Daviz Simango’s body to arrive in Beira on Thursday

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Daviz Simango’s body to arrive in Beira on Thursday

11:15 CAT | 24 Feb 2021

Photo: Conselho Municipal da Beira

The Council of Ministers (Cabinet) decided on Tuesday to grant an official funeral to Daviz Simango, the mayor of Beira, and leader of the second largest opposition party, the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), who died of illness, apparently related to Covid-19, in South Africa on Monday.

Simango was also a member of the Council of State, an advisory body to the President of the Republic. He was appointed to that position by President Filipe Nyusi.

Government spokesperson Ludovina Bernardo, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, told reporters that the decision to grant Simango an official funeral was taken, not merely in light of his membership of the Council of State, but also because “his political trajectory, his nationalism, his commitment to and participation in Mozambican democracy, and his defence of the interests of the people” merited official recognition.

Bernardo guaranteed that preparations are in hand to ensure that the funeral will be carried out with state honours.

On Wednesday morning, MDM spokesperson Sande Carmona announced that, with the approval of the Simango family, the Beira Municipal Council and the MDM have hired a plane to fly Simango’s coffin from Johannesburg to Beira, where it is expected to arrive on Thursday afternoon [around 1 p.m.].

Family and religious ceremonies will be held on Thursday, and the official funeral will take place on Friday.

Tributes to Simango have poured in from across the political spectrum – including from the ruling Frelimo Party and the main opposition force, Renamo, whose candidates Simango regularly defeated in Beira municipal elections.

With the passing of leader #DavizSimango, the Prospects for Democratic Development are not good. @CDD_Moz https://t.co/SN4Mjs3ipG

— Prof. Adriano Nuvunga, Ph.D. (@adriano_nuvunga) February 23, 2021

The National Association of Mozambican Municipalities (ANAMM) paid tribute to Simango as “a singular servant” of the citizens of Beira. ANAMM chairperson Calisto Cossa, mayor of Matola, and a prominent figure in Frelimo, urged the people of Beira to look to the future with hope, and to continue the battle for the municipality’s development.

The MDM has called on its members and supporters to remain calm, despite the “enormous grief” felt at the death of the party’s leader.

The MDM general secretary, Jose Domingos, stressed that Mozambique “has lost a great man who was playing his role for the balance of democracy in the country”.

Although Simango was evacuated to South Africa suffering from respiratory problems, believed to be linked to Covid-19, Domingos said the immediate cause of his death was a heart attack. Other details of his final illness will only be known when family members, particularly his brother, Lutero, return from South Africa.

Domingos said it was “not opportune” to discuss who would take over from Simango as President of the MDM.