‘To dialogue does not mean to forget how it all began’ – Venâncio

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‘To dialogue does not mean to forget how it all began’ – Venâncio

12:21 CAT | 25 Mar 2025

Screen grab: Venâncio Mondlane / Facebook

Twenty-four hours after the unprecedented meeting with the President of the Republic, Venâncio Bila Mondlane, the second most popular candidate in the presidential elections of October 9, 2024, came out to clarify the details of the meeting held on Sunday night, at the Joaquim Chissano International Conference Centre in Maputo.

According to Venâncio Mondlane, the meeting with Daniel Chapo was “in good will” and took place “with all politeness” and “all cordiality”, in addition to being “very civilized” and “very understandable”.

Without revealing the identity of those responsible for the “feat”, Mondlane guaranteed that it was organized “by a group of citizens with a patriotic spirit, who built the bridge that many people were already longing for”. He stressed that the meeting aimed to create an environment of trust between the two politicians, but ended up taking significant steps on some urgent issues.

The five points discussed

According to Venâncio Mondlane, four points were discussed and agreed upon at the dialogue table: ending the violence; compensating families affected by the demonstrations; providing free specialized medical and medicinal assistance and social and psychological assistance to victims of police violence and protesters; and pardoning the people arrested for exercising their rights.

“It is extremely urgent that we end the violence, both that suffered by young people who claim to be followers of Venâncio, as well as the violence inflicted on police officers, members of the Frelimo party and anyone who disagrees with us. There was consensus on this point,” said Mondlane, saying that the President of the Republic assumed responsibility for ending state violence and Mondlane for ending the violence perpetrated by protesters.

To achieve these consensuses, Venâncio Mondlane said that a working team had been created, which would be responsible for drawing up the plan with the respective deadlines “so that we can all monitor and monitor whether or not these consensuses are being reached”.

READ: Mozambique: President, Mondlane meeting will lower temperatures – analysts

In a live broadcast on his Facebook page lasting just 29 minutes, the self-proclaimed “President Elected by the People” reiterated that he had always been open to dialogue and that he would participate in all conversations in which the lives of Mozambicans are at stake.

However, Venâncio Mondlane understands that “engaging in dialogue does not mean abandoning the cause” and much less “means forgetting how all this began”.

“This began because we had an election, in which we have unequivocal proof that we won […].I do not have amnesia and I know that the Mozambican people do not have amnesia either. We won, that is why we began a series of demonstrations because we demanded our victory,” he argued.

The meeting between Daniel Francisco Chapo and Venâncio António Bila Mondlane took place two months after the former Frelimo candidate was sworn in as the fifth President of the Republic, following the controversial 7th general elections of 2024, characterised by the manipulation of results.

Meeting raises hopes, but fuels speculation due to lack of content – jurists

The meeting between President Chapo and Modlane on Sunday night at the Joaquim Chissano International Conference Centre in Maputo could currently be the main topic of debate throughout the country.

The meeting, awaited with expectation ever since Daniel Chapo was sworn in as the new President of the Republic, has always been seen as crucial to pacifying the country, which has been mired in a political and social crisis since the general elections on 9 October, characterised by popular protests which led to the deaths of more than 350 people across the country, including civilians and police officers.

Legal experts interviewed by ‘Carta’ argue that the meeting on Sunday opens a door of hope for peace in the country, considering as flaws the fact that it occurred two months after the inauguration of the President of the Republic and that the content of the meeting is unknown, apart from the single image released by both advisory teams: Daniel Chapo and Venâncio Mondlane.

Damião Cumbane states that the meeting had been long awaited, though underlining that it took place two months after the inauguration of the head of state. “Indeed, this meeting should have taken place two months ago, and during this period we have been living in uncertainty which has led to the death of dozens or perhaps hundreds of people,” argues the lawyer, congratulating Daniel Chapo for his decision.

“There was always some hesitation about who should invite the other, but it was always clear that the initiative should be the president’s, since Venâncio did not have the prerogative to call the head of state. Because of this uncertainty, we ended up losing many lives and property,” he stresses.

For Cumbane, the meeting brought a “feeling of relief” as it signalled that dialogue between Daniel Francisco Chapo and Venâncio António Bila Mondlane was possible.

“At this moment, whether we like it or not, Venâncio Mondlane is the one who represents the opposition with popular legitimacy. Therefore, the relief comes from the fact that we finally met with the person who, in the eyes of ordinary citizens, represents the opposition with authority, due to his popular legitimacy,” he explains.

‘Breaking the ice’

Continuing, the lawyer says he describes the meeting as ‘breaking the ice’, because, in his opinion, “everything that comes is easier because I believe that platforms have been created for interaction between the two parties without the need for direct intervention by the people who made the meeting possible. The hardest part was holding the first meeting”.

Lawyer João Nhampossa, a human rights activist, also sees hope in the meeting. He agrees that the rapprochement between the two figures “was long awaited”, and therefore “brings a breath of fresh air” to the Mozambican people, giving some hope for the resolution of the problems that are currently affecting the country.

“There was an idea that people did not want to talk to Venâncio Mondlane, and that he is being subjected to political persecution. Therefore, the meeting gives hope for the pacification of the country and that it is possible to accommodate some of the interests that the people are demanding, through Venâncio Mondlane,” Nhampossa states.

However, the lawyer sees a problem in the midst of this hope: the lack of content, which could fuel speculation.

“This meeting is hurt by the fact that we have an image and not the content, so we can only assume that they discussed the relevant points, such as the demonstrations, governance and this idea of having two presidents in Mozambique, because these are the problems that are delaying the country at the moment.”

For the lawyer, without knowing the content of the conversation, it is extremely difficult to give a consistent opinion. “Therefore, although there is hope resulting from the meeting, there is also frustration regarding the lack of knowledge of the content of the meeting,” he states.

What future awaits after this meeting?

Without knowing the content of the conversation, no one knows what awaits the country in the coming days. Cumbane believes that this is the time for people to celebrate the beginning of the dialogue between the two politicians, because what follows will deserve careful and not hasty treatment.

“We have to keep in mind that there has been a great deal of social fracturing and, from the moment we recognise this, everything must be handled with due care and a great deal of calm to avoid creating unnecessary barriers. I believe that in the next phases we will discuss specific issues, such as the legal proceedings against Venâncio Mondlane, which cannot continue under the terms in which they were instituted,” argues the source.

Lawyer João Nhampossa questions the treatment to be given to the ‘Political Commitment for an Inclusive Dialogue’ document, signed on March 5th between the president of the republic and the leaders of the political parties with seats in parliament, provincial assemblies and municipal assemblies.

“Many argued that the document [the political commitment] had no political value without Venâncio Mondlane. Now, with that meeting taking place, the question that remains is: what is the validity of the political commitment for an inclusive dialogue? Will it continue? Will an addendum be made to include Venâncio and his ideas?” he asks.

Source: Carta de Moçambique