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Mozambique: Danger lurks in this building in Beira
4:00 CAT | 31 Mar 2025
Photo: O País
- Families living in a 14-story building located in the centre of the city of Beira, officially designated “Building 056” but better known as the “Emose-TVM building”, are at risk of death every day due to cracks in the structure.
The cracks have been causing water leaks to come into contact with electrical wiring, a problem that “O País” learnt began to appear six years ago, after Cyclone Idai hit.
According to residents, the water in the building does not flow from the taps and the electricity supply is deficient due to the obsolete wiring.
The problems do not stop there. The elevators have not been working for many years.
Residents speaking to our newspaper on condition of anonymity said that household utensils were used to collect the water gushing through the ceilings when it rained.
The water soaks the floor and furniture time and again, creating mould on all the surfaces.
Residents say they have contacted the building’s owner, in this case the Mozambican Insurance Company (EMOSE), multiple times, seeking solutions to the problems in the building, but without satisfaction.
The monthly rent is 10,000 meticais, a rate that residents say is constantly increasing – rent hikes indefensible considering the condition of the building.
Since there has been no work done on the building, residents have taken the initiative to rehabilitate it with their own funds.
“We are now here, in the middle of the room, where we decided to start work to try to improve the condition of the house, but due to the problems with water infiltration and many other things that have been happening in the building, we had to stop the work because we were unable to continue due to the conditions we find ourselves in,” of the residents complained.
“As you can see, we have been through a series of rains and, for those of us who live on the top floors of the building are experiencing water infiltration, where the conditions we find ourselves in today literally make it impossible for people to live in this building,” the resident continued
“We are facing problems with water everywhere in the house. It literally comes from the ceiling.”
EMOSE says it is aware of the problem, the director of the institution stating in an interview with ‘O País’ that the entire roof of the building was destroyed by Cyclone Idai, but that roofing repair work done was not of good quality and has since then been causing problems.
“The problems the building is experiencing have a lot to do with leaks during the rainy season,” he said.
According to EMOSE, the structure of the building is contributing to the delay in starting the works. “We are having difficulty, given the height of the building. We do not have the necessary equipment. We cannot lift the wood up there, so it is all a question of costs.”
The owner of the building guarantees that the work will be done this year.
“In the last meeting we had with the contractor who could do the work, he said he could only do it after the rainy season,” the EMOSE director reported. “There is a possibility that the residents on the top floor will have to temporarily leave the building. We have already spoken to the tenants; whoever has a free house, whoever can leave the property for a period of time, will help. We can intervene to prevent us from doing this in houses where there are people. However, it is difficult to find a temporary place for the tenants – we do not have the means to do that.”
“We advise tenants to find temporary accommodation while work is being carried out. And we are open to hearing their opinions,” he said.
Until the works is done, the 112 families who live in the building – around 600 people – will continue to be at risk whenever it rains.
Source: O País
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