Watch: Residents recover Maputo soccer field from private management

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Watch: Residents recover Maputo soccer field from private management

11:43 CAT | 21 Jun 2017

O País / AJFD says a decision to return the camp to the residents is unfair and promises to appeal

After three years marked by demonstrations protesting the privatisation of a soccer field and after six sittings of the Maputo City Council, the residents of the Bagomoyo neighbourhood on Monday got the result they were longing for: the return of their soccer field to public ownership within 30 days.

The decision was expressed in an order issued by the chairman of Maputo Municipal Council, David Simango, in April this year.

“In the light of the above facts, it is clear that the AJFD company proceeded to close the Codamo field and to bar access to resident without municipality consent. In these terms, I order the delivery of the field to the municipality, I appoint a work committee to deal with the legal procedures of recovery of the field composed of councillors from all areas involved so that the field is returned to the population of the neighbourhood within 30 days,” the note read by the councillor for the Kabukwana Municipal District, Lourenço Vilanculos, details.

The dispute over the football field involves on the one hand the community that claimed that the space was a physical recreation centre and on the other the company AJFD that bought the space from Ceta Moçambique to build a supermarket.

The case is but one example of the many disputes over land between the community and private operators across the country.

The decision pleased the residents’ committee, but unresolved problems caused by the perimeter wall around the disputed field remain.

“Access to the houses became very difficult after the building of that wall. In addition, when it rains, the water now runs off the field into our houses, Lizete Fumo explained.

AJFD says the decision is unfair and that they will appeal as soon as they get access to the note.

“This decision is a legal aberration. It does not make any sense to take away a space for which we have all the documentation,” Manuel Pereira said.

The city council’s ruling does not say whether the wall is to be demolished. According to KaMubukwana’s deputy, an opinion on other residents’ complaints will be released in the next few days.