Mozambique: Daviz Simango accuses Frelimo of sabotaging MDM meetings

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Mozambique: Daviz Simango accuses Frelimo of sabotaging MDM meetings

3:32 CAT | 23 Sep 2020

Daviz Simnago speaks to the press in Inhambane. [Photo: MDM - Gabinete de Informação / Facebook page]

The leader of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), the country’s third-largest political party, claims there is a climate of political intolerance in Mozambique, accuses Frelimo of impeding MDM meetings in Inhambane. He also warns of the risk of diversion of state support.

Mozambican opposition leader Daviz Simango, in an interview with DW Africa, accuses the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) of banning MDM meetings in Inhambane.

According to Simango, the MDM contacted several venues in Inhambane to hold a party meeting on Saturday (20-09), but no one agreed to hire venues to them. The MDM even paid for one venue, but the owners cancelled the event and returned their money, saying that he was being threatened by those in power.

“I was shocked by the disgrace in Inhambane. I cannot figure out why a ruling party would coerce a businessman into rejecting an MDM booking when he had already taken the money, and who now claims that he was threatened,” Simango says.

According to the MDM leader, eventually only one venue was available, and the price escalated to seven times the normal rate.

Political intolerance not a new situation, says MDM

Simango says he is apprehensive about the current political situation in Mozambique, recalling that, a year ago, in the midst of an electoral campaign, the MDM leader’s motorcade was several times blocked by alleged Frelimo members. For the politician, the situation shows that there is “political intolerance” in Mozambique, something that he “strongly” condemns.

The MDM leader is also concerned about armed attacks in the centre and north of the country, demanding that the government start negotiations with the self-proclaimed Renamo Military Junta, so as to accommodate all the guerrillas who fought alongside Afonso Dhlakama, the late opposition party leader.

“We are concerned about the conflicts in the central zone. There was a bad negotiation which did not involve the generals and soldiers of Renamo. I call for dialogue and for the government and the Military Junta to sit down together, in a fair manner, so that [the combatants] feel involved, because we know that the deceased [Dhlakama] lived with these guerrillas [of the Junta]. We must find a way out, so that there are no more attacks in the centre zone,” Simango demands.

Regarding the attacks by insurgents in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, the MDM president believes that conditions must be put in place “so that terrorism does not spread to other provinces”.

“The Defence and Security Forces must not violate human rights out of anger and ill-will. This drags the country’s reputation through the mud,” he warns.

Misuse of support funds for farmers

Simango also has concerns with the ‘SUSTENTA’ project, the social support programme which ostensibly helps farmers increase productive capacity. The MDM president says that the initiative is just another “cake” for the members of the ruling party.

“In Gaza, for example, 99% of the beneficiaries of the previous project did not pay anything. Tractors were distributed to entrepreneurs who were not involved in agrarian production. Comrades could be grabbing [resources] for private gain, and that is very bad,” he warns.

DW Africa contacted Frelimo several times for a reaction to Daviz Simango’s allegations, but received no response at the time of going to press.

Source: Deutsche Welle