DAILY NEWS 27.03.2015

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FLASH HIGHLIGHT NEWS POLITICS & SOCIETY

Frelimo: Guebuza Slams "Those Who Only Generate Division And Confusion Among Us"

Armando Guebuza, President of Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party, on Thursday criticized unnamed members of Frelimo who “undertook activities which disturbed the normal functioning of the party bodies”.

Opening a meeting of the Frelimo Central Committee, Guebuza did not name these party members, but suggested their activities would only “generate division and confusion among us”.

Despite this, Guebuza claimed that Frelimo had emerged “more cohesive and strengthened”

from last year’s “internal democratic process” which chose Filipe Nyusi as the party’s presidential candidate, and from the general elections of 15 October, won by Frelimo and by Nyusi.

He defended Frelimo’s claim to be “the force of change”, but warned against “change for the sake of change”. The changes that Frelimo must fight for, Guebuza stressed, were those that would improve the lives of the people, in, rural and urban areas, so that they would have good reason to continue placing their trust in Frelimo.

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“Our reference point is the Party’s bodies”, declared Guebuza. “We do what the Party’s bodies decide”.

He also warned against accepting praise from Frelimo’s opponents. “When some people, particularly noisy ones, praise us, it’s because they want us to make mistakes”, he said.

The main objective of Frelimo’s opponents he stressed was to weaken and eventually destroy Frelimo.

The party’s political adversaries “do not want a strong, omnipresent and popular Frelimo”, Guebuza said. “They don’t want to see a strong Frelimo government implementing, with speed and impact, our election manifesto. They don’t want to see our President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, strong and firm, giving his best in the leadership of the state, because they know that this will benefit not only him personally but also our glorious Frelimo”.

It was up to Frelimo members, he urged “today as yesterday to battle, always united, cohesive and determined, so that this dream of our opponents becomes a nightmare”.

Guebuza did not specifically mention the demand by the former rebel movement Renamo for the establishment of “autonomous provinces”, but he was clearly rejecting such calls when he stressed that Mozambique is “one and indivisible”.

Before the Central Committee opened there had been some speculation that Guebuza might take this opportunity to resign as President of the Party, allowing Nyusi to unite the posts of President of the Republic and President of the Party in the same person once again – just as his precedessor Joaquim Chissano had resigned in March 2005 to clear the way for Guebuza.

But Guebuza’s combative speech did not sound like the words of a man considering resigning.

The issue of the succession is not on the agenda of this Central Committee meeting, and so far there has been no attempt to change the agenda and force the issue.

If Guebuza serves out his full term as President of the party, he will not step down until the next Frelimo Congress, scheduled for 2017.

Source: http://www.jornalnoticias.co.mz

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President Guebuza lock and stifles discussion and everyone is afraid to say anything

IV session of the Central Committee of the Frelimo

Jorge Rebelo, former Information Minister deconstructed the party’s president speech saying that he seeks to intimidate members of the Central Committee not to address relevant issues.

Rebelo is more incisive when he says that Armando Guebuza is not open to discussion. See, then, the most relevant parts of the interview with the man who led the ideological apparatus of Frelimo.

What analysis is the speech by the President of Frelimo party, Armando Guebuza, at the opening of the Fourth Session of the Central Committee?

First of all, there is a discussion there that is taking place outside, but also within the party itself, if President Guebuza will accept or not resign as president of Frelimo. I think this is a false issue because it will not refuse, if someone gain courage to raise the issue. He has proved that he is not clinging to power. the fact that he resigned the presidency when he could have made pressure to the Central Committee to pressure the Parliament to change the Constitution so he could compete one more time, the fact that he said no, I would not, " I do this on behalf of the country's interests, "shows no grip on power. So if anyone has the courage to raise the issue, it will ... I am convinced that he will accept step down as president of the party.

Particularly, have the courage to ask him this question?

That's the thing, I mean, now with this speech has released more errands, he says there are people who are used to cause confusion, speaking in public. I am myself now speaking in public, I'm endorsed by these scraps him, in which he says that the aim is to weaken the

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Frelimo. Personally, I think, on the contrary, these criticisms and observations that are made reflect the concern not only of Frelimo members and society in general to the situation of uncertainty that we live in terms of peace, tranquility, and thereby development. Therefore, the question whether President Guebuza of Frelimo accept or not to resign is a false issue.

Source: http://www.opais.co.mz

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Maputo Mayor Wants US$18 M To Rebuild After Floods And Storms

Maputo City Council needs over 620 million meticais (about 18 million US dollars) to rebuild infrastructure damaged by storms and flooding in January.

Accompanying Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario on a visit to flood-hit parts of the city on Wednesday, the Mayor of Maputo, David Simango, said about 15,000 Maputo residents were directly hit by the floods. 116 families made homeless by the storms are still living in accommodation centres set up by the Council.

Simango explained that the Council wants to build new drainage channels extending for 30 kilometres in the urban district of KaMaxakeni, and that planned road repairs would cost 105 million meticais.

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Some of the needs mentioned by the mayor are for health and education facilities for families resettled after the floods. These include a new health centre in Chiango neighbourhood, and a primary school at Pazimane. This is not part of the city, but is in the neighbouring district of Marracuene, where some of the flood victims were given land.

Simango said the municipality had so far spent 94.1 million meticais on repairing flood damage. This included filling in a crater that had opened in KaTembe district, and restoring the wall surrounding the municipal rubbish dump in Hulene neighbourhood.

The government has yet to calculate the total cost of this year’s floods. The worst damage was done in the centre and north of the country, particularly in Zambezia province. Here flooding on the Licungo river cut the main road between the north and south of the country, and knocked down ten pylons on the transmission line carrying electricity to the north. As a result, Nampula, Zambezia and Cabo Delgado provinces, and the northern parts of Zambezia were deprived of power from the national grid for four weeks.

On Tuesday the official government spokesperson, Deputy Health Minister Mouzinho Saide, tentatively put the cost of post-flood reconstruction at in excess of five billion meticais.

“We are still working to identify all the infrastructures damaged”, he said. “There are remote areas where access is still not easy. An exhaustive survey is being undertaken and we don’t yet have a definitive budget”.

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Who's afraid of Helena Taipo?

Members of Sofala’s Provincial Directorate of Education and Culture were reportedly left afraid to speak on Monday after Sofala Governor Helena Taipo gave a fiery criticism of their use of public resources.

During a visit at the provincial directorate headquarters in Beira, Taipo asked about the incompletion of 200 classrooms in the province which were abandoned by contractors.

“We cannot understand the reasons which have led to failure to finish the jobs, since you receive money for this”, said Taipo, as quoted by Notícias. “In the report you gave me, you said that 93 per cent of the budget received was spent. So why didn’t you finish the jobs?”

“We have children studying in the open air, sitting on the floor”, Taipo pointed out, “and this can affect adversely the quality of the education we so long for”.

Problems are exacerbated by a “disease” of false education certificates, she said. Last year 34 false certificates were identified at a range of secondary schools as well as at the Institute of Inhamizua Teacher Education, reports Magazine CRV.

Taipo reportedly “slammed the table” during a presentation by Provincial Director of Education Pedro José, who she said was sweating so much that he “bathed in his own presentation”.

She accused the Directorate of dodging responsibilities and “justifying errors”, which “under normal circumstances would lead to dismissal,” she said, as quoted by Magazine CRV.

She was also irritated to find that the Provincial Education Directorate has no offices of its own, but is operating out of rented premises which she says are the size of "chicken coops"

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and "not worthy for the kind of functioning that we want.". She pointed out that a plot of land had already been identified for the Directorate to build, but to date there is not even a sketch for new premises.

Taipo challenged the Provincial Directorate to move into new offices of its own by the end of this government’s term of office, in order to comply with the norms for institutions of the public administration.

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

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Mozambique demanded to "Do More" to Combat Poaching

The African Wildlife Foundation argues that Mozambique has a "key role to play in combating wildlife trafficking," an activity confirmed to be extend to South Africa and be facilitated in Mozambican ports.

"The governments of Mozambique and South Africa have publicly acknowledged the need to protect the border between the two countries and made public commitments to work together to combat poaching and wildlife trafficking on both sides of the border. We still expect to see a real commitment and dedication of resources for this purpose by the Government of Mozambique, " reported to Lusa the spokesman of African Wildlife Foundation.

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"Poachers continue to invade the parks and reserves in South Africa. In the porous border Mozambique-South Africa, the border with Tanzania also lacks law enforcement on wildlife and the ports of Mozambique facilitate smuggling rhinos horn, among others, to abroad.

Therefore, Mozambique has a key role to play, "added Kathleen Garrigan.

The spokesman for the African Wildlife Foundation recalled that in 2013 it was announced that Mozambique had no rhinos, due to the action of poachers.

"It was also alleged that the rhinos poachers could be acting in collusion with 'rangers' responsible for the protection of these animals there. Currently, many of the hunters kill rhinos in South Africa, especially in the Kruger National Park, believed to come from Mozambique, "he said.

"They seem to operate with a large degree of impunity across the border in Mozambique," he said

* Mozambicans vulnerable to chronic diseases

The changes of habits and customs are the cause for increasing Mozambican vulnerability to chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes. The information was revealed yesterday in Maputo, at the XI Congress of Pharmacists from Portuguese-speaking countries.

Although the drugs to treat infectious diseases are the most needed by Mozambicans, habit changes and customs, in recent years, is the reason why more Mozambicans are vulnerable to chronic diseases. According Lucilo Williams, president of the Association of Pharmacists of Portuguese-speaking countries, these diseases are driven by changes in lifestyles. "In the past we had more Mozambicans to contract chronic diseases caused by lifestyle changes," he said

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Source: http://www.opais.com

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ECONOMY

"Infinite opportunities" in Mozambique despite low financial inclusion

The President of the Board of Directors of Millennium Bim bank sees “infinite opportunities”

in Mozambique, despite the low financial inclusion with 25 million inhabitants and only 2.4 million bank accounts.

“On the horizon, we see infinite opportunities,” Mário Machungo said Tuesday in Maputo at a press conference to launch celebrations of 20 years since the founding of Mozambique’s leading bank.

“The partnership agreement between the Mozambican state and Millennium BCP has been exemplary in creating value for the economy and for the development of Mozambique,” said Machungo.

Millennium Bim’s results in 2013 accounted for almost two-thirds of total banking in Mozambique.BIM has a market share of 29 percent and 40 percent of the equity of the total of 18 banks that make up the Mozambican banking system.

Majority-owned by Portugal’s Millennium BCP and with a direct stake owned by the Mozambican state, Millennium Bim has a network of 166 branches, 2,500 employees and a portfolio of 1.3 million customers.

Source: http://www.jornalnoticias.com

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Restaurants stifled by competition

The managers of the restaurants argue that the authorities should regulate the activity of food selling concerning to business positioning, and talk about the food quality control.

The downtown Maputo is full of restaurants with some tradition in catering. From one moment to other, the city began to have more operators, competition which obviously generates impact in the market.

The news team of "Economic Country" heard the sensitivity of three major restaurants in relation to the proliferation of cars that sell food a bit everywhere and, above all, the impact of competition in its accounts. Two of the managers, who preferred anonymity, gave an obvious opinion: lunch sales reduced significantly.

Both say that there is a lack of control of food sellers and competitors make their business in front of their restaurants to adopt a "dishonest competition" through very low prices.

For example, a dish of the day in a simple restaurant in downtown Maputo varies between 120 and 150 MT, other meals come to be at the same price of the most expensive dish - best quality of informal providers – i.e., around 100 meticais.

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Tax Evasion: Customs seize 600 peanut bags

Mozambican Tax Authority (AT) presented yesterday in Maputo, goods seized last week in escape route to the tax authorities, representing about 630 000 meticais in customs duties, not including fines.

In the list of seized goods, focus is on a truck carrying some 600 consumer peanut bags, but that had been declared as seeds. As was explained in peanut seed import applies a rate of 2.5 percent versus 40 percent for consumption.

According to Customs, 600 peanut bags correspond to 485,000 meticais customs fees.

Other goods presented yesterday are alcoholic beverages, especially beer, appliances and furniture.

According to AT, the goods were seized by mobile brigades of the Tax Authority of Mozambique on National Highway number 4, which connects the city of Matola and the border of Ressano Garcia, hence suppose that the product has been imported from South Africa.

While the documents are not submitted, the Customs shall establish a process that will be sent to the prosecutor for investigation and later to the Customs Court, office which will decide on tariffs and fines to be paid if fraud is proven.

As explained, depending on the complexity and collaboration of the defendants, the outcome of the process could take two, three weeks or years.

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INTERNATIONAL

Boko Haram kidnaps more than 500 women and children

The Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped about 500 women and children in Damasak, a northern city of Borno, in Nigeria, days after the city was liberated by troops from Chad and Niger.

"Women and children were abducted in the city after the arrival of the troops," said Aminu Musa journalists in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, recognizing that "soldiers are not enough to protect everyone."

The kidnapping of major of high level happens on the eve of Saturday's elections in Nigeria, and for the regional military offensive against Boko Haram

Source: http://www.opais.com

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Obama receives Francisco pope at the White House

The US president will receive the pope, on September 23, at the White House, following a request made during the visit of Barack Obama to the Vatican, in March last year.

The meeting in Washington will allow the two leaders to continue the dialogue initiated at the Vatican on several "common values" on topics such as "protection of the poor and excluded,"

environmental issues, protection of religious minorities or integration of immigrants and refugees, according to a statement of the American presidencSource:

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/