Maputo transport “normal” say police – passengers disagree

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Maputo transport “normal” say police – passengers disagree

6:55 CAT | 04 Apr 2017

Noticias /File photo) / A so-called 'My Love', seen here in a photo file

The Mozambican police on Monday claimed that the private minibuses (colloquially known as “chapas”), which provide much of the passenger transport in Maputo city, are circulating normally despite the threat of a “chapa” strike.

However, that was not the experience of passengers, many of whom were forced to wait for hours at the bus stops since fewer chapas than usual were on the streets.

At a press briefing, the spokesperson for the Maputo City Police Command, Orlando Mudumane, said “the situation is calm and the minibuses are circulating normally”.

“At the weekend”, he added, “messages circulated in social media, claiming that on Monday the minibuses would be on strike”. Those messages had led the police to strengthen their presence on the streets of Maputo and the neighbouring city of Matola on Monday morning. Police armoured vehicles patrolled some of the main thoroughfares to discourage any attempt to start a riot.

Mudumane said that efforts are under way to identify the authors of the anonymous messages. In principle, the owner of any mobile phone used to send an anonymous message can be identified, since all mobile phone SIM cards must be registered, and the phone companies claim to have disconnected unregistered cards.

Some of the messages were distinctly threatening. One of them, reported on the independent television channel STV, threatened attacks on any of the open trucks (known as “myloves”) which compete with the chapas. The anonymous author of this threat complained that the trucks are completely unregulated and pay no taxes (but many of the chapas are also unlicensed and pay no taxes).

This message said the chapa owners want either a fuel subsidy or an increase in fares. In fact, there is already a subsidy which ensures that, despite this month’s hike in fuel prices, the chapas will pay nothing extra for heir diesel. Fares in Maputo and Matola are seven meticais (about 10.6 US cents) for short journeys, and nine meticais for longer ones. The authors of the message suggested an increase bringing the fares to 15-20 meticais.

As of early afternoon, no incidents of violence had been reported. But the situation at the bus stops was very different from the normality that Mudumane had depicted. Fearful of possible violence, many chapa owners had kept their vehicles off the streets. So long queues of passengers built up. Those interviewed by STV said that, in some cases, they had been waiting for more than two hours.

The anonymous strike does not enjoy the support of the Mozambican Federation of Road Transport Operators (FEMATRO), which urged all its members not to go on strike.

FEMATRO chairperson Castigo Nhamane, interviewed by Radio Mozambique, said there was no reason for a strike since the transport operators are in discussions with the government aimed at finding a solution for the problems of urban passenger transport.

Source: AIM