Violent physical clashes between supporters of Frelimo Party and of the MDM (Mozambique Democratic Movement) occurred on Sunday (20 August) during celebrations marking the 116th anniversary of Beira’s elevation to the status of a city. A CIP video shows youths with sticks fighting; in the video Frelimo members are wearing red shirts. Police separated the two parties and the festivities of the city’s anniversary continued, with the two parties separated, with each in its corner. (In Mozambique, “city day” marks the anniversary of being raised to the status of a city, and is a local holiday.)
Beira police confirm that two people were slightly injured during the clashes – a member of the Beira Municipal Police and a woman MDM supporter. Beira Central Hospital said no one injured in Sunday’s clashes had been hospitalised, which indicates that the information circulating on social media that somebody died in the clashes is fake news.
The mayor of Beira has been from the opposition for two decades and Frelimo is pushing very hard to win back the city, which has led to warnings of both violence and fake news. The voter registration was very problematic with STAE supervisors in Beira blocking the opposition electorate. That operation was headed by the Beira STAE director (for more details, see Bulletins 78 and 96).
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Is the new STAE district director in Mutarara accumulating incompatible jobs?
Zuleika Botão is head of the Sinjal Administrative Post in Mutarara district, Tete province. She was sworn in Friday (18 August) to occupy the post of STAE district director in Mutarara, replacing the late João Chipanga, who died of disease.
Botão took office at the STAE Provincial Directorate in Tete before she had resigned or been exonerated from her job as head of the administrative post, which should only occur after her case has been approved by the Administrative Tribunal.
She may fear that if she resigns first, then the Administrative Tribunal might refuse to grant its approval to take the STAE job. But the current head of the Sinjal post is accumulating apparently incompatible positions. She is still a member of the local government structure named by the governor who is from the ruling party, Frelimo, and is now at the same time director of STAE, the body managing an election in which Frelimo is a candidate.
Zuleika Botão won the STAE job on 15 August as part of an open competition launched on 3 July after the death of the previous director.
