Trade under threat as Mozambique opposition plans to ‘paralyse activities’ over elections
BEIRA — Mozambican opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane has called on his supporters to target trade routes with South Africa and Zimbabwe to protest the results of last month’s election.
Daniel Chapo of the ruling FRELIMO won the election with 71% to Mondlane’s 20%, but Mondlane declared himself the winner and claimed the poll had been rigged.
Last week, protesters destroyed buildings and vehicles at Mozambique’s border with South Africa, forcing South Africa to shut down the border, one of the busiest in the region.
In a Facebook broadcast on Monday, Mondlane urged truck drivers plying routes to the Beira port to block the route, starting Wednesday.
“We will paralyse all activities,” Mondlane said, according to Bloomberg. “We will ask all truck drivers to take time off during these three days.”
The blockade would disrupt Zimbabwe’s access to Beira, which handles exports and fuel routes. The port handled a record monthly cargo of 442,000 tonnes in July. Zimbabwe is the largest user of the port for the export of products, including tobacco, agriculture commodities and minerals, according to Cornelder de Moçambique, the terminal operator.
Beira is also used by South African exporters and copper mines in Zambia and the DRC.
Dozens of people have died since the demonstrations began, according to the 11mCentre for Democracy and Human Rights, after police used teargas and live ammunition to disperse protesters, Bloomberg reports.
Local and international observers have raised concerns over irregularities, including signs of ballot box stuffing and altering the tallies. The party backing Mondlane challenged the outcome with the Constitutional Council, which is yet to proclaim the final results. In the 2019 general elections, it took until December 23 to do so.
In August, Mozambique commissioned expanded capacity of the pumping stations at the Beira fuel terminal. The extension increased capacity from two million to three million cubic metres per year. The US$40 million expansion was led by the Mozambique-Zimbabwe Pipeline Company, boosting fuel supply to Zimbabwe and other countries via the Beira-Feruka-Harare pipeline. _*— NewZWire*_
