Mozambique: TV commentator shot; protest organiser beaten – Hanlon

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: TV commentator shot; protest organiser beaten – Hanlon

2:10 CAT | 24 May 2016

Mhoje_jaimemacuanejoaomassango_photo_jpg

In File Club of Mozambique / José Jaime Macuane (L) and João Massango (R)

Two people who have spoken out against the government have been the victims of targeted attacks.

Yesterday morning (Monday 23 May) Jose Jaime Macuane was kidnapped and shot. His car was hit and when he got out to check he was kidnapped by armed men. He was later dumped and told to run and was shot four times in the legs. Macuane’s father-in-law said the kidnappers said they were told to shoot Macuane to leave him crippled. Macuane is recovering in hospital, but with one leg badly damaged. (O Pais 24 May, AIM En 23 May)

Macuane is a lecturer in social sciences at Eduardo Mondlane University and one of the regular commentators on the Sunday night talk show “Pontos da Vista” (“Points of View”) on the independent television station STV, now the most important TV station. “Pontos da Vista” is notable for its critical stance, and its willingness to subject government policies and statements to sharp scrutiny. In one of his latest interventions on this programme, Macuane remarked “When the state does not clear up crimes, the state is showing that it survives off organized crime”. (AIM En 23 May)

On Friday morning (20 May), an attempt was made by armed men to kidnap Joao Massango. He was rescued by the local community, but not before being beaten by the would-be kidnappers. He is president of one of the small green parties, Partido Ecologista Movimento da Terra-PEC-MT. He was on his way to a press conference to announce the route of a protest march on Saturday. The march had been organised by a range of small parties, but was not backed by either main opposition party, MDM or Renamo. The march had been banned by the Maputo city authorities, and after the attack on Massango, it did not take place.

The government has been anxious to prevent demonstrations such as the one in 2010 in which 13 people died and the government was forced to reverse price rises.

There have also been nasty and racist organised campaigns by trolls on social media attacking critics of the government. This has included “wanted” posters with pictures of the people being attacked. There was such a campaign against UEM academic Gilles Cistac last year before he was gunned down. Prominent civil society figures and their families have been the subject of threatening telephone calls. At least one prominent Mozambican academic at UEM has been frightened enough to temporarily leave the country.

COMMENT: This is an organised campaign and it has been at least partly successful – people are more frightened than I have seen before. But the general public, at least in Maputo, is discussing the debt crisis very openly and is critical of the government, building on a simmering resentment about perceptions of growing inequality.

By: Joseph Hanlon

Source: News reports & clippings