Mozambique: Despite threats, no demonstration – AIM

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Mozambique: Despite threats, no demonstration – AIM

9:04 CAT | 14 Jul 2022

Photo: Miramar

Despite the anonymous threats of mass demonstrations circulating on Mozambican social media, as of mid-morning on Thursday nothing at all had happened in Maputo, although the threats certainly had the effect of keeping both vehicles and pedestrians off the streets.

On Wednesday menacing messages circulated on WhatsApp saying “14 July, nobody must go onto the streets”, and “Mozambican brothers, let’s wake up, life is difficult… This government is humiliating us, they are killing us, and so we should follow the example of South Africa” (a reference to the violent demonstrations on South African roads last week).

The Mozambican trade union movement urged the public to pay no attention to anonymous messages, and the police warned that its units would be out in force to deal with any disorder.

The spokesperson for the General Command of the police force, Orlando Mudumane, told a Wednesday press conference in Maputo that the police had stepped up vigilance and patrolling throughout the country, particular in urban centres, on main roads and at bus terminals.

He added that the police are trying to identify the authors of the anonymous WhatsApp messages, so far without success.

“To guarantee public order, security and tranquillity, and the free circulation of people and goods, the police will continue to exercise the due authority, and take, whenever necessary, all proportional and legally justifiable coercive measures”.

On Thursday morning, there was a highly visible police presence on the streets of Maputo, but there were no demonstrations, let alone riots. By mid-morning none of the feared attacks on vehicles or shops had occurred.

Traffic was light – most buses and minibuses had stayed off the streets. But as the morning wore on, so more vehicles appeared. Faced with a shortage of passenger transport, some people decided to walk to work. AIM spoke to one woman who had walked for about two hours to reach her employment.

One motorist remarked “Everything’s calm. There are just fewer vehicles than usual”.

Source: AIM