Mosquito net distribution failure sparks outrage in Beira

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Mosquito net distribution failure sparks outrage in Beira

3:44 CAT | 20 Nov 2020

Photo: O País

Failure to distribute mosquito nets has aroused the ire of about 1,150 families in the Marrocanhe area of the city of Beira. The authorities have acknowledged the problem, claiming that it was a procedural failure and that the families concerned would receive the mosquito nets this Friday.

This Thursday morning, some of the residents of the Manga Mascarenhas neighbourhood, where around 1.5 million mosquito nets started being distributed last Sunday, congregated in front of the home of one of the local leaders, chanting “We want mosquito nets”.

“We are in the middle of the rainy season. Soon mosquitoes will start to multiply and, therefore, there will be bites. What will become of our children and us? In our neighbourhood, the distributors came round only on the first two days, Sunday and Monday. We tried to find out [from the leaders] what had happened, and they told us that the process had already ended in our area. How did it end if there are hundreds of families who have not received nets?” asked Guida Paulo, one of the indignant protesters.

The protest came four days after Sofala helmsman Lourenço Bulha launched the distribution campaign, calling on people to take careful note of the process, because rumours had already reached his ears of possible diversion of nets for sale on the black market.

Reacting to residents’ complaints, city of Beira administrator João Oliveira said that the communities concerned were right. It was indeed planned that the equipment would be distributed in the area in question in the first two days, but it had not been possible to reach all families and the distributors had moved on to other areas.

“The problem has already been identified, and today (Thursday), we sent out a team who found out that more than 1,000 families had not actually received mosquito nets. Tomorrow (today), we will resume distribution in Marocanhe, and make sure that all residents are supplied,” Oliveira said.

“The goal is to reach 90 % of the population.”

By Francisco Raiva

Source: O País