Mozambique: Zambézia needs €20 million for post-protest reconstruction

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Mozambique: Zambézia needs €20 million for post-protest reconstruction

12:46 CAT | 15 Jul 2025

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Rádio Moçambique]

The provincial government of Zambézia, in central Mozambique, requires 1.5 billion meticais (€20 million) to rebuild infrastructure destroyed during the post-election protests, it was announced today.

“We are most concerned about the district headquarters of Namacurra and Mocubela, because all the infrastructure, whether the administrators’ residences or the district offices, was destroyed during these protests,” said Leo Saíde, director of finance in the Zambézia provincial government.

At issue are the official residences and public administration buildings that were the target of popular anger in some districts of Zambézia during the popular protests that followed the Mozambican general elections on October 9 last year.

The provincial administration claims it does not yet have the funds to begin construction, but hopes to do so within this five-year government mandate.

“The money isn’t there yet, but within our internal budget, we want to ensure that Namacurra and Mocubela have space to work and that administrators have housing, because at this point, the homes have been burned,” Leo Saíde explained.

These priorities “were included in the investment budget and are currently undergoing approval” by the appropriate agencies, he added.

Mozambique experienced nearly five months of social tension, with demonstrations, initially in protest against the October 9 election results, called by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, resulting in the deaths of 400 people and the destruction of property.

The Mozambican government has confirmed at least 80 deaths, in addition to the destruction of 1,677 commercial establishments, 177 schools, and 23 health units during the demonstrations.

Mozambican political parties with seats in parliament and municipal and provincial assemblies signed a political commitment with the President of Mozambique on March 5th, aiming for state reforms, which was later enacted into law by the Mozambican parliament.

On March 23rd, Mondlane and Chapo met for the first time, and a commitment was also made to end post-election violence in the country. They met again on May 21st with pacifying the country again on the agenda.

Source: Lusa