically active population in future if efforts to combat the AIDS epidemic are not intensified. Speaking in Maputo at the opening of a meeting of the SADC Employment and Labour Sector, Sevene suggested the drawing up of strategies for the preservation of human resources in face of the threats posed by AIDS. He added that another problem that faces SADC is child labour. This is caused not only by poverty but also by the incapacity to absorb children into education systems, said the minister - a situation which some opportunist and dishonest employers exploit. Sevene also said that labour migration within the community is partly to blame for the poor development of SADC national economies. He said that there is a need to prioritise investment in the health and education areas, and called on SADC member states to undertake efforts leading to gender equality.
From: SADC in danger of losing workforce to AIDS / AIM / 10 April 2000

Mozambique - Natural Disasters - Cyclone
Item No. 00/04/11 - Mz
    A preliminary assessment of the damage caused by cyclone Hudah in the Mozambican provinces of Nampula and Zamb‚zia indicates that at least three people died, 424 houses were destroyed, and about 573 hectares of crops were swamped, said the sources in the Nampula provincial government. Of the deaths, two occurred in Nampula province, whereas the third was reported from the district of Pebane, in Zamb‚zia, where another four people were seriously injured. While it was in the Mozambique Channel, Hudah brought torrential rain to the Nampula and Zamb‚zia coasts. Pebane bore the brunt of the cyclone. Other areas in Zamb‚zia affected were the districts of Maganja da Costa, Mocuba, Gurue, and Milange and the provincial capital, Quelimane.
From: At least three people killed by cyclone Hudah / AIM / 11 April 2000

Mozambique - Legislature - Family Law
Item No. 00/04/11 - Mz
   Mozambican Justice Minister Jos‚ Abudo said that the new Family Law, a draft of which has been submitted to a nation wide debate, must conform to the country's socio-cultural reality. But he immediately qualified this statement by adding that this must not prejudice basic constitutional principles such as the protection of the family, the right to equality between men and women, and non-discrimination against any member of society. Speaking at the opening of a seminar to present the draft bill on family and inheritance law, Abudo said that the law "will take into account the human rights of women to which the Mozambican State has adhered by force of the International Conventions it has ratified". Benvinda Levy, spokesperson for the Ministry, said that the current family law neither reflects nor encompasses the country's social reality - studies undertaken show that it only makes sense to a minority of the population. The current law is mostly male supremacist. According to Levy, when reformulating the norms "in which the superiority of one of the spouses over another was clear, our chief aim was to transform the family into a place of affection, solidarity, understanding and mutual help, where the husband and wife are companions and as such enter into dialogue". A major change in the future law will be the lowering of the legal age limit for marriage, from 18 to 16 years. The draft also proposes recognising, not only civil marriage, but religious and traditional forms of marriage. The final draft of the family law is to be submitted to parliament in August.
From: Justice Minister on family law / AIM / 11 April 2000

Mozambique - Government - Political Parties
Item No. 00/04.12 - Mz
   Mozambique's former rebel movement Renamo and its associates in the Electoral Union coalition say that they will not take part in discussions on the state budget in the country's parliament, because the budget comes from a government they regard as illegitimate. The deputy chairperson of the Renamo-Electoral Union parliamentary group, Jos‚ Samo Gudo, said that the budget is just a continuation of the government's Economic and Social Plan for 2000, which Renamo is also refusing to discuss, for the same reason. "We will never discuss, for instance, the plan or the programme of somebody whom we know is not legitimate in the functions he is carrying out", blustered Samo Gudo. He added that "If we have any points to present before the order of the day we will present them, and if the order of the day is not legitimate for us, we will busy ourselves with other tasks, because the Renamo-Electoral Union parliamentary group has much to do for the welfare of the people". Renamo refuses to recognise the government because it claims the elections were fraudulent. However, when Renamo appealed against the results to the Supreme Court, the Court, in a ruling of 4 January, demolished all of Renamo's arguments.
From: Renamo set to boycott budget debate / AIM / 12 April 2000

Mozambique - Agriculture - Trade Unions
Item No. 00/04/12 - Mz
    The International Union of Agriculture, Food and Hotel Workers (UITA) has promised to wage "a very strong campaign" against the disaster imposed by the World Bank on Mozambique's cashew processing industry. According to the source, the UITA general secretary, Ron Oswald, made this promise shortly before a meeting with the four Mozambican unions affiliated to UITA, including the Cashew Workers Union, SINTIC. The World Bank imposed on the government a sharp reduction in the protection offered to the local cashew processing industry, which takes the form of surtax on the export of raw nuts. The liberalisation of the trade in cashews encourages the export of the unprocessed nuts to India, rather than processing them in Mozambique's own factories. Oswald noted that so far the World Bank had apparently not opposed the new law. "It's been approved and so it must be applied", he said. Oswald said that UITA would take a "very clear" position on the cashew issue. "We can't let decisions stand which call into question basic human conditions", he declared. UITA is based in Geneva, and has 330 affiliated unions in 124 countries.
From: International union backs cashew workers / AIM / 12 April 2000

Mozambique - International Cooperation - Credit
Item No. 00/04/26 - Mz
    The World Bank has announced a 30 million dollar credit to Mozambique, in response to the request for emergency aid following the catastrophic floods of February, according to a World Bank press release. The credit was approved on 20 April, under the title Flood Emergency Recovery Project. The Bank claims it "will help Mozambique maintain macroeconomic stability through the financing of imports necessary to rebuild social and economic infrastructure, and by re-establishing production levels". "The project will be quick-disbursing", the release adds, "and performance will be measured by how well Mozambique maintains macroeconomic stability in the year 2000 and beyond". The money for the credit comes from the World Bank's soft loans affiliate, the International Development Association (IDA). It is to be repaid over 40 years, with a ten-year grace period.
From: World Bank credit for Mozambique / AIM / 26 April 2000

Mozambique - Investments - Southern Africa
Item No. 00/04/26 - Mz
   Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano is among the southern African leaders taking part in a two-day business conference in Berlin and is intended to attract German investment to the SADC region. This forum has been organised by the German association of businesses for southern Africa (SAFRI) and about 700 participants are attending. One of the dominant themes of the meeting will be the "development corridors" radiating from the ports of Maputo, Beira and Nacala in Mozambique, and Mtwara in Tanzania. Tourism, water management and renewable sources of energy are also on the agenda. The forum hopes to show the German business community that there are positive political and economic developments in the region, which guarantee the protection of foreign investment. Currently the heaviest German investment in the region is in South Africa, where more than 300 German companies are operating, followed by the former German colony of Namibia. Efforts will be made to encourage more German investment in Mozambique, but an agreement between the two countries on the reciprocal protection and promotion of investments has yet to be ratified.
From: Business forum on Southern Africa / AIM / 26 April 2000

Mozambique - International Cooperation - International Aid
Item. No. 00/04/27 - Mz
   The Mozambican government has agreed to discuss with companies, NGOs, and other civil society organisations how to apply the donor funds for post-flood reconstruction that will be pledged at a conference in Rome. The pledge came at a forum organised by the independent news-sheet "Metical", and attended by 120 people, including owners of companies devastated by the floods. This was not simply a Maputo gathering: participants came from most of the flood-stricken areas in southern and central Mozambique, and from as far away as Maganja da Costa, one of the districts in Zamb‚zia province that bore the brunt of cyclone Hudah earlier this month. The meeting supported the two main strategic goals outlined by the government - sustainable post-flood reconstruction, and reducing the country's vulnerability to disasters. There was also broad agreement that in applying donor funds local contracting and labour-intensive methods should be used, and that donors should assist in monitoring the use of the money. But, according to the "Metical" report, the main discussion centred on funds to help the recovery of small and medium companies and the informal sector. The initial proposal was that 20 million dollars, or 10 per cent of the funds raised at Rome should be used for this purpose.
From: Use of donor funds to be discussed with civil society / AIM / 27 April 2000

Mozambique - Legislature - Government
Item No. 00/05/28 - Mz
   The Mozambican parliament ended its debate on the government's plan and budget for the year 2000. Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi said the government accepted many of the suggestions made by the deputies, including the need to revise the plan and budget later in the year, in the light of more exact knowledge of the extent of damage caused by the February/March flooding, of the amounts of aid channeled to the country, and of the initial stages of application of the plan itself. He gave no timetable for this revision. Deputies had also complained of the poor quality of much rehabilitation work, particularly on roads. Mocumbi said the government would insist on proper supervision of all publicly funded building work to ensure compliance with the relevant technical norms. The deputies then discussed the budget law clause by clause. The major change agreed was to take the elimination of the tourism tax out of the budget law, and give it a bill of its own. The opposition Renamo-Electoral Union coalition boycotted the entire debate on the budget and plan, and the discussion therefore involved only deputies of Frelimo Party and members of the government.
From: Debate on plan and budget ends / AIM / 28 April 2000

Mozambique - International Cooperation - Investment
Item No. 00/04/28 - Mz
   Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano expressed concern at the low level of foreign investment flowing into southern Africa, despite the efforts made to create an environment favourable to business in the region. Chissano was addressing a Business Forum on Southern Africa in Berlin, in his capacity as chairman of SADC. Addressing an audience of 700 people, including politicians and businessmen from Germany and the SADC countries, Chissano called for a "smart partnership" so that southern Africa could become a priority destination for direct foreign investment. He drew attention to the initiatives under way in the region to put essential infrastructures in place in transport and communication, tourism, energy and water supply.He guaranteed that the region is committed to stability, transparency and to a market economy. Chissano said that special attention is being given to concluding negotiations on implementing the SADC trade protocol, which aims to set up a free trade area in southern Africa, regarded as vital for the economic integration of the region. With the implementation of the Trade Protocol, southern Africa will become one, single market with about 190 million consumers, Chissano pointed out. He though the Protocol would create five million new jobs in the short term, and would add about 26 billion dollars to the region's Gross Domestic Product.
From: Chissano calls for more foreign investment / AIM / 28 April 2000

Mozambique - Natural Disasters - Food Security
Item No. 99/04/29 - Mz
   The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has sufficient stocks to provide emergency food aid to the victims of flooding in southern and central Mozambique until mid-June. Many of those who require food aid are in isolated areas that still cannot be reached by road, and therefore require airlifts. According to Silvano Langa, director of the National Disasters Management Institute (INGC), the factors behind the reduction in the number of aircraft include the sheer exhaustion of the crews, involved for weeks in high-risk operations, and shortage of funds. "With the end of the rainy season, and with roads drying out, we will be able to use trucks we have requested from South Africa to reach areas that are still difficult", said Langa. WFP officials told "Not­cias" they expected more food to arrive in May and early June, enabling the relief operation to feed 650,000 people until September.
From: Food stocks sufficient until June / AIM / 29 April 2000