VOTE NYUSI FOR STRONGER BUSINESS, SAYS FRELIMO

Anyone who wants a stronger Mozambican business class should vote for the candidate of the ruling Frelimo Party, former defence minister Filipe Nyusi, in the 15 October presidential election, declared the head of the Frelimo election brigade in Maputo province, Veronica Macamo, on Thursday. Speaking at a rally in the town of Marracuene, Macamo claimed “Voting for Frelimo and for Filipe Nyusi is to guarantee that the local business class will become more robust”. She stressed that voting for Frelimo also meant guaranteeing the sustainability of agriculture, as the base of the country’s economy.  “With Filipe Nyusi in power, the farmers will have more inputs to guarantee the food crops that the country needs for its people and for export”, she said. Before the rally Macamo met with one of the country’s best known musicians, Dilon Djindji, who lives in Marracuene, to ask for his vote. “I’m a musician, I’m the king of marrabenta (a popular dance style)”, said Djindji. “I’m going to vote for Frelimo because there’s no other party here in Mozambique”.In the morning, Macamo asked for support from local Marracuene elders and religious leaders, claiming that “to win any battle, Frelimo always relied on support from the elders and from religious leaders”.In Maputo city a brigade from the Mozambican Women’s Organisation (OMM), which is affiliated to Frelimo, visited the sprawling informal market at Xikelene, on the outskirts of the city, to ask the vendors and their clients for their votes.Led by the head of the Frelimo brigade for Maputo city, Conceita Sortane, the OMM claimed it was important for the future of the country that Frelimo should remain in power. “On 15 October, we must all go and vote for Frelimo and our candidate Filipe Nyusi so that we can remain involved in the governance and development of Mozambique”, urged one of the OMM activists. They claimed that trade is of major importance in the fight against poverty and the promotion of food security, and promised that a future Frelimo government will expand the trading network.

Meanwhile the opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) was campaigning in the Maputo neighbourhood of Magoanine, and promising that, if it wins the elections, it will dramatically improve public transport.Venancio Mondlane, coordinator of the office of the MDM presidential candidate Daviz Simango, told Magoanine voters “the transport problem is extremely serious and has a major impact on household income. We want to put into place a more efficient and more social public transport system”.Mondlane said that, according to international norms, people should not be obliged to spend more than 20 per cent of their income on transport. “But here people are using around 50 per cent, which is not acceptable”, he claimed.