NEW PENAL CODE TO LEGALISE ABORTION

The proposed revision of the Penal Code, agreed on Tuesday at a meeting of the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) in Maputo, includes measures to make it easier for women to receive legal abortions.Speaking on Thursday at a press conference, the head of the government’s Legal Reform Technical Unit (UTREL), Abdul Carimo, said that abortion should be legal and carried out in the public health service by doctors.The government wants to cut the number of illegal abortions that endanger the lives of women and have become a public health problem.“There are studies by the Institute of National Health that indicate that more than five thousand women die each year in Mozambique as a consequence of abortion”, said Carimo.Those that carry out illegal abortions face a penalty of between two and eight years in prison.The proposed changes would bring the Penal Code into line with the current reality.According to a report by the United Nations, “in 1981 the Ministry of Health issued a decree allowing abortions to be performed in hospitals in cases of endangerment of health and contraceptive failure. A committee was to make the decision as to whether legal grounds for abortion existed. Since then, the decree has been interpreted very liberally in some hospitals, and abortions are provided there to women who sign a written statement requesting the abortion”.However, many women do not know that abortions take place in public hospitals and resort to unsafe back-street abortions. The Ministry of Health has estimated these abortions account for 16 per cent of maternal deaths and 55 per cent of all admissions to hospital obstetric and gynaecological services.The changes to the Penal Code will be brought before parliament for debate later this year. The reform brings together all the changes to the Code made since national independence 36 years ago.In total, 399 articles have been altered, added or removed, which represents over 80 per cent of the Code inherited from the colonial era. It marks the end of the work on revising the Code, which began in 2005.

GROWN ENERGY ZAMBEZE TO INVEST 320 MILLION DOLLARS IN ETHANOL PRODUCTION

Grown Energy Zambeze, a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals, is planning to invest 320 million US dollars in the production of ethanol in the district of Chemba, in Sofala province.The project, which is due to be operational by the end of 2013, will produce ethanol from sugar cane.Currently, the project employs 300 workers, and this number is expected to rise to 500 by March 2012.These figures were given on Thursday by the general manager of Grown Energy, Rademan Rensburg, during a visit by Sofala provincial governor Carvalho Muaria.     According to the newspaper “Diario de Mocambique”, during the first phase the plant will produce 25,000 litres of ethanol per year.In the second phase the annual output will reach 100,000 litres of ethanol, to supply domestic and European Union markets.According to Rensburg, “initially, commercial production of sugar cane will be grown in an area of 3,000 hectares out of the 24,000 hectares made available by the government for the project”.It is hoped that more than 2,000 jobs will be created once the ethanol processing plant begins operations.To carry out its duty of social responsibility, Grown Energy is investing 250,000 dollars in constructing five classrooms and refurbishing another three classrooms for Nsusso primary school. People living in the area covered by the project will also gain access to potable water.There are 110 families living in the area where the project is being implemented. According to Rensburg, they will be offered new housing or a cash payment to move.The company is to start a consultation process with the local communities to seek a consensus and to avoid forced evictions.Governor Muaria expressed his satisfaction with the company's initiatives, stressing that the project will boost social and economic development in the region.

RENAMO PLANS TO REGROUP FORMER REBEL TROOPS

Mozambique’s largest opposition party, Renamo, has announced that it is going to gather together its former rebel fighters who were “compulsorily” demobilised and not incorporated into the unified national army (FADM) after the General Peace Agreement of 1992.The daily newspaper “Noticias” on Thursday quotes the Renamo spokesperson, Fernando Mazanga, as saying that the regrouping is in response to requests made by some former rebels to the party president, Afonso Dhlakama.“Renamo welcomes the decision to establish quartering areas for demobilised Renamo fighters, who were purged from the FADM”, said Mazanga.In the first phase, according to the spokesperson, a quartering area will be created in the district of Montepuez, in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. This will be followed by the setting up of quartering areas in Cuamba in Niassa province, and Mocuba in Nampula province.Asked whether such a regrouping could pose a threat to peace, Mazanga argued that this action will not lead to any disturbances.Mazanga stated that Renamo is preparing a peaceful revolution, with the objective of removing Frelimo from power and establishing a new political order based on equality of opportunity for all citizens.“To reach this goal, Renamo prioritises negotiations with the government because we want to make a peaceful revolution with the participation of all forces in the country”, stated Mazanga.However, the Deputy Minister of Defence, Agostinho Mondlane, argued that the move by Renamo to regroup their former fighters constitutes a “flagrant violation of the laws and constitution of the Republic”.He told “Noticias” that only the government is legally mandated to gather and quarter Mozambicans, to form an army to defend the citizens and sovereignty of the country.He pointed out that there are laws specifically dealing with the issue of the demobilisation of former combatants, whether they belonged to the Renamo rebels, the former national army FPLM, of the current armed forces FADM.Mondlane stressed that if any former combatant did not receive the assistance promised under these laws, there are state institutions where groups of individuals can take their complaints.Regarding the possibility of the regrouping of Renamo provoking trouble, Mondlane stated that the Ministry of Defence will coordinate with other state institutions to restore order and justice if necessary.

The National Forum of Demobilised Soldiers has suspended its president, Herminio dos Santos, because of accusations of irregularities under his management.According to the daily newspaper “Noticias”, several associations of demobilised soldiers received loans to implement projects.However, it is alleged that Herminio dos Santos persuaded members of his association not to take the money. Instead, he used the funds to travel to the centre and north of the country to mobilise former rebels to demonstrate violently against the government for not meeting the needs of demobilised troops.“Herminio dos Santos had no mandate from the Forum for such trips. In his travels he stayed in luxury hotels, ate and drank well, and carried out hidden agendas”, said his accusers.He has not been expelled, but is being called on to explain his “errant attitude” and the damage that he has done.According to Adelino Cebola of the National Council of Demobilized Soldiers (CODEG), the decision taken by his colleagues was expected in view of the manner of Herminio dos Santos’ behaviour.

EDM LOSES 400 MILLION TO THEFT IN FIRST HALF OF 2011

Mozambique’s publicly-owned electricity company, EDM, has lost 398.7 million meticais (about 13 million US dollars) in the first half of 2011 due to theft and illegal connections.According to EDM chairperson Manuel Cuambe, the cost of illegal connections and consumption is 380 million meticais, with damage to its infrastructure costing 18.7 million meticais.On Wednesday Cuambe told a press conference in Matola, in the southern province of Maputo, that EDM will seek to reduce the losses.During the first half of the year, EDM sold 1,454 gigawatt hours of electricity, of which 1,201 gigawatt hours were sold to domestic consumers and the remaining 253 gigawatt hours to neighbouring countries, mainly South Africa and Zimbabwe.Cuambe also pointed out that an agreement was reached this year with HCB, the company that operates the Cahora Bassa Dam, for the provision of an extra 100 megawatts of electricity to meet increased demand due to the country's electrification programme.“In total we have built more than 800 kilometres of medium voltage power lines and have installed new transformers to strengthen and expand EDM's distribution network”, he said.EDM is also seeking to improve both the quality of electricity and the services provided to clients.Later this year an electricity transmission line from Tete to Maputo, known as the north-south backbone, is expected to be formally launched. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2014 and be completed by 2017.The first phase of the project is expected to cost up to 2 billion dollars, with funding from the World Bank, Norway, France, European Investment Bank, African Development Bank, Electrobras, and Redes Energeticas Nacionais.EDM, will have a 51 per cent stake in the company managing the project.According to the World Bank, the line is expected to expand electrification in Mozambique from 13 per cent to 20 per cent of the population.

More than one million five hundred meticais disappear from the coffers of the State

Slightly more than one million five hundred meticais disappeared from the coffers of the Provincial Planning and Finance of Sofala, following a fraud in which they are indicted for the machine three employees of that institution, namely, Jorge Seventine, Fiorino Bamusse (taken as brains fraud) and Julia Benjamin (co-participant).The three defendants are being held in the cells of the Criminal Investigation Police (PIC) in Beira.According to the Weekly printed, the fraud had been practiced since last year and will have elapsed until January this year, a scheme that has been to introduce the system of payment pensions of military and civilian names of pensioners dead. The accused have arrived to charge values ​​higher than those earned by pensioners hypothetical. There were few cases of pensioners who received life in 1500 meticais / month, but that the fraud scheme began to receive one hundred thousand MeticaiIt is a case where the judicial process of education has just finished being on their way to the prosecution's charges, he said the spokesman of the provincial prosecutor of the Republic of Sofala in Mozambique, Joaquim Attorney Tomo.However, when we become aware of this case speak to the Provincial Director of Planning and Finance of Sofala, Athaliah Tui, which he was unaware of the exact value will have been misled that institution. She assured, however, that none of the approximately nine thousand pensioners, military or civilian, framed within local, was impaired by the occurrence of "fraud". She recently said he was in office, hence ignoring the mechanisms used by the alleged implied to defraud the state. "What I did consisted pensioners ghosts were created to defraud the state," he said.Athaliah Tui said that the instruction will have the brain to detect fraud, the names of those involved in the dissipation of evidence and, more specifically, the creation of the scheme that allowed the fraud and its concealment during the time she was running.But the spokesman for the Attorney General's Office in the province of Sofala added that "to the statement it was found that the employee Julia Benjamin should be owned by sharing, why was taken to the dungeons, thus joining the said defendants."Joaquim Tomo also said the prosecution phase will determine whether or not they are now held responsible for the diversion of money from state coffers. Otherwise, the prosecution will refrain from accusing them.Tomo explained that this phase took longer than expected because the forty days after the statement was not completed and the prosecutor requested an extension for more than sixty days. They were proposed to economic security, so that they can enjoy the bail. Just do not bail because they are unable to replace the missing value.Asked about the acts or procedures used by defendants to divert that amount, I take no avail. "The detainees have never confessed to the crime. Never collaborated. All that is found here is the result of a determined work of the Criminal Investigation Police. This showed a valuable work, "he said. (Adelino Timothy)

EDM ADDS 39,000 CONNECTIONS IN CENTRE AND NORTH OF MOZAMB

The publicly-owned Mozambican electricity company, EDM, announced on Wednesday that it has added 39,000 connections to the electricity supply network in the centre and north of the country during the first half of this year.According to EDM there are now 418,699 connections in these regions, an increase of 19 per cent since this time last year.These figures were released by EDM chairperson Manuel Cuambe at a meeting in Quelimane, the capital of Zambezia province.Seven districts in the province of Cabo Delgado have recently been linked to the national grid: Quissanga, Mocimboa da Praia, Muidumbe, Nangade, Palma, Mueda and Meluco.According to Cuambe, these connections have paved the way for domestic and foreign investment in tourism and the industrial sector. He also stated that the supply of electricity has enabled night classes to be introduced for those wishing to raise their level of education.Cuambe told the daily newspaper “Noticias” that EDM still has to improve its strategy to satisfy the needs of customer and meet the demands of the government’s five year plan.This year EDM plans to install 120,000 new electricity connections. Cuambe said that the districts of Chinde and Lugela, in Zambezia province, will be linked to the electricity network. The extension of the grid will also take place in some districts in Tete, Manica and Sofala provinces.Nationally, the company is investing about 120 million US dollars a year in expanding the electricity network and improving the quality of the electricity supplied. Half of these funds come from EDM and the other half from central government and cooperation partners.The company plans to link all 128 district capitals to the national grid by 2014.

GOVERNMENT ORDERS REMOVAL OF UNLAWFUL PUBLIC NOTICES FROM TOURIST RESORTS

The government of the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane has ordered the immediate removal of public notices form all tourist resorts with the words 'private property', claiming that these are unlawful. In the past, the Mozambican press has reported cases in Inhambane of nationals who complained of having been barred from tourism resorts or beaches owned by foreign nationals. According to the inspector of Tourism Directorate in Inhambane, Joaquim Dias Baltazar, these public notices may upset or discourage certain customers who may be forced to believe that they are being excluded. 'Whenever we find signs in restaurants saying “private property”, or “no entry”, we remove them immediately, because it seems like “apartheid”, as people who come across these notices may feel excluded,' said Baltazar, cited by the daily paper “Diario de Mocambique”. He also accused some tourism operators of instructing their employees to bar unwanted customers from entering their premises and the use of unjustifiably high prices as a means to select their clients. 'Restaurants owners are using a number of excuses to bar people from entering their premises. We find prices which are unrealistic for our market”, he stressed.As part of this initiative, the authorities in Inhambane have launched a door-to-door campaign to warn tourism operators to avoid discriminating their customers, explained Baltazar.The current campaign of the Inhambane government follows another launched about 10 years ago. Inhambane is one of the most sought after provinces in Mozambique by foreign tourists, who are lured by the unmatched beauty of its landscapes and pristine beaches.

FIRST EXPORTS OF BIO-FUELS TO EUROPEAN MARKETS

Sun Biofuels Mozambique, a subsidiary of U.K.-based Sun Biofuels, has exported the first batch of 30 tonnes of Jatropha oil, from its fields in the central Mozambican province of Manica, to the German airliner “Lufthansa”.Cited in the daily paper “Noticias”, Sun Biofuels Mozambique manager for corporate affairs, Sergio Gouveia said that the exports of Jatropha oil follows an order placed by Lufthansa for testing on its planes. “Civil aviation is an interesting market, that's why we are looking forward for Lufthansa test results, which has shown a keen interest in our production”, stressed Gouveia.The export of the first batch of Jatropha oil will dismiss some scepticism that has surrounded the debates around the cultivation of Jatropha in some quarters, who questioned the wisdom and viability of the adoption of this crop allegedly due to the lack of detailed scientific studies on the subject.Another argument against the cultivation of Jatropha was the fear that it could damage food crops, as some claimed it could diminish grazing areas, allegedly due to its poisonous nature. According to Gouveia, his company is excited with the new developments, because the international market looks very promising given that a ton of biofuels currently trades between 900 and 950 US dollars.Employing over a 1,000 employees and covering an area of 3,000 hectares, Sun Biofuels has already invested about nine million US dollars on studies and the project itself. So far, the company is yet to start making some revenue. The oil produced in Manica was grown, pressed and filtered in Gondola, in Sofala. Gouveia explained that one of reasons for the export of unprocessed Jatropha oil was the lack of refining capacity in the country.In the export markets the oil will be transformed into biosynthetic kerosene to be used in trials in the aviation industry, where there is a growing awareness of the potential of Jatropha oil as a green alternative to fossil fuels.Environmental protection is another factor that encouraged the company to invest in biofuel production, because of its contribution for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.Another advantage of Jatropha is that the residue left after the extraction of oil could be used for the production of fertilizers, animal feedstock and heat. In fact, this is one of the investments proposed by Sun Biofuels Mozambique.According to Gouveia, one hundred kilos of Jatropha seeds have the potential to produce on average 35 litters of oil. Meanwhile, Sun Biofuels is considering the possibility of encouraging peasant farmers to embrace this crop to ensure the availability of raw materials before the expansion of its cultivated area to reach in the near future the target of 11,000 hectares. Gouveia, however, acknowledges the complexity and the challenges ahead. He refutes the claims that Jatropha could impact negatively on food security, noting that with the income made for the sale of both seeds and oil the farmers could use that money to buy food.

PRIME MINISTER ADDRESSES SUGAR CONFERENCE

Mozambican Prime Minister Aires Ali on Sunday said that the strategy adopted by the government to attract investment into the sugar sector has given Mozambique a growing presence in the international sugar market. Last year Mozambique produced 281,000 tonnes of sugar compared with only 39,000 tonnes in 1998The Prime Minister was speaking in Maputo during the opening of the 12th African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Ministerial Conference on Sugar.The conference takes place at a time when the sugar sector in Mozambique has seen a significant growth in investment and there is a long list of projects due to be launched.Ali declared that “we have been supporting the emergence and consolidation of small and medium sized businesses in the sector. We are providing technical assistance to family producers, supplying agricultural inputs, encouraging the initiatives of large companies to support small scale producers, and holding trade fairs for agricultural products”.According to Aires Ali, the ACP meeting will try to develop a common position in the light of changes taking place in the global market.In 2006 the EU adopted a sugar regime in its market that included a reduction in the price of sugar, which resulted in a considerable shrinkage in the value of ACP sugar exports to that market.Ali pointed out that to alleviate this fall in income the EU financed a package of measures to accompany the reforms to allow ACP member states time to create the conditions for improved competitiveness.However, the EU will implement a new sugar regime after 2015Aires Ali said that the meeting in Maputo will help find a common platform on the challenges posed by the new EU sugar regime, and on trade negotiations with the World Trade Organisation in light of the Doha Round of world trade talks.According to Aires Ali, given the new situation in the international sugar market, there is an urgent need to discuss the diversification of the sugar industry, and to look at the adoption of modern technology to increase the production and productivity of sugar and its derivatives such as ethanol and bio-fuel.At the end of the meeting the participants will visit the sugar factory at Xinavane, one of the biggest agro-processing units in Maputo province.

OVER 77,000 JOBS CREATED IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2011

Mozambican Labour Minister Helena Taipo has announced that 77,128 new jobs were created during the first half of this year.Taipo was speaking during the closing ceremony of the Coordinating Council of the Labour Ministry which took place from 21 to 22 July in the town of Songo, in the western province of Tete,According to the minister, the government is working hard to bring down unemployment in the country.She pointed out that in the province of Tete, the mining companies - most of which are involved in the extraction of coal and base metals - have generated about 14,000 new jobs. About 8,000 jobs were taken by locals, 2,500 by workers from other provinces, and the remainder by foreign citizensTaipo stated that the largest challenge facing her ministry is speeding up professional training. She pointed out that to tackle the country’s skills shortage the Ministry now keeps a register to match unemployed skilled workers with employers.The minister stressed that her government wants to see the mining companies investing in a qualified labour force that can add value to the companies’ activities, saying that “we hope that the Tete Vocational Training Centre, now under rehabilitation, will be a strategic partner for the mining companies”.The minister also pointed out that earlier this year the government had completed the country’s programme for “Decent Work”, which aim to put a human face to the work carried out by Mozambicans.In February Taipo explained that the concept of “decent work” refers to the right for all to have “the opportunity of employment, respect for workers’ rights, access to social protection and safety at work, as well as non-discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS”.There is an enormous potential for employment in Tete province in the mining sector, directly associated activities such as transport, and indirect economic activities such as shops and hotels.During a recent conference on Mozambican coal, held in Maputo, Rajat Kohli of Standard Bank said that he estimates that “about 100 million tonnes per annum of coal could be produced within the next five years, and that figure could even go further”.

TPM WORKERS THREATEN TO PARALYSE TRANSPORT

Workers of the recently abolished publicly-owned Maputo bus company, TPM, are threatening to paralyse the bus service this week if there is no agreement reached in negotiations between the new management and the union committee about revised wage scales.On 19 July the government abolished TPM and transferred its assets to the municipal authorities of Maputo and Matola. The government hopes that the municipal authorities will take over the management of the bus company in September. Until then, the Ministry of Transport and Communications will run it through an interim management committee.At the centre of the dispute is a salary increase of 17.5 per cent approved by the government in May. However, the new management committee appointed by the Minister of Transport and Communications, Paolo Zucula, has stated that it will only award an increase of eight per cent.A TPM worker, Francisco Sambo, told the daily newspaper “O Pais” that there had been an understanding between the union committee, which represents the 1,300 workers, and the former management that salaries would be increased by 17.5 per cent from the beginning of July.Paulo Zucula visited the company last week to explain to workers the decision to abolish TPM. However, he did not address the issue of wages.Zucula is due to meet again with the company workers on Monday to discuss the problem.

PRESIDENT KHAMA COMPLETES STATE VISIT

On Saturday Botswana President Seretse Khama Ian Khama returned home after what the president’s office describes as “a very successful” three-day state visit to Mozambique.During the visit Khama met with President Armando Guebuza for official talks on bilateral cooperation and maters of common concern.A total of 10 Memorandum of Understandings were signed between the two countries covering energy, agriculture, animal health, women, education, the environment, culture, and science and technology. Agreement was also reached for the abolition of visa requirements.President Khama also laid a wreath at Maputo’s Monument to the Mozambican Heroes, made a courtesy visit to the chairperson of the Mozambican parliament, Veronica Macamo, and received the Key to the City of Maputo from the municipal authority.During a state banquet held in his honour on Thursday, President Khama said that “we in Botswana are very mindful of the great achievements that your country has made following many years of conflict. The sound economic policies that your government has put in place over the years have made Mozambique an example of a successful transition from conflict to peace, democracy and development”.He pointed out that one of the agreements reached was for the establishment of a museum in Botswana to honour the life of the late Samora Moises Machel, who he described as “the founding father of your great nation, a national hero and freedom fighter”.
The museum is to be built in Lobatse, about 70 kilometres from the capital Gaborone. Lobatse was one of the regions that welcomed Samora Machel in 1963, when he was on his way to Tanzania to join the liberation struggle against Portuguese rule.The President lamented that the southern African region is still experiencing a number of political challenges, which he stated “could be overcome through our concerted and collective efforts”.In particular he stated that the “adherence to democratic and other principles to which we have committed, will enhance the integrity of our organisation, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)”.Madagascar is one of the problems facing the region, and President Khama said “let me take this opportunity to thank former President Joachim Chissano, for playing a leading role in mediation efforts to bring about a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict in Madagascar”.He lambasted the Libyan government for “embarking upon a brutal campaign of killing protesters and opponents in order to stay in power” and stated that “regime change in such situations is desirable and supported by us, as in the prosecution of such failed leadership by the International Criminal Court”.During his stay in Mozambique, the statesman also went to the National Agricultural Research Institute, Maputo port and the Matola Port Industrial Complex, and Petromoc’s Lingamo oil terminal where he toured the fuel storage facilities.According to a source in the Petromoc, Botswana wants to greatly increase the amount of fuel it receives from Petromoc because the Mozambican supply is seen as more secure than fuel from South Africa which is subject to port congestion and labour disputes.Transport was the key theme of the visit. The biggest cooperation project is the development of a deep water port at Techobanine in Maputo province, and the heavy haulage railway line linking the new port with Botswana through Zimbabwe. The project is expected to cost seven billion US dollars, but would make it easier and cheaper for Botswana to import goods, and would enable the country to develop an export market for its huge coal reserves.It is also planned to run a fuel pipeline from the port to Botswana to ease the country’s imports.President Khama was joined on the visit by the Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Ponatshego Kedikilwe; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Phandu Skelemani; the Member of Parliament for Boteti North, Slumber Tshogwane; and a number of senior government officials.

MOZAMBICAN AUTHORITIES CONCERNED BY RISE IN FAKE MARRIAGES

The Mozambican authorities in the central province of Manica have expressed their concern at a new trend of women entering into fake marriages with foreign nationals for money.According to the daily paper “Diario de Mocambique”, some women are reported to be demanding as little as 6,000 meticais (about 200 US dollars), for a marriage certificate.Most of the foreign nationals involved in this trade are illegal immigrants from central Africa, the Great Lakes region and Asia.Uncontested divorce occurs after the “husband” acquires either a Mozambican Identity Document or passport.A woman told the Lusa news agency that “my daughter has married three times (with a Pakistani and two Congolese), before filing for an uncontested divorce. She gained a number of assets, including a house and car”.These sham marriages are simple weddings with none of the traditional pomp and ceremony that usually surround “real weddings”. Those who attend the registry are the witnesses, bridesmaids and ushers who are usually members of the inner circle from the bride’s family.“The province is concerned at the number of foreigners with illegally acquired documents. Even the immigration services are complaining about the number of citizens who can’t even speak the Portuguese language but are holders of Mozambican citizenship, applying for passports”, lamented Firmino Hemilio, spokesperson of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Manica.Currently, four people in Manica are facing criminal charges in connection with the forgery of Mozambican documents and identity cards.“This year we pursued two cases of document forgery. One functionary from of the Provincial Directorate of Justice, working for the registry and notary services, was caught red-handed in possession of a number of personal record cards. Data from the personal record cards did not match with the registry”, explained Hemilio.The fraudsters often ask for a second copy of personal record cards in remote districts such as Sussundenga, Gondola, Machaze and Manica, or in the provincial capital, Chimoio.The trade in documents, such as Identity Document’s and personal record cards, opens the door for other documents and titles.Mozambican citizenship makes it possible to gain legal employment in the country, start a business or even to live legally in neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe and South Africa.

MOZAMBIQUE SUFFERS DECLINE IN TEA PRODUCTION

Mozambican tea growers are not exploiting the national market, which is dominated by the South African brand “Five Roses”. As a result, more than 90 per cent of tea grown in Mozambique is exported.The lack of a national brand is part of the reason why tea production in the central province of Zambezia is falling. Currently, Zambezia has only four companies dedicated to the growing and processing of tea.Almeida Lee of Chazeiras de Mocambique, who is the representative of the Association of Tea Producers, told the newspaper “Diario de Mocambique” that Zambezia province only produces 6,000 tonnes of tea per harvest.Almeida Lee explained that his company produced a thousand tonnes of tea in the latest harvest. However, in the previous harvest the company produced 1,200 tonnes.Lee believes that the decline is due to the ageing of the tea plants, which need to be renewed to improve productivity and quality.He pointed out that in the district of Gurue a hectare should produce a minimum of 1,200 kilogrammes of tea. However, the reality is that a hectare is now producing 1,000 kilogrammes, or often even half of that.Lee lamented that climatic conditions have negatively affected production in Gurue. Last year production suffered from a lack of rain, a situation that may become more common as a result of climate change.Most companies claim that they are not able to finance replanting because of the large investment required.Lee stated that “it is recommended that each company renew at least ten hectares of plantation per year. But we do not have the capacity to do that”. He explained that the replacing tea plants costs around 15,000 US dollars per hectare, which requires 20,000 plants.In Zambezia province tea is grown in the highlands, particularly in the mountains of Gurue and the administrative post of Socone, in Ile district.

EDUCATIONAL CENTRE FOR JUVENILE DELINQUENTS OPENED

A centre for the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents was opened on Monday in the neighbourhood of Hulene, in Maputo city.The Community Education Centre “Pfuka Dzixile” is part of the project “Strengthening Juvenile Justice in Mozambique: Consolidation Phase”, run by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) in partnership with the Mozambican Ministry of Justice, and with support from the Belgian and Danish governments.The initiative began in 2005 with the aim of improving the living conditions of Mozambican juveniles at risk or in conflict with the law.The Centre will provide educational and recreational activities for children who have been identified by psychologists and social workers as being at risk of offending.The Deputy Minister of Justice, Alberto Nkutumula, who chaired the opening ceremony, praised the support given by the initiative’s partners. However, he appealed for this initiative to be spread to other parts of the country.The UNICRI project coordinator, Andrea Fiore, explained that Hulene was chosen because of the large number of children in conflict with the law or at risk of offending.She stressed that UNICRI has worked in partnership with local non-governmental organisations, the Tsembeka Social Cooperative, and with the support of the local authority. “Due to this collaboration it has been possible to create a network of community services for children in conflict with the law, that has as its point of reference the Hulene Information Desk”, said Fiore.According to Fiore, over the years the Information Desk has developed an important role in preventing crime and rehabilitating children. It offers psychosocial treatment and pathways to reinsertion into the community through education and professional training.It also raises awareness in the community about juvenile delinquency and the rights that the Mozambican law guarantees to young offenders.Speaking at the ceremony, the representatives of the Danish embassy, Anders Karlsen, and the Belgian embassy, Mark Deneer, expressed their confidence that over the long term the project will bring large benefits to the local community and society in general.After the ceremony, Nkutumula told the newspaper “O Pais” that out of a prison population of 15,000 inmates, there are 2,000 prisoners under the age of 18. He said that these minors have had a troubled childhood and have had a history of conflict with the law.He pointed out that to stop the growth of the number of children in jail, the government and its cooperation partners are building the infrastructure to rehabilitate children when they come into conflict with the law.

NEGOTIATIONS FOR HCB SALE ON RIGHT PATH

Negotiations for the sale of Portugal’s remaining 15 per cent share in Hidroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), the company that operates the Cahora Bassa dam on the Zambezi river, are “on the right path” according to the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Paulo Portas.Portas was speaking to journalists in Maputo on Monday at the end of his two-day working visit to Mozambique. He said that a “relevant company” had shown interest in buying 7.5 per cent of HCB, although he refused to name the company.Until 2007 the Portuguese state owned 82 per cent of HCB, while Mozambique only held 18 per cent. However, Mozambique took control of the dam in November 2007 when it purchased 67 per cent of the shares from Portugal, for a price of 700 million US dollars. As a result, the Mozambican state now owns 85 per cent of HCB.In March 2010 the Portuguese government announced that it was willing to sell its remaining stake in the company.However, a disagreement over the value of the shares has blocked the sale, with Portugal arguing that they should be sold for 6 billion meticais.During his visit Portas met with Mozambican Foreign Minister, Oldemiro Baloi, and the two ministers discussed the dates for holding a bilateral summit.At the end of the meeting, Portas stressed the strong relationship which exists between the two countries, stating that there is no area that is not covered by this relationship, and that there was no record of any disagreement on the approach to cooperation.Oldemiro Baloi expressed his happiness that Paulo Portas has made Mozambique one of the first countries that he has visited since taking over as Foreign Minister. According to Baloi, the relationship between the two countries has been consolidated, despite a change in government in Portugal.“The government has changed but the relationship between the states continues. Over the coming months we are going to try to accelerate projects we have in the areas of health, finance, education, defence and security, science and technology, transport and communication, and agriculture. We face many challenges, but they will certainly be overcome because of the enormous good will on both sides”, said Baloi.On Monday, Paulo Portas met with President Armando Guebuza. The Portuguese Foreign Minister was joined by the former Minister of Justice, Celeste Cardona, who now represents the Portuguese state bank, the Caixa Geral de Depositos (CGD), which is the major shareholder in Banco Comercial e de Investimento (BCI).

Eleven people died and a dozen were injured in a collision on Sunday between a South African registered double cab pick-up truck and a minibus on the EN1 highway at Maluana, in the district of Manica, about 70 kilometres out of Maputo.According to Monday’s edition of the daily newspaper “Noticias”, the accident took place in the early hours of Sunday. The police have said that the accident is likely to have been the result of excessive speed and poor overtaking.The Toyota Hiace minibus had left from Praca dos Combatentes in Maputo for Manica town whilst the Toyota Hilux had left Xai Xai on its way to South Africa.
The drivers of the two vehicles escaped uninjured.
The Director General of the government’s National Traffic Institute (INAV), Taibo Issufo, said that nine people died in Maluana with the other two victims dying in the ambulance on the way to the district hospital in Manica.Issufo lamented that motorists do not respect the elementary rules of driving despite numerous publicity campaigns.Issufo stated that the new Highway Code, coming into force on 23 September, provides for stronger penalties for speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol, with increased fines and the threat of jail sentences of between three days and six months.

Mozambique has been ranked 126th by the International Finance Corporation in its report “Doing Business 2011, Making a Difference for Entrepreneurs”.This is a rise of four places since last year’s index, which ranks 183 countries according to business regulations and protection of property rights.
Mozambique is the world’s twelfth most improved country in terms of making it easier to do business over the last five years. In regards to starting a business, Mozambique is the sixth most improved country between 2009 and 2010.The report also praises the country for legislation protecting investors, with company law being updated to follow global good practices.The report put Singapore at the top of the overall ranking for ease of doing business. It is followed by Hong Kong, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States,Denmark, Canada, Norway, Ireland and Australia.Mauritius (20th) is the highest ranking African nation, followed by South Africa (23rd) and Botswana (52nd).The world’s worst countries in which to do business were all African, being Burundi (181st), Central African Republic (182nd) and Chad (183rd).In relation to other members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Namibia dropped one place to 69th, while Zambia rose from 84th place to 76th place this year. Seychelles came in 95th position.The other SADC countries are Swaziland (118th), Tanzania (120th), Malawi (133rd), Lesotho (138th), Madagascar (140th), Zimbabwe (157th), Angola (163rd) and Democratic Republic of Congo (175th).The rankings for the Lusophone nations were: Portugal (31st), Cape Verde (132nd), East Timor (174th) Guinea Bissau (176th) and Sao Tome and Principe (178th).This year’s report is the eighth “Doing Business” published by IFC. It highlights economic reforms carried out to improve the business environment, and points out that between June 2009 and May 2010 governments in 117 countries introduced 216 economic reforms.The report states that “a vibrant private sector – with firms making investments, creating jobs and improving productivity – promotes growth and expands opportunities for the poor”.It argues that “enabling private sector growth - and ensuring that poor people can participate in its benefits — requires a regulatory environment where new entrants with drive and good ideas, regardless of their gender or ethnic origin, can get started in business and where firms can invest and grow, generating more jobs”.

The network of overground metro trains and electric buses linking the cities of Maputo and Matola and the district of Marracuene could start operating by the end of 2013 if the Government approves the feasibility study presented to it in Maputo on Saturday by the Italian company SALCEF.The feasibility study covers the construction and operation of the overground metro and electric buses. It also looks at the installation of a multimodal system, where commuters would leave their personal vehicles in car parks and catch either electric buses or metro trains to their destinations.According to the feasibility study, the whole system will be fully operational by 2026. However, the in the first phase there will be a network of buses and metro trains liking Matola, Maputo and Marracuene.Transport Minister Paulo Zucula said that the government would reply with detailed comments within a week.The government will analyse whether the proposed system put forward in the feasibility study would meet the demands of commuters, prior to both parties returning to the negotiation table to discuss financial matters.According to SALCEF, the implementation of the first phase is budgeted at 955 million US dollars, of which 40 per cent will cover the cost of purchasing rolling stock, traffic management systems and safety equipment.SALCEF points out that the cost is much lower than it would be in other parts of the country due to the existence of rail lines linking Matola, Maputo and Marracuene.According to the projections in the feasibility study, a passenger would pay 50 meticais (about 1.5 dollars) for a single ticket to reach any destination in Maputo, Matola or Marracuene.This project has the potential to help overcome the transport crisis in Maputo and Matola, which affects over 200,000 commuters daily.

The installation of new equipment in the cement factories in Matola and Dondo has been completed. As a result, Cimentos de Mocambique expects an end to cement imports.The Commercial Director of Cimentos de Mocambique, Francisco Rafael, told the daily newspaper “Diario de Mocambique” that during the installation work the company imported cement from Cimentos de Portugal (Cimpor).Rafael revealed that the company will shortly improve the process for bagging cement at its factory in Nacala.“After the end of the upgrade work at the factory in Nacala, the capacity will be created to supply the market in the south, centre and north of the country. The factory in Matola will supply the south with an average of 50,000 sacks daily. The factory in Dondo will supply 20,000 sacks for the centre of the country, and 15,000 sacks will be supplied for the north through the factory in Nacala”, said Rafael.He stated that “imports have already stopped, apart from some cement that was recently unloaded for the centre of the country”.He acknowledged the existence of price discrepancies, but explained that the company has a table of prices applicable to each of its factories. However, “we only recommend to our clients the resale price, which is not binding. In a market that is supposed to be free and open, it is up to the official trade bodies to control the prices and correct any discrepancies”, said Rafael.Currently the country has five cement factories producing a total of 1.3 million tonnes annually.Cimentos de Mocambique is the largest producer with an output of 600,000 tonnes per year. However, with the new equipment, production levels will increase to just over a million tonnes per year.

Mozambique’s Minister of Housing and Public Works, Cadmiel Muthemba, announced last week in the city of Beira that the government is considering introducing a new law requiring foreign companies competing in public tenders to hire domestic subcontractors.Cited in the paper “@ Verdade”, the Minister explained that this is likely to represent between 15 and 20 per cent of the contract.Muthemba said that the ministry is looking at amending existing legislation for the introduction of a binding legal framework on subcontracting.The plans were disclosed during a meeting between the minister and domestic contractors for construction work in Beira. The decision is part of the strategy for the development and empowerment of domestic contractors drawn up by the government six years ago.Muthemba was reacting to concerns raised by the chairman of the Association of Public Works and Construction Contractors of Sofala (AECOPS), Gabriel de Oliveira, who criticised government inaction on empowering domestic contractors.Gabriel de Oliveira added that while large foreign companies are growing, small and medium sized domestic companies continue to shrink.The Minister explained that most of the problems arise because of limitations imposed on the government. He pointed out that a number of public works are financed by cooperation partners who impose certain conditionalities, such as the requirement that the work is carried out by a company from the donor country.He said that with the exception of projects financed by the World Bank, which doesn’t impose any restrictions, most lenders demand that the contracts to be awarded to companies from their countries.The minister gave an example of a road construction contract awarded to the Mozambican company “CETA”. The road failed to materialise because the funder, the Portuguese government, demanded that the contract be given to a Portuguese company.“That is why we are looking into the possibility of creating a legal instrument forcing foreign companies that are winners of public tenders to hire domestic companies to carry out part of the contract”, stressed the minister.While recognising that this is already happening, Muthemba said that he wants this to take place on a regular basis.The Minister also stressed that he is not in favour of partnerships between Mozambican and foreign contractors, arguing that foreign companies do not allow the full participation of domestic companies in the management of the contracts. “They only need us because of our relationships and acquaintances within the state institutions, and nothing else”, deplored the Minister.

The Ministry of Education and the World Bank on Monday in Maputo signed two agreements covering 161 million US dollars of support for the education sector.The first agreement is through the World Bank administered Education For All – Fast Track Initiative Catalytic Fund (EFA-FTI CF) for 90 million dollars for the period until 2014. The second agreement covers an International Development Association (IDA) credit of 71 million dollars to support the government’s strategic programme for the years 2011 to 2015.The funds will be administered through the Education Sector Support Fund (FASE) and managed by the Ministry of Education.The World Bank’s Regional Director, Laurence Clarke, said that the accords are “aligned with the priorities of the Mozambican government for the education sector and fall within the ambit of the search for knowledge, which is a crucial factor in the fight against poverty”.Clarke pointed out that “the World Bank’s support for the education sector has registered significant increases in recent years. It is also important to note that many of our partners are also providing resources to the FTI Catalytic Fund that today received 90 million dollars for the execution of the strategic plan for education, particularly at primary and secondary level”.According to Clarke, “these funds are intended to finance actions that will guarantee access to quality education, and improve the quality of education through teacher training, direct support to schools, and the distribution of school equipment and books”.The funds also aim to strengthen planning, administration and management systems, which requires the establishment of a strong system of monitoring and evaluation linked to a strong system of accountability.He appealed to those that are responsible for managing the funds to make good use of them to achieve the desired results.“It is our expectation that the funds will visibly contribute to improving the education results of the children”, he concluded.The Minister of Planning and Development, Aiuba Cuereneia, explained that the projects covered by the funds are part of the government’s five year plan for education.He stated that these accords are testimony to the excellent collaboration between the Mozambican government and its partners in FASE.Other donors to FASE include Ireland, Finland, Germany, DFID (Britain), Portugal, Spain, UNICEF, CIDA-Canada, the Netherlands, and DANIDA (Denmark). Italy and Flanders began donating to FASE in 2011, but the Netherlands will stop its contribution this year and DANIDA will end its participation next year.

Mozambique’s Water Supply Investment and Assets Fund (FIPAG) has connected 34,689 households to piped water over the past six months. This exceeds the target set by the government’s Economic and Social Plan (PES) for the entire year by six per cent, according to the FIPAG chairperson, Nelson Beete.Beete told the daily newspaper “Noticias” that “during the first half of this year we surpassed the target set in the Economic and Social Plan to connect 32,000 households to piped water”.To pass this target FIPAG invested 400 million meticais (about 14 million US dollars), most of which came from the Mozambican government.Nelson Beete stated that passing the target was due to the revitalisation of Aguas de Mocambique, in which FIPAG is the major shareholder, coupled with institutional capacity building and the government's decision to reduce the cost of new household connections.Besides new connections, FIPAG has invested in pipelines and water treatment stations.It has constructed a water treatment station at Chicamba which will supply the towns of Manica and Chimoio and the village of Gondola in the central province of Manica.FIPAG is also upgrading the water supply system in Maputo, which will improve the provision of water to the cities of Maputo and Matola and the town of Boane. By the end of this year, the percentage of people living in Maputo, Matola and Boane with access to safe drinking water should rise from the current 40 per cent to 73 per cent. In absolute terms, that means that the number of people with access to clean water in the area will rise from 670,000 to 1.5 million.Other major works include the rehabilitation and expansion of the water supply systems in Lichinga and Cuamba, in the northern province of Niassa, and the construction of a distribution centre in Quelimane, capital of the central province of Zambezia.The government’s Five Year Plan states that clean water should reach at least 70 per cent of the population within the next three years.Currently, about half of the population of just over 20 million people has access to clean water.

The trade union committee for workers of the private security company Group Four Securicor (G4S) has suspended the strike that was due to begin on Wednesday in Maputo.The suspension was agreed on Monday after a meeting between the company’s workers and the union, where it was decided that the conditions did not exist to launch the strike, which the Minister of Labour on Friday warned would be illegal.The union committee secretary, Boaventura Mutemucuio, told the daily newspaper “Noticias” that the strike was postponed to protect the integrity and safety of the workers, and to give more time for negotiations with the company.Mutemucuio said that “we feared for our safety. With our proposed action already being considered illegal, we have decided not to go ahead with the strike to avoid the possibility of our colleagues being attacked for allegedly disturbing public order”.The central concerns of the workers are the reduction in wages resulting from shorter working hours that are being introduced by the company, and the introduction of measures by G4S that are still under negotiation. The workers are also calling for a new formula for overtime pay, more rest time between shifts and other improvements to working conditions.In April about a hundred angry off-duty security guards demonstrated outside the G4S offices in Maputo, claiming that they had suffered unjust deductions from their wages, including their holiday pay.That demonstration was brutally attacked by members of the riot police, leading to many of the workers receiving injuries. A Commission of Inquiry set up by the Interior Ministry to investigate the attack reached the preliminary conclusion that the riot police “acted in bad faith in the use of excessive force”.

What happens if we pretend that nothing happened in Mozambique Airlines? That there was no singularity in flight cancellations and delays of more than eight hours of time are normal. What is normal there is no fuel in the country. That is abnormal even have a plan B. Let's pretend that the World Hockey will be in Maputo and not in Argentina. Mozambican athletes are prepared for the African Games. That contractors have handed the Olympic Village. That there is no noise in the public tender to furnish the apartment and that the budget was increased COJA.
Let's pretend that a minister Zucula is phenomenal. That there is open-box vans circulating in the heart of the neighborhoods of Maputo. Those same vans never invaded the city of stone (read Polana Cimento).
That is not a Herculean task to get home after a day's work. That public transport, in addition to being effective, are proud to Mozambicans. Façamosde account that the country is a wonder.
Let's pretend then that is to accept the thesis of the President, according to which poverty in the country has suffered hard knocks. Let's pretend that we accept the label of special people who, in the presidency open, Armando Guebuzanos apart.
Also let's pretend it is not absurd cost of living and that the Executive has been shown to be in an excellent position to face the crisis of transport due to administrative wonders that you recognize. Let's pretend that, as afi rma PR, all this is an invention of the apostles of doom. Let's pretend that the "Basket B (Fr) ASIC" was just the title of a play to stage gung action on a possible crisis in a country typically African. Let's pretend that the IMF commented on the situation of Mozambique megaprojectosem considering it the best in the world. Let's pretend that George never said that kalau PRM "will suppress any protest." Let's pretend that oProcurador General's Office, Augusto Paulino, is concerned with the "illicit enrichment". And the ruling party as well.
Suppose that in this country, the citizens' human rights prevail over the exercise of monopoly of state violence and repression disproportionate force by the police, so that no citizen is brutally beaten by heavily armed men with carte blanche to walk the indiscriminate shooting in residential areas and public spaces in the vicinity of densely populated.
Let's pretend we live in a genuine rule of law, ondenão It is possible that an individual legally unable to exercise the direction of a órgãotãosensível as the Criminal Investigation Police is remaining candidate for the post, serene, untouchable and fearlessly, for whole months, under appointment admittedly conscious, responsible and capable of an interior minister who should be the caretaker chief of legality in Mozambique ...
Assume that in this country, the spirit and letter of the laws are actually being met. That millions of SIM cards, so far unrecorded, are jádesactivados. That the licenses color pink are already banned and that the allowance surplus and illegal funcionáriospúblicos that had been receiving until today, when displaced in serviçonão mission had gone blind eye because of whom it may concern, so deliberately and systematically for years and years ...
As in practice the opposite happens, the better it is for us to pretend that this is a state. So perhaps when the 'thugs' had enough of pretending to be instead of who we (dis) governs live in an imaginary world ...

PS: "The country is adrift at sea of ​​uncertainty, chaos and utter ruin and complete, but neither the chief admiral, masters of vessels of incompetence or irresponsibility systematic sailors seem to be interested in issuing the last, desperate cry for help. Shipwrecked all the murky waters of an emerging governance sadly, dangerously demagogic and clearly disoriented, all of us indifferent, disabled, or gagged accomplices, according to the supreme will, boastful, arrogant and exclusive "owners" of this country.

CUSTOMS ADMIT FAILURE IN NACALA INSPECTION SYSTEM

Customs officers in Nacala port, in the northern province of Nampula, have admitted that there could have been a failure in the control system which allowed the loading of hundreds of containers onto a ship under suspicious circumstances.On Tuesday the customs authority began an operation to reverify the suspicious cargo which is composed of 600 containers of timber. The cargo was seized before the ship could set sail for China.The press officer for the northern region of the Mozambican Tax Authority (AT) told the daily newspapers “Noticias” that the operation to reverify the goods is going to last several days.According to Albano Naroromele the decision to seize the containers followed an anonymous tip off that the ship “La-Tursw 51 N” was about to leave port with irregular cargo on-board. “Noticias” reports that the suspect goods were transported in trucks from the city of Nampula to Nacala port.If this is indeed an attempt to export wood illegally, it will not be the first case in Nacala in recent times. In 2007 authorities seized 750 containers of unprocessed wood at the port and the owners of the logs were fined. But rather than pay the fine and the storage fees the representatives of the eight Chinese companies involved simply disappeared.

The number of deaths in road accidents in Mozambique fell to 22 last week, compared with 39 in the same week last year, according to figures given in the weekly update from the Mozambican Police (PRM).The number of car accidents during the week fell to 45, down from 77 accidents in the same period in 2010. These accidents caused 98 injuries, of which 43 are serious.The majority of these crashes were caused by excessive speed.Police efforts to combat speeding resulted in 18,662 vehicles being stopped and 513 licences being confiscated. A further 3,536 drivers were fined for various traffic offences.Police also caught 81 drivers in charge of a vehicle whilst intoxicated.

MAPUTO TOURIST GUIDE LAUNCHED ON MOBILE PHONES

Mozambique’s Higher Institute of Science and Technology (ISCTEM) on Monday in Maputo launched a tour guide using the Android platform on mobile phones.Android is a computer operating system for mobile phones designed by Google, but allows for developers to write their own applications.The tour guide application developed by ISCTEM and a group of students from the University of Eastern Finland uses Google Earth for mapping the capital city and locating key tourist destinations. It provides information about the destinations and could be used as an alternative to printed guides.According to Ville Rasanen, one of the Finnish students who worked on the project, “this is a tool that works using GPRS and the internet. It is a user-friendly platform which shows one’s location and interesting places to visit in Maputo”.Destinations in the guide include the railway station, museums, restaurants and places of cultural interest.According to Rasanen, this technology could benefit tourist operators if they collaborate with ISCTEM, or they can develop similar tools of their own.

ISCTEM points out that a major challenge is to roll out this tool across the country, within the scope of the existing cooperation program for science, technology and innovation with the University of Eastern Finland.

PARLIAMENT DROPS PRESIDENTIAL DEPOSIT

The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, is likely to remove the requirement of a deposit of 100,000 meticais (about 3,500 US dollars) from candidates in presidential elections.The proposed change will be put forward by the parliamentary commission on public administration, which is drafting amended electoral laws.However, the commission has not recommended the removal of the other barriers to standing in presidential elections, which include the need to hold Mozambican nationality, to hold no other nationality, to be at least 35 years old, to have full civil and political rights, and to be nominated by at least 10,000 registered voters.According to the commission’s chairperson, Alfredo Gamito, “the commission decided to remove the financial deposit, although it has maintained the requirement of candidates to have the support of 10,000 signatures, despite some parties calling for the lowering of this requirement to 5,000 signatures”.Gamito also stated that the commission has decided that the new electoral legislation should be drawn up to include detailed explanations of electoral procedures. Previously, many procedural matters were left to the National Elections Commission (CNE) to decide upon.

CANNABIS FARMS FOUND IN MANICA

The Mozambican authorities have discovered about two hundred hectares of land covered with cannabis plants in the district of Guro, in the central province of Manica.According to the daily paper “Diario de Mozambique”, 25 cannabis farms were found in the region, but their owners are still unknown.In the area cannabis plants by far exceed food crops, which are only being cultivated with the sole purpose of concealing the drugs. Dense cover also helps prevent the fields covered with cannabis from being seen.Most of the plantations were found close to the banks of the Luenha river in Calombolombo.Caeredzi, in neighbouring Zimbabwe is the preferred market, due to its close proximity and its easy access through the Caeredzi river.A joint operation carried out by the local law enforcement authorities in coordination with the Provincial Office for Drug Control and Prevention, led by chief of operations of the Mozambican Police in Manica, Joaquim Tomo, has already incinerated more than 21 tonnes of cannabis plants.The police commander of Guro district, Esperanca Calisto, said that there is an urgent need to strengthen the law enforcement authorities with adequate staff and vehicles to speed up the destruction of cannabis farms in the region.Calombolombo is located about 300 miles from Chimoio, the provincial capital of Manica. It is difficult to get there given the state of disrepair of the existing road. The road is mostly dirt, is covered in rocks and in places is very steep, rendering it accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles.Government authorities in Guro are carrying out campaigns to discourage this illegal activity, urging local residents only to embrace legal crops.On Wednesday, the permanent secretary of the district of Guro, Candido Pedro Jose, delivered seeds to encourage the population to grow food crops to ensure food security in the region.“You should devote yourselves to food production, to the fight against hunger”, said Candido Pedro, addressing a group of women who received seeds to grow cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, lettuce and onions.Some of these women have also been employed to take part in the destruction of cannabis plants, which were later incinerated.The destruction of cannabis plants is still taking place. In parallel, the local authorities have launched an investigation to identify the owners of the illegal cannabis farms, who will face criminal charges.

What more evidence can ask us?

The case this week is, in fact, the purchase of buses for public transport company Public Maputo (TPM), without public tender, by invitation, in an operation that will benefit members of Mozambicans "TATA" in Mozambique, which are not more or less, the Head of State and Government of Mozambique, Armando Guebuza, and the Minister for the Presidency of the Civil Affairs, Antonio Sumbana. In short: "master" and "foreman" snooty together in a great deal (565 million Meticais, about 20 million USD), which may even be engendered in the premises of his own presidency, where two partners and are working at the behest of the Mozambican people, apparently, to blend with the public affairs strictly private affairs and personal interest.  In this operation the purchase of buses for the TPM, to top it off, is still beyond the minister Antonio Sumbana, involved the Minister of Transport and Communications, Paulo Zucula, which appears to us, heard on last Tuesday by Canalmoz - Daily Digital and Mozambique Channel - Weekly at the door of the Council of Ministers, to confirm that there was no public tender, but rather a "limited public demand."   As the Fund for the Development of Transport and Communications (FDTC) an institution subordinated to the Minister of Transport and Communications, and the TPM being a public corporation supervised by the same ministry, we have Paul Zucula, appointed by President Armando Guebuza, to buy buses who is a member who appointed him.
If this is not promiscuity, that is?
In a normal country, another country that still does not seem to be our evidence to the contrary, such a scandal would necessarily result in the fall of the three men immediately compelling. Or at least the consequent dismissal of shame, the Government's own chief and two ministers. And it would be at this very moment, the need to announce early elections.  As in our case, Armando Guebuza is the head of state, the government and the Forces for Defence and Security. And it is who appoints the Attorney General's Office, who appoints the President of the Constitutional Council, who appoints the Chief Justice, who appoints the President of the Administrative Tribunal appoints the ministers who are your partners in this operation completely promiscuous and do believe that we have a genuine case of "political incest" who runs as president of the ruling party, the members of the majority Frelimo and qualified in the National Assembly, we can only hope that everything will be beyond repair, joyfully, as ... in the movies light up the lights and turned up the story.  Such promiscuity between the state and private business, it is proved that the citizen Armando Guebuza, as the top leader of the institution that buys the buses - the state is involved with the majority shareholder of the "TATA Mozambique" is that the Indian company to whom buses were purchased from PMS, it would at least expect that he resign, but this will not do. Was it any wonder that the citizen is put Armando Guebuza himself as a symbol of a true fight against corruption in Mozambique.  Nor will we know how to explain to Mozambicans promiscuity is evident in that arguably involved.  Knowing how everything has happened so far in this "Home of Heroes" that "have every right to be rich because they fought for it," we can only hope too cowed by the Attorney General's Office and other figures of the pyramid of Justice, which accustomed to see it in them like puppets puppets and authentic.
Unless we are wrong we can not surely believe they are different this time.  Nor can we believe that they will not tell a great story Mozambicans, rolling the facts, as if they were mild and did not deserve to repair.
We know that Armando Guebuza and many ministers are members of companies that are clients of the state. But evidence has never been as evident as they now found and where we can source the very Government Gazette and the most significant figures of the TPM and the Fund for the Development of Transport and Communications. Just read the piece we have published already after the 'Editorial'.  We always asked provássemos that we have people who practice what can only classify as "political incest." This time we leave here more than obvious evidence.
It was even said to our reporter, the executive director of the Fund for the Development of Transport and Communications, the buses will be assisted by the "TATA Mozambique", when it's over the warranty period. Does this mean that promiscuity will be continued. Go to ping constantly and the more machimbombos broke in the bill will be higher! ...
Return buses to India and put an end to this corrupt deal with boundaries, we do not believe it will happen. The urgency of the Mozambican capital of the country and Matola have public transportation available can not prevent that immediate steps be taken so that the state does not continue to fall victim to this business undoubtedly promiscuous. It could be said that the Lord did not know Armando Guebuza of business, but we know that the President and Head of Government of India has recently negotiated several things we can not believe he did not know that buses are the company that holds the majority stake in the "TATA Mozambique", a company that he is a partner. We can not also believe that the President Guebuza has forgotten that is a member of the "TATA Mozambique." And do not believe that the minister did not know that Paul Zucula was machimbombos to buy a company that holds the majority in a society with your head in the Government. The operation (150 machimbombos) is estimated at 565 million MT, about 140 000 USD per bus. The choice of the supplier of the buses, the TATA, was not preceded by an international public tender, according to the law of the Procurement. It was a family business.
As shown by the BR Government Gazette No. 17, Series III April 24, 2002, Armando Guebuza is a member of the "TATA Mozambique", together with Holdings and TATA MBATINE INVESTMENTS LIMITED. It also has shares in TATA Minister in the Presidency for the Affairs of Staff, Antonio Sumbana, as shown by the BR No. 37, Series III 11 September, 1991.
What more evidence is needed?
Civil servants face of it will continue to be arrested for corruption?
What example will be left after this evidence? (Mozambique Channel