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Councillor for Institutional Matters, Manuel Domingos, said the names mentioned by Renamo were being moved from one sector to another, or their contracts were not being renewed, as part of a normal administrative procedure, from which Renamo hoped to draw political advantage. Photo: O País
Beira Municipal Council has rejected claims by the main opposition party, the former rebel movement Renamo, that Renamo members are being transferred or sacked from the municipality because they campaigned against the city’s mayor Daviz Simango, of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), in the recent municipal election campaign.
On Saturday, Renamo denounced what it considered “abnormal movement” of municipal staff who happen to be members of Renamo to other sectors, and the delivery of letters of notice, warning some Renamo members that their contracts with the municipality will not be renewed.
Renamo claimed that this was all “politically motivated” because these members had supported the Renamo election campaign, and the party’s mayoral candidate, Manuel Bissopo, during the election. Renamo came a poor third in Beira, beaten by both the MDM and by the ruling Frelimo Party.
The Renamo political delegate in Beira, Luis Chitato, named the main “victims” of this alleged political harassment as Chimucaica Machate, Pedro Chiverengo, Amândio Passe, João Possir, Mussa Mazangane, Joaquim Ribeiro and Valentim Casqueiro.
Four of them, including Chiverengo, who is head of the Council’s roads and bridges sector, received notice that their contracts will not be renewed. Chiverengo was also told that he is losing his right to a fuel allowance.
Chitato said that such moves contradict the MDM’s slogan of “Mozambique for all”, and he described Simango as “a politician motivated by hatred and arrogance”.
Beira Council dismissed the Renamo allegations. Interviewed by the independent daily “O Pais”, the Councillor for Institutional Matters, Manuel Domingos, said the names mentioned by Renamo were being moved from one sector to another, or their contracts were not being renewed, as part of a normal administrative procedure, from which Renamo hoped to draw political advantage.
“These procedures were under way before the municipal elections”, Domingos said, “and so these administrative acts cannot be linked to the post-electoral situation”. He added that the decision to renew the contract of a staff member depends on his performance.
Nonetheless, there is certainly no love lost between the MDM and Renamo, and Renamo has only itself to blame for this. Earlier this year Renamo set out to poach senior figures from the MDM, and was very successful.
Thus the Mayor of Quelimane, Manuel de Araujo, elected twice on the MDM ticket (in 2011 and 2013) defected to Renamo in 2013, and on 1 October was elected again, but this time as a Renamo member. Other MDM cadres – notably Venancio Mondlane in Maputo, Geraldo Carvalho in Beira and Ricardo Tomas in Tete – also defected to Renamo, and doubtless this contributed to the MDM’s poor showing in the municipal elections.
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