INAM: Moderate to heavy rain alert issued for central and northern Mozambique
FILE - Houses built by the Dugongo cement factory in the Matutuíne district, for the resettled population in flood-prone areas. [File photo: AIM]
The population of the Mudada neighborhood, Matutuíne district, in the southern province of Maputo, submitted a petition on Thursday to the Mozambican Parliament, the Assembleia da República (AR), against the Dugongo cement factory, allegedly for not honoring commitments made to the resettled families.
Inaugurated in 2021, Dugongo, a company with majority Chinese capital, is located on the site where there were residences for more than 120 families.
In a brief phone call with the president of the Mudada residents’ committee, Justino Jasse, explained that for over 17 years, those resettled by Dugongo have not been compensated, and in the neighborhood where they are resettled [Mudada], there is a lack of basic necessities, including electricity and water.
“What is happening is that we have been paralyzed since 2007 when the Dugongo company appeared here and prohibited all residents from here [Mudada] from building their own houses, and they promised us that they would build decent houses, hospitals, schools, electrical networks, water supply, and better conditions for all of us,” he said, adding that all of this was just empty promises.
Jasse confirmed having contacted Dugongo but “they always tried to deceive us,” stating that he had received information that the resettlement process did not include compensation.
At the time of resettlement, 15 years ago, the factory built 121 masonry houses, type 3, for about 200 families covered by the resettlement.
“There are families that did not get houses; they took us from where we were earning something and built houses with poor-quality materials, in a flood-prone area; we are in the middle of streams; we rejected these houses because there are cracks in all the rooms and living rooms,” he said.
Jasse said that the residents no longer need the houses due to their vulnerability. “When it rains, water enters, and it doesn’t even seem like there is a roof made of sheets,” he emphasized.
According to Jasse, the same petition was submitted today to the district administration of Matutuíne.
Months ago, the same petition, the president added, was submitted to the Attorney General’s Office.
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