Mozambique Elections: “Our candidacy is for the more-than 33 million Mozambicans” – Daniel Chapo

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Mozambique Elections: “Our candidacy is for the more-than 33 million Mozambicans” – Daniel Chapo

12:56 CAT | 24 Jul 2024

Image: Ikweli

Daniel Chapo, secretary general of Frelimo and its presidential candidate in the October 9 elections, gave a joint interview to Televisão de Moçambique, Radio Mozambique and morning newspaper Noticias, in which he addressed the his journey in the service of the Mozambican state and the prospects for governance if he emerges victorious in the electoral contest.

In the interview. Daniel Chapo talked about his childhood, starting on January 6, 1977, in the village of Inhaminga in Sofala province.

Rádio Moçambique, EP · GRANDE ENTREVISTA – DANIEL CHAPO (PARTE 1) – 22 07 2024

The Frelimo candidate explained that at the age of five, he and his family were kidnapped by Renamo guerrillas, and lived in captivity for two years.

“After escaping from captivity and walking approximately ten hours to the town of Inhaminga, we found it completely destroyed,” Chapo said, adding that, even so, the family remained there for two years, only leaving in 1985 for Dondo, also in Sofala province.

That’s why, Chapo says, his family has a strong connection with Dondo – because that’s where he grew up. “Hence, the memories of the Inhaminga massacre, but also those of the 16-year war, because Renamo destroyed the town, are very present in us. Every family in the town lost someone.”

Regarding his election as Frelimo’s presidential candidate, Chapo explained that not everything depends on him, because, in Frelimo, people fulfil their missions.

“In Frelimo there is a lesson that we all learn as cadres,” Chapo explained. “It’s not a question of wanting to (be President of the Republic). In Frelimo we are given missions, and we have to be willing to take them on.”

When he went to Nacala in 2004, he never thought that he would be appointed administrator of a district. Neither did he think that he would be appointed Administrator of Palma.

“I remember that when there was a meeting of administrators in Nacala-à-Velha, the head of state asked me if I knew what the mission was when I went to Palma,” Chapo recounts. “I said I knew. The challenge was the same as that implemented in Nacala-à-Velha. Palma had Rovuma gas projects and was bringing in several national and foreign investments, it was necessary to do the same as we did in Nacala. When I went to Inhambane I never thought that one day I would be the governor of a province.”

The Frelimo presidential candidate clarified that his nomination is a mission not only for the just-over four million Frelimo members represented by the Central Committee, but for all Mozambicans.

“It is important to mention that the candidacy is not just for around four million members that Frelimo has, we also have activists and supporters who are much more numerous than that, so the candidacy is really for around 33 million Mozambicans.”
“The intention is, by winning the elections, to be president of all Mozambicans. The mission is to serve on a national scale. First we started with a district dimension, then we had a provincial dimension and now we think that the comrades from the Central Committee will invest in us because they saw what we did,” Chapo said, cited by Ikweli.