UNGA

Prime Minister, Adriano Maleiane says it’s time for the world to adopt new funding models to fast track the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. Maleiane made the challenge during his speech at the General debate of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly underway in New York under the theme ‘ A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges.’ He assured that Mozambique still views the SDGs 2030 as relevant to design collective solutions for the challenges facing the world. Therefore, according to Maleiane, the government shares the view that the SDGs should be not be scrapped because they are still valid. However, finance is still confined to domestic funds and each country is expected to mobilise its own to cover the expenses to meet the set targets.
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‘We are working to reach the targets, but facing major difficulties. Therefore, we propose a model that will incorporate multilateral financial institutions, such as those linked to the United Nations, to also provide funds for this agenda,’ he said.Speaking at a press conference, which marked the end of his participation in the event, Maleiane explained that this was one of the motivations for Mozambique’s participation. Another reason was to express Mozambique’s gratitude for the country’s election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

‘We achieved our independence years ago, but we had never been to this forum. One hundred and ninety-two countries out of a total of 193 voted in favour of Mozambique and that is very good for the country and for Mozambicans,’ he said.Naturally, Maleiane said, the Mozambican government reaffirmed its position that peace and sustainable development are sacred values. It was precisely for this purpose that the United Nations Organisation (UNO) was created, Maleiane said, stressing that this was also the content of the message of his speech delivered at the General debate. Asked about Mozambique’s position on the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Maleiane said that the Constitution of the Republic is very clear on the matter.

‘Our Constitution is very much for peace and dialogue and everything we are doing is in line with these principles and values, but also this institution where we are present was precisely designed to guarantee peace and stability,’ he stressed. Mozambique, Maleiane said, argues that it is necessary to give dialogue a chance rather than embark on violence. ‘We are not taking sides. We are doing what our constitution says to do. It is good for the country and for the interests of Mozambique. Maleiane took the opportunity to announce that he was the bearer of a message from the Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, addressed to the Secretary General, António Guterres, who played a very important role in consolidating peace and reconciliation in Mozambique and invite him to visit Mozambique.   ‘We believe that its important to invite him to witness the end of this first phase of demobilisation and reintegration of the residual force of Renamo, the largest opposition party in Mozambique.

 

Return of residents to Mocimboa da Praia

The massive return of residents to the coastal town of Mocímboa da Praia, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, is putting under pressure health services, which are currently operating in a makeshift building. Health infrastructures were severely damaged by the terrorists and now, with the return of thousands of residents who had left the town, efforts are underway to restore public services, including health facilities. The clinical director Benjamin Ernesto says that Mocímboa da Praia Health Centre attends on average 150 people a day, a number that falls short of meeting the huge demand.

‘We attend cases that we can deal with. Those that we cannot deal with locally we refer them to Mueda Rural Hospital,’ said Ernesto, quoted this Monday (26) by Radio Mozambique. The Mozambican government estimates over 9,000 internally displaced residents from Mocímboa da Praia have already returned to their homes. Mocímboa da Praia was the district where armed groups carried out their first attack on 5 October 2017, and its main town was long described as the terrorists’ headquarters.

Now, security has been restored leading to an influx of families from resettlement centres spread across neighbouring provinces. After more than a year in the hands of terrorists, the town was looted, with virtually all public and private infrastructure destroyed, including public utilities such as electricity and water, telecommunications and hospitals.

A military offensive launched by government forces in 2021, with the support of Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community forces, allowed the government to retake control, and there are now under way several initiatives to rebuild infrastructure. According to official estimates there are currently over 850,000 internally displaced people in Cabo Delgado due to the conflict, which also killed another 3,000 triggering a humanitarian crisis.

156 of them expired

Of the approximately 900 unclaimed passports at the Provincial Directorate of Migration in Maputo, 156 have already expired. Also unclaimed are visas for extension of stay, plus work and visit visas not collected by applicants. The bustle of people applying for travel documents at the Migration Service in Maputo province is plain to see. Less visible is the pile of documents issued but unclaimed.

Bata, spokesperson for the Provincial Directorate of Migration Services (SENAMI) in Maputo, says that a considerable number of documents expire before even leaving the building.

“We have about 900 passports, some of which are from the previous platform (SEMLEX). Of those, 156 passports have already expired. A further 43 expired residence permit are also in our possession. This situation worries us, because we daily hear of citizens repatriated from neighbouring South Africa for lack of passports,” he explains.  Bata notes that the failure to collect these documents creates constraints on the functioning of migration services. “Therefore, we appeal to our fellow citizens, as soon as they return from their places of work, to go to the Provincial Directorate of Migration and collect their passports, which will allow them to spend their vacation well and continue their travels,” he says. An SMS alert system is used to remind citizens to collect their documents, when ready.

9.5 billion US dollars to improve water

Mozambican government is working to mobilize about 9.5 billion US dollars needed to improve supply and management of water and sanitation systems, especially in rural areas. This would allow Mozambique to meet the Sustainable Development Goal established by the United Nations by 2030 ‘to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.’Of this amount, 4.1 billion is to be invested in improving water supply and sanitation and the remaining 5.4 billion for management and maintenance of related infrastructure, announced Mozambican Prime-minister, Adriano Maleiane, on Friday.

“It is a huge sum of money”, said Maleiane speaking in New York at the high-level roundtable on water supply, water management and sanitation. “But I believe that using some financial institutions like the World Bank and other regional institutions we can get there, and I would like to mention some strategic partners like the Netherlands”. The Prime minister assured that the Mozambican government is doing its best to provide water to the population, particularly in rural areas.

“If we go to the countryside we will see people benefiting from water and also we have trained them to use water systems”, he said, stressing the need for maintenance to ensure better performance.

“We are doing our best and women today spend less time getting some water because we are taking water near to them”, said Maleiane. He also pointed out that the youth make up about 31 per cent of the active population in the working age. Therefore, any programme in Mozambique is youth oriented specially on gender issues. That’s the reason the government wants girls to be incorporated in the economic model to give them space and time and take water close to them.Hence, the government will continue to invest in that direction because that will make a difference in Mozambique. Considering the steps already taken, Maleiane assures that the country will be able to reach the goals set by the United Nations. Earlier this year, Mozambican Minister of Public Works, Carlos Mesquita, expressed government concerns in Maputo ceremonies to mark World Water Day, over the low coverage rate for access to drinking water across the country.

“Statistics show that 66 percent of the population do not have any source of safe water”, Mesquita said. “In the urban areas, clean water reaches 83 per cent of the population, but in the rural areas, the figure is 53 per cent”. Mesquita stressed the need to ensure the fulfilment of the established goals for water supply services, especially by improving the sustainable management of infrastructures. He also conveyed the government’s concern at the level of losses in the urban systems which are running, on average, at about 46 per cent”.

“This requires urgent actions to control and reduce these losses which affect the sustainability of the water supply systems. Besides Mozambique, also in attendance were the Prime-minister of the Netherlands, representatives from Finland, Sweden, Uganda, Egypt, Tajikistan, Iraq, Bangladesh and international organizations, especially the World Bank.

Central Committee

The new members of the Frelimo Central Committee, the most important body of the ruling party in the interval between congresses, are now known. This Monday, the approximately 1,500 provincial delegates elected the 79 members necessary to fill the body, out of a total of 100 candidates registered at the central level.The longest electoral process in recent years in Frelimo – the election took place at 10:00 a.m., but the results were only released after 10:00 p.m. – resulted in what was already projected behind the scenes: the consolidation of ‘Nyussism’.Of the results that ‘Carta’ had access to, in terms of women who were part of the previous Central Committee, the highlight goes to the departure of Lucília Hama, deputy of the Assembly of the Republic and former Governor of the City of Maputo. Hama, it is recalled, was a member of the Frelimo Political Commission between 2012 and 2017, but was rejected from the body in 2017.

Helena Música and Joaquina Siliya were also excluded. Graça Machel, a senior Frelimo member, did not apply to stay on. ‘Carta’ has learned that her withdrawal was intended to avoid possible humiliation, such as that of Eduardo Nihia, who was unable to get himself elected to that body in Nampula province.

The list of women staying on as members of the Central Committee therefore includes Verónica Macamo, Margarida Talapa, Carmelita Namashulua, Alcinda De Abreu, Luísa Diogo, Conceita Sortane, Nyeleti Mondlane, Esperança Bias, Marina Pachinuapa, Anchia Talapa, Emília Moiane, Ana Rita Sithole, Sónia Macuvele, Amélia Muendane, Lucinda Espirito Santo and Maria Fernanda Moçambique Tonela. Nineteen candidates competed for the 16 seats available.

From the list of women seeking to join the new Central Committee for the first time, the highlight goes to ministers in the government of Filipe Nyusi, namely Josefina Mpelo (Minister of Combatants), Ana Comoana (State Administration and Civil Service), Maria Helena Kida (Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs) and Eldevina Materula (Culture and Tourism).

Luísa Meque (President of INGD), Ana Canhemba (Administrator of Inhassoro district), Isabel Cumbane, Xarzarda Orá, Julita Juma, Bendita Lopes and Rosel Salomão Pedro were also approved. In this list, 13 candidates competed for 11 available seats. Maria de Fátima Pelembe, former Secretary General of the OMM, and Easter Themba failed to quality.

In the list of candidates of men staying on, there were few surprises, as only 31 competed for 30 vacancies. Only Chinguane Sebastião Marcos Mabote was rejected. Remaining in the Central Committee are Roque Silva, Alberto Chipande, Alcido Nguenha, Eduardo Abdula, Eduardo Mulémbwė, Raimundo Pachinuapa and Eneas Comiche. Also on the list are Alberto Chipande Júnior, Namoto Chipande, Aires Aly, Samora Machel Júnior, Sérgio Pantie, António Niquice, Celso Correia, Tomás Salomão, Marcelino Pita, Carvalho Muária, José Pacheco, Chakil Aboobacar, Jaime Basílio Monteiro, Bruno Morgado, Licínio Mauaie, Dominic Phiri, Salim Valá, Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, Carlos Mesquita, Agostinho Mondlane, Eusébio Lambo, Arlindo Chilundo, Raimundo Diomba and Francisco Cabo.

However, it was in the men’s renewal list that there was most controversy. Frelimo made seven vacancies available, with 13 candidates applying. Among the entries, emphasis goes to the return of Oswaldo Petersburgo (Secretary of State for Youth) – rejected at the previous Congress – and the entry, for the first time, of Adriano Maleiane (Prime Minister), Max Tonela (Minister of Economy and Finance) and N’Naite Chissano, son of Joaquim Chissano, former President of the Republic and member of Frelimo. Pedro Guiliche (a famous G15 analyst), Constantino Bacela (Minister in the Presidency for Civil House Affairs) and Rui Chong Saw (former Mayor of Nacala-Porto) were also elected.

Among those rejected are Joaquim Veríssimo (former Minister of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs), Mouzinho Saíde (former Vice-Minister of Health and current Director of the Maputo Central Hospital), Inocêncio Impissa (Deputy Minister of State Administration and Public Service), businessman Prakash Prehlad, Manuel Formiga (former President of the National Youth Council) and Virgílio Mateus.

The electoral results obtained by Carta indicate that, in the Central Committee’s list of renewal for the economic and social area, delegates rejected the candidacies of businessman Lineu Candieiro of the Lin Group (which includes the famous Lin Cleanings), and the sportswoman Ana Flávia de Azinheira, former Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports.

Eduardo Mondlane Júnior, businessman Mahomed Assif Osman and Ana Senda Coanai, CEO of IGEPE (Institute for the Management of State Equity) were elected in the economic and social sector.

Among the youth, emphasis goes to the entry, for the first time, of Jacinto Filipe Nyusi (son of the President of the Republic and Frelimo), Emília Chambal (President of the National Youth Council), Edma Braund, Jherson Fernandes, Baera Morreira, Francisco Nunes and Constantino André. Sale Mussa and Patrícia Lopes were excluded.

In the renewal list, at combatant level, male delegates elected included Rafael Rahomoja, João Américo Mpfumo and João Ferreira dos Santos. Among the women, Joisse Jock and Laura Agostinho Mavota. Maria Gundana, Victória Daniel and Miguel Mkaima succeeded, while André Massaite and Xavier Nelson were left out.

The 79 members of the Central Committee elected at the XII Frelimo Congress yesterday will join the members elected at the provincial conferences, the two honorary party presidents, the six honorary members, the 11 Provincial First Secretaries and the three Secretary-Generals of Organs social bodies of the party (the OJM, OMM and ACLLN).The Frelimo Central Committee will in future be composed of 250 members and 11 provincial substitutes. It remains to be defined how many substitutes will be elected at central level.

Drug

Official figures from the Central Office for the Prevention and Fight against Drugs (GCCPD) indicate that drug addiction in Mozambique rose about 14% between 2020 and 2021, with the provinces of Manica, Nampula, Sofala and Maputo seeing the most cases. The national model of rehabilitation for drug addicts may not be the most appropriate, warns mental health expert Júlio Macamo. Júlio tried cannabis sativa, aka ‘soruma’, at the age of 14, at the invitation of a friend. By the age of 16, he had already used more than two types of drugs. He stole items from his parents’ house to sell for money to buy drugs, he confesses.

“The evil lies in experimenting. I tried it, I liked the feeling and started to consume it. I met people who got into the world of crime, and I was about to get involved myself, because I hung out with friends, one of whom had his father’s gun, who was a police officer. Little by little, I was trying more things,” the interviewee says.

At a certain point in his life, Júlio realised that he was on a path that could lead to his death, and that was the start of a happy ending. With the help of relatives and friends, he managed to rehabilitate himself.

“One day, when I was drugged, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought: ‘I’m that uncle I always said I didn’t want to be’, because when we’re kids, we look at that uncle from the area, who drinks and creates trouble, and we don’t want to be like him. So I looked at myself and I saw myself as that drug-addict uncle. When I realised this, I started looking for help,” he explains. Júlio’s testimony is just one example of what happens all over the country, and GCCPD figures point to an increase in drug addiction country-wide.

“In 2020, we had 9,788 [addicts] and, in 2021, this number increased to 11,164, so we are seeing growth of around 14%,” says Orlando Alberto, head of the Department of Public Education at the Central Office for the Prevention and Combat of Drugs. According to Alberto, the provinces of Manica, Nampula, Sofala and Maputo lead the statistics table.

“Last year, the province of Manica had 2,713 cases, which represents 24% of the total. Nampula, with 2,416, corresponds to 21%, while Sofala had 2,084 and Maputo City had 2,050,” he details.The GCCPD records 2,050 cases for Maputo city, while the Health Directorate presented a different figure of around 3100.

“Last year, we had 3,057 cases in outpatient consultations, which means that there were around 3,000 people who approached the hospital,” says Maputo City Health Directorate representative Maria de Lurdes Sive. The health sector is not only concerned about the increase in drug addicts, but also about the number of those mentally ill as a result of drug use. In 2021, 9,000 were admitted to the Infulene Psychiatric Hospital, in Maputo.

“In our largest psychiatric hospital [Infulene], the main cause of hospitalisation is mental and behavioural disorders due to the consumption of toxic substances. In the 2021 report, we learned that about 9,000 people sought mental health services for issues related to mental disorders and substance use,” says Elisa Mfumo, head of the Department of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health. More up-to-date data from the GCPCD indicate that, in the first half of this year, more than 4,000 people with mental and behavioural problems caused by drug consumption were admitted to health service units.  Cannabis sativa and alcohol are the most-consumed substances, due to their easy availability. Adolescents and young students are among those who consume drugs most, often mixing them.

“It is with great sadness that I report that we have more teenagers and young people, aged 14-17, in the rehabilitation program. At the moment, there are 67,” says Anderson Jesus, representative of the REMAR rehabilitation centre. The country does not have a hospital specialising in the treatment of drug addiction. Patients are admitted to the Infulene Psychiatric Hospital and this overloads the health unit.

“In addition to treating two people with schizophrenia and mental retardation, we also have to assist drug addicts, as is their right,” says Infulene Psychiatric Hospital director Serena Chachuaio. “A drug addict often has disciplinary problems, which is why they often destroy sponges or clog faucets in order to protest against hospitalisation by their relatives.”

Psychologist Celma Ricardo is critical of the country’s rehabilitation model.

“We don’t have a one-stop centre, so that the individual doesn’t have to go from one hospital to the other. We don’t have a unit that supports an individual for complete rehabilitation, with the ability to provide psychological follow-up, with a psychiatrist providing assistance and activities to occupy them and help them stop using drugs,” she says. The Maputo City Health Directorate recognizes the problem and promises improvements.

“Together with the government, we are working towards opening a rehabilitation centre for these cases. It won’t happen from one day to the next, so until then we will continue to work with the Infulene Psychiatric Hospital,” Maria de Lurdes Sive explains. According to SERNIC, during the first six months of this year, close to 400 drug trafficking and consumption cases were registered, against about 300 in the same period in 2021. Narcotics valued at an estimated 50 million meticais were seized. In 2019, the United Nations cited Mozambique as a major corridor for large volumes of drugs.

 

 

Raises 4.2 million dollars

The London-based mining company Gemfields on Tuesday announced that it has raised 4.2 million US dollars from an auction of predominantly commercial-quality sapphire, corundum, and low-quality ruby held from 19 September to 23 September 2022. In total, 3.6 tonnes of material (18.1 million carats) were sold.The gems were mined in the northern Mozambican district of Montepuez by Montepuez Ruby Mining Limitada (MRM), which is 75 per cent owned by Gemfields and 25 per cent by Mwiriti Limitada.According to Adrian Banks, Gemfields’ Managing Director of Product & Sales, “the buoyant conditions prevailing in the coloured gemstone market made this an excellent time to sell several years of accumulated MRM commercial-quality inventory”.

added, “we thank and congratulate the government of Mozambique and our partners at Mwiriti – both of whom attended the auction – on what are very healthy results for material of this quality”.

Gemfields stressed that “the proceeds of this auction will be fully repatriated to MRM in Mozambique, with all royalties due to the government of the Republic of Mozambique being paid on the full sales prices achieved at the auction”.Montepuez Ruby Mining (MRM) holds a 25-year concession on an area of 340 square kilometres in Montepuez, in Cabo Delgado province. Since 2014, over 830 million dollars have been raised from the auction of rubies and other gems from the mine.