RENAMO beating journalists

The Provincial Secretariat of the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) in Nampula issued a press release in which strongly expresses its abhorrence and condemnation against exguerrilheiros Renamo, which, on the afternoon of Wednesday, violently beat two journalists from TV of Mozambique (TVM), which therefore had to be assisted in the hospital given the gravity of some of the facts contained contraídos.Segundo injuries, both professionals, and Horacio Vicente Herminio Martins, reporter and cameraman, respectively, intended to inform at the site on the situation of the alleged militants Renamo that several months ago, are in the city of Nampula from different parts of the country mobilized for the demonstrations that had been scheduled for last December. The attacks broke out in the provincial delegation of the "Partridge" when Horacio Martins prepared the camera for taking pictures of the scenery, when the former Renamo guerrillas suddenly invested about two journalists from TVM, reviling them and attacking them physically, and confiscate your stuff working. The incident did not reach more drastic proportions due to the prompt intervention of the police, who also allowed recovery of the work material wrongfully seized by energúmenos.Entretanto Antonio Nihorua, head of mobilization and propaganda of Renamo in Nampula, argues that the Two journalists beaten did not have the required permission from his party to perform any data collection for noticiosos.Vicente Martins denies these allegations and states that his team wanted to make a report addressing the terrible conditions of hygiene, including the fecalismo open, in addition to poor nutrition that are submitted because the militants mentioned only receive one meal per day, which should be behind the impressive physical weakness showed that many of them.
We had no political intentions, only moved us the desire to safeguard the issue concerning human rights that those men are being deprived by its leader, Afonso Dhlakama, who has promised peaceful demonstrations that have been repeatedly postponed. Said one journalist.
The police claims to have already established a record of complaint against the individuals who perpetrated physical aggression against the two media professionals social.Segundo the press officer in command of the PRM, Michael Bartholomew, has already created a brigade to carry out technical investigations that are needed around the serious incident and clearance of guilt involved in the subsequent criminal liability.

Attorney beaten

The chief prosecutor of the district Govuro, Inhambane province, Mario marione, have reportedly been slapped when he ran the local Mozambican Heroes' Square and made to carry the vehicle administrator distrital.De according to sources residing in New-Mambone and requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, the occurrence took place at around 8 o'clock, exactly in the region of Guenga-Djani, moments after the prosecutor to have been involved in an accident like collision between vehicles, which resulted in the wounding of some people who were carrying one of the vehicles that the prosecutor Mario sinistradas.Consta marione was driving without a driving license, a car brand Toyota Chelsea, said to be a stolen car seized by police in the Save River. Also according to sources, the prosecutor was at high speed, and crashed on the back of a car brand Ford Ranger protocol, administration of Govuro affects the administrator Azariah Xavier.A Ford Ranger car carrying some citizens who would participate in the ceremonies of February 3. Contracted as a result of injuries from the collision and, following the successful, the prosecutor attacked for allegedly being blamed for the accident. In a telephone contact Chief District Attorney Govuro confirmed the incident, saying "I was actually assaulted by a man and not by women."
"It's like this: I had a ride in order to get home. It came from a place where they had a head of cattle slaughtered and I wanted to take some of the meat, "began by stating the prosecutor. He added that after getting the meat began to see the time passing, as "had to be present at the Heroes' Square, in the deposition of flowers". "As such, I thought I should ask for a ride to a car that was move quickly to get home. I got this car and the car was in front of the administrator. The car that I had crashed the car carrying the administrator, but a simple shock, "said Mario marione. "When I fell, led me to the hospital and then pick up the plate and then went back home," the prosecutor told us. About his relationship with the administrator who deteriorated following a criminal proceeding involving the nephew of Representative Government in Govuro, the district chief prosecutor said "it is dangerous to talk about these things, because there really are things we can not talk given that politicians should know how to send. " He tried several times to contact by telephone with the district administrator Govuro, Azariah Xavier, but without success, because the two paragraphs were temporarily out of service. We remain interested in reporting its version.

Samora today furthered his dream

For the sociologist Carlos Serra, even though by hypothesis, there is only one way to look at Samora and historical context that was his. That is, "Can not say things the color-blind or gender Samora Samora was that was that. Samoreanas There were multiple ways of being, ways to reformulate today suffer from memory, or wound grateful, reverent or aggressive. More than one person, Samora was a collective process, more than he was a conflictual history of the country, more than failure or victory, samorismo was and continues to be a way to discuss a different future, " says. With regard to its governance, Sierra argues that "the plunger samoreana governance" since the liberation struggle was to change the social relations of production and distribution in the country. "All levels, all endeavors, all enthusiasm, all the problems, all resistances, all drama, all the tragedies in short, should, in my view, be managed and analyzed through this prism, the prism of a desired new way of life, the prism of the revolution. "    The current conditions, according to Sierra, justify this "love" the figure of Samora, especially where poverty is more scathing. "Years ago, a survey conducted by me showed that, in the suburbs of Maputo City, Zamora emerged as a sort of messiah figure strong, noble figure, as a sort of vigilante, a redeemer who, if living end the theft, with burglary, with the cunning, with the unrest, with social injustices. At certain times of life, according to the perceptions that we have it, especially if they are bad, we act on our desires symbolically rebalancing social figures like samoreano, made redemptive myths, alternative lifestyles, "he explains.
BMN-List positive and negative aspects of governance of Zamora.
(Carlos Serra) - Built-in millenarianism, intransigence and distrust inherited the hardness of the armed struggle, governance samoreana (and his revolutionary group) was the project of changing the urban and rural life of Mozambicans voluntarismos with typical ages of revolutionary and in permanent conflict with national and international resistance. That proposal called into question on the one hand, the interests of certain groups for whom national independence was just a simple substitution of the settlers remaining inherited social system and, secondly, the racist and capitalist interests of regional powers such as Africa Southern Rhodesia and then South This double constraint is the origin of authoritarian State measures, programs of armed counter-revolution like Renamo and many phenomena of social unrest and shortages of consumer goods.
BMN-How would the lives of Mozambicans if he were alive (and power, of course)?
(Carlos Serra) - Let me tell you something in the form of a paradox: it is easier to predict the past than the future. Most likely Samora proceed now your dream, perhaps with some corrections. To conclude: there are today who, in his role as arúspice specialist, argues that it was with Zamora, the first two liberal measures. With some more work, playing on opportunism, the arúspices say one day that neoliberalism is the current work of Samora, he was, after all, a capitalist born. So, to remember a series of one blog of mine, "to each according to his needs, to each according to his Samora."

Above average Mozambique SADC macroeconomic stability

Mozambique is above average for the Development Community (SADC) concerning the level of macroeconomic stability achieved in the variants of the public debt, fiscal deficit, inflation and interest rate differential and index agregado.Contudo, is below the average of countries such as Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania and Mauritius, according to results of an assessment of macroeconomic stability index for Mozambique conducted by the World Economic Forum of the World Bank (IBRD).   The report of this institution on global competitiveness that has as one of the pillars for the assessment of global competitiveness level of macroeconomic stability, Mozambique has the level of 4.18 points above the SADC average of 0.23 point.
However, the IMF says it has completed a study carried out by the financial sector that is notorious increase in the number of banking institutions increased from five in 1995 to 18 in late 2011, as well as products and services offered by them , degree of financial intermediation and the level of monetization of the economy, measured by the ratio of money supply that includes all of Metical notes and coins outside the banking system and deposits of residents, both in national currency and in foreign currency, without the inclusion of government deposits and financial institutions on GDP.   This variant has increased from 25.6% of GDP in 2000 to 42.7% (2011), a value close to the average of sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48.9% but well below the average of the SADC countries , which is 68.2%, and South Africa (88.4%). Bank credit to the economy as a percentage of GDP rose from 17.3% in 2000 to 29.1% (2010), "being yet still below the average of sub-Saharan Africa and SADC, which were 89, 5% and 45.8%, respectively, "said the joint document of the IMF and World Bank produced in 2011 on financial institutions in Mozambique.

Demobilized soldiers on Valentine's Day contest

The Forum of Demobilized War of Mozambique announced that next February 14 chain, will hold another rally to press him to yield to their demands. The demonstration will take place from 7:30 in the period up to 16 hours between the High Mother and downtown, confirmed Herminio dos Santos, President of the Forum of Demobilized Guerra.De according Herminio dos Santos, the protesters will leave Avenue Eduardo Mondlane in the region of Alto-Mae, for the area of ​​Maintenance Circuit Repinga Antonio, near the Office of the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers headquarters in downtown Maputo.O last year the demobilized soldiers made a stand in Maintenance Circuit Repinga Antonio and were dispersed by the police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), which became the site strongly armada.Esta new event will be held to coincide with a further session of the Board of Ministros.Os demobilized soldiers require, among other things , a dignified retirement, especially for a monthly pension of 12,500 meticais.Eles not accept combatant status approved in parliament by the Frelimo bench holding a parliamentary majority and has no opposition in the number who can claim that demobilized contrariar.Os that status is discriminatory and favors national liberation fighters with ties to the history of the Frelimo regime, but discriminates against all other groups of former combatentes.Do group led by Herminio dos Santos, who has been on the streets, part 13 000 demobilized from both the hosts of Frelimo and Renamo, and even ex-militia members, former members of vigilante groups, naparamas, widows and orphans of soldiers who died during the war and after the war, among others.The demobilized already ruled out any dialogue that does not be with the president, Armando Guebuza, or prime minister, Aires Ali

13 kidnappings in 6 months

The commander of the PRM, Jorge Khálau, said last week, in remarks to the weekly Mozambique Channel, which some of the kidnappings whose victims do not participate to the police, can not be true, and that some entrepreneurs may be allegedly kidnapped using this loophole to smuggle currency values ​​out of Mozambique.
The kidnapping saga continues! Another person was of Asian origin, this Wednesday, has been abducted. According to the statement of the General Command of the PRM, the kidnapping happened around 20:45 on Avenida Mao Tse Tung, on the corner of Avenue Amilcar Cabral, when a concerned citizen in a car traveling in the company of her husband. According to the description of the police, the kidnappers, who were in another car, a simulated accident, crashing into the back of the car he was traveling the couple.   In the process of approach by the driver of the car suffered a collision, will be out four individuals, who forced landing of his wife to the kidnappers' car, then putting himself on the run.    When that "Country" found, it is the mother of a prominent businessman of Asian origin, owner of the group Africom.
Since the abductions began in the city of Maputo, there are roughly five months, the modus operandi of the hijackers is almost the same: kidnappings of businessmen of Asian origin with outward signs of prosperity or their immediate families. Then call hours later the family demanding the ransom. The values ​​are around between 500 002 million. In all cases, the kidnappers warn the victims' families not to come into contact with the police, on pain of the victims will never return to family life. In all cases of kidnapping so far made public, our newspaper knows that for the release of the victims, there was a ransom. Even if the two entrepreneurs from the same family who were released last Wednesday, that is, after the transfer of Nini Satar and Vicente Ramaya-taken as the main ringleaders of the kidnapping - the BO command to the cells of the PRM in the city, was no payment of ransom.  In what was his public stance on the subject, the commander of the PRM, Jorge Khálau, said last week, in remarks to the weekly Mozambique Channel, which some of the kidnappings whose victims do not participate to the police, can not be true, and that some of the businessmen allegedly abducted may be using this loophole to smuggle currency values ​​out of Mozambique.  Jorge Khálau wonders of the reasons why entrepreneurs to keep in their homes, large sums of money, instead of using banking institutions for the purpose.  The statements of the Mozambican community Khálau indignation of Asian origin, who later wrote a letter, sent to the media, where, in addition to the repudiation of the statements Khálau, suspected police involvement with the kidnappers.   The letter said, in one of his passages, "the Asian community has, in recent times, suffering kidnappings by gangs allegedly organized and somewhat protected, where one can suspect the police protection of high-level and powerful people because they do not realize the huge silence around these events. "    More: at a press conference, the spokesman for the general command of the PRM, Pedro Cossa, dismissed alleged settling of accounts favored by Mozambican traders of Asian origin. He said, Khálau that this type of crime (kidnapping) was not typical of Mozambicans, but to foreigners.
Despite the police chiefs are to unfold in public statements to convey an image to be monitoring the situation of abductions, the fact is that nothing concrete has been presented. Incidentally, yesterday during the evening news of Stv, former Director of Criminal Investigation Police (PIC), Antonio Frangoulis, said police supervisors should focus more on research and not on rhetoric, and said that is visible the inability of the police to deal with this new criminal phenomenon."I do not mean that the police are not prepared, but is not 100%. This phenomenon began last year but not acted, or became deaf ears. See that is not constituted a brigade or people prepared to deal with these situations. The truth is that the police has not taken the job, "said Frangoulis.  The purpose of the inability of the Criminal Investigation Police in dealing with this type of crime, even the attorney general's office, Augusto Paulino, had acknowledged in its latest report, the PIC was morribunda. "Without a PIC competent, effective and scientifically prepared, it is worth noting that the momentum is achieved in all areas of administration of justice," he said Paulino.  In fact, several sectors of opinion have been advocating the urgent transformation of the judicial police in subordinate PIC to prosecutors. Unfortunately, the strong lobbying of the generals of police has hindered these advances.

ASSEMBLY WILL AMEND LAW ON THEFT OF STATE FUNDS

The governing board of the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, its Standing Commission. has placed amending the law on the theft of state funds on the agenda for the next plenary session of the Assembly, due to begin on 12 March.The current law dates from 1979 and is regarded as inadequate and out of date. Last year the law was severely criticized by Attorney-General Augusto Paulino because it does not cover certain ways in which assets are stolen from the Mozambican state.Thus the practice of fraudulently registering state-owned buildings in the name of individuals is not covered by the 1979 law. “To punish this type of conduct”, Paulino told he Assembly last year, “we have to resort to other laws which do not deal with the phenomenon appropriately”.Furthermore, it is difficult to punish theft of funds by state officials who do not sign the cheques or have direct access to the money, leading to the unjust situation whereby officials who order theft receive lesser penalties than their subordinates.“Many crimes related with budgetary implementation, or the illicit appropriation of state financial resources, are not practiced merely by those who directly handle the funds”, Paulino points out. “The most that can happen to a high ranking state leader who orders his subordinates to pay his personal expenses out of the state budget, even if this is a large sum, is that he will be sentenced for abuse of his position to a maximum of two years imprisonment and told to repay the money, without even any interest”.The lower ranking official, however, would receive a much longer jail term, “which weakens the principle of the equality of citizens before the law”.In all, there are 24 points on the agenda approved on Tuesday by the Standing Commission. However, this number is likely to rise, as the government or the parliamentary groups submit more proposals.The spokesperson for the Standing Commission, Mateus Katupha, said the other points include electing the ombudsman, and discussing amended electoral legislation. There is still no consensus among the parliamentary groups on key aspects of the legislation, but the search for consensus cannot be extended indefinitely, since new legislation must be put in place in good time ahead of the 2013 municipal elections.The electoral laws were under discussion for about 18 months in the Assembly’s Commission on Public Administration. But in November last year, the Commission’s chairperson. Alfredo Gamito, had to admit that the Commission was deadlocked on a series of key issues.The Assembly plenary then told the leadership of the three parliamentary groups – from the ruling Frelimo Party, the former rebel movement Renamo, and the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) – to put their heads together and come up with consensual positions.This was precisely what was attempted the last time the laws were revised, in 2006. It did not work then, and it is not working now. The leaders of the three groups were sent for a weekend to the tourist resort of Namaacha, on the border with Swaziland, to hammer out a consensual draft – and, quite predictably, they failed.It has, for example, proved quite impossible to find any middle ground between the three radically different proposals for the composition of a new National Elections Commission (CNE). Frelimo wants the CNE to maintain the same structure as in the current law – which is 13 members, five of whom would come from the political parties represented in parliament in proportion to the number of seats they hold, and the other eight selected from a list of names submitted by civil society organisations.But Renamo, flying in the face of all recommendations for a smaller, less politicised CNE, called for a body of 21 members – five from Frelimo, five from Renamo, five from the MDM, three from the extra-parliamentary parties, and just three from civil society. The Renamo proposal is clearly designed to give the opposition a majority on the CNE.The MDM proposal had the virtue of calling for a small CNE, of just seven members. But four of these would be appointed by political parties (one by Frelimo, one by Renamo, one by the MDM and one by the extra-parliamentary parties) and the remaining three by civil society. None of the three parties heeded the calls from local and foreign election observation bodies who recommended that the political parties should be completely removed from the CNE.On areas where no consensus has been reached, a vote must be taken – which Frelimo, with its overwhelming majority (191 out of the 250 seats), will obviously win.

Nacala: GARBAGE DUMP FISHY

Nacala-Porto, in Nampula, lives in the last days of stirring moments as a result of the seizure, on the 27th January last, a horse carrying garbage truck considered doubtful, the city of Pemba to dump in Nacala-Porto. It started from nothing, but at some point there who awakened the authorities about the presence of a truck that was regularly depositing the trash something estranho.A source coupled with the garbage truck, however, has always attracted curious, dictated that the City officials did siege to "catch" of the team and obtain explanations about what was being passar.Face to reality and because it is trash, the City Council of Nacala-Porto communicated to the Provincial Directorate for Coordination of Environmental Action Nampula, which made the ground to investigate and explain to the public the truth of factos.A team of the Environment Directorate in Nampula is led by its provincial chief inspector, Norberto Narcissus, told media that the residue is divided because there into two types, namely, non-hazardous and non hazardous perigoso.Do out plastic bottles, drink cans, cartons and metals, and that is so dangerous with the muddy brown color, which should be subjected to laboratory tests in order to dispel any equívoco.Norberto Narciso said that the realities on the ground and leaves apoquenta concerned about the direction of the environment, especially knowing that prior to transport to any destination, the garbage should receive specialist assessment, which does not concern aconteceu.Outra question that dictates the authorities is that the waste will be transported about 500 kilometers from the city of Pemba, in Cabo Delgado, to Nacala-Porto in Nampula, leaving many areas in addition to the dustbin of Pemba, where he could be depositado.Precisou that if the owners of the trash they were afraid not be suitable to deposit locally to assess the origin should have contacted the authorities in Cabo Delgado advise to refer to the trash in industrial Mavoco Maputo.A issue of waste deposited in Nacala-Porto has some shadowy margins not only for the reasons above, as the clarification of the company in charge of taking the trash, because otherwise vejamos.Na possession of the chief inspector in Nampula provincial environmental credential is a handwritten and signed by the replacement of the head of city services City Council Nacala- Porto, to authorize the company to deposit waste transport Barreiros ido local.A port credential, dated 27 October 2011, states that this company is authorized to deposit waste consisting of plastic bottles, card, wood and other non-hazardous waste removed from the port of Nacala.
Except and to the astonishment of all, the garbage comes from other latitudes and when required the explanation, the side of the carrier does not say this as something tangible that want to withhold information real.Norberto Narciso stated that preliminary investigations it was believed that waste of viessa Anadarco, a company dedicated to exploration of gas in the Rovuma basin, but that came to clear on Thursday that actually belongs to another of the same ramo.Trata to ENI also EAST AFRICA is involved in investigating the potential of the gas in the region North of our country, which has already been contacted and procedures in order to derive a clarification before the autoridades.A our source points out that the fact that the credential be handwritten at the height of globalization is itself cause for suspicion that the investigations should continue, especially since within the City Council does not know this document. "The president of the Municipal Council is the one who told us the situation and says he does not recognize the credential," revealed the source, for whom administrative measures should be applied to company ENI EAST AFRICA Barreiros while the carrier is the responsibility of the Attorney General to that effect judiciais.Explica reason to deliver the case to the prosecutor is to investigate, among other issues, if the company would have an attorney that he be given the powers ENI EAST AFRICA to negotiate with the City Council of Nacala-Porto, where the space including waste disposal, why evoke the transport port to the trash if the product Cable came to carry Delgado.Entretanto and according to sources, the truck was eventually freed by the authorities of Nacala-Porto at the behest of the local municipal police commander, who claims to have received orders to that effect.

GROWTH IN WILDLIFE IN LIMPOPO NATIONAL PARK

The number of large mammals in the Limpopo National Park (PNL) in southern Mozambique has grown by about 15 per cent over the past ten years and now stands at about 4,000 animals.According to the first edition of “Singuedzi”, the PNL Information Bulletin, this census covers elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebra, wildebeest, kudos, impalas and various other species of antelope. It does not include monkeys and other smaller mammals, reptiles or birds.When what was previously a hunting area known as “Coutada 16” was declared a national park in 2001, it contained few animals, but a programme to restock the park took place between 2002 and 2006. Since then numbers have continued to grow, despite the efforts of poachers.The PNL covers rather more than 1.1 million hectares, and was set up as part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which also includes the Kruger National Park in South Africa, and the Gonarezhou Park in Zimbabwe. Between them, the three parks cover a total area of 5.5 million hectares.The PNL has also made headway in resettling the people who used to live inside the park, and in building accommodation and other facilities for tourists. Private investors are now visiting the region, and showing interest in building further tourist lodges on the banks of the Limpopo and Shinguedzi rivers. Between 2005 and 2011 the PNL delivered to state coffers over 26 million meticais (about 956,000 US dollars) in tourism fees.

NEW CASHEW FACTORY FOR NORTHERN CABO DELGADO

A cashew processing plant under construction in Nangade district in the far north of Mozambique may halt the trend for local peasants to sell their cashew nuts over the border, in Tanzania.According to a report in Monday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”, the factory, under construction with a grant from India, will be complete by the end of this year.The Nangade district administrator, Melchior Focas, declared “we are convinced that if the nuts are processed locally, they will have added value. Not only will the factory create jobs, but I believe the producers will be spared the need to walk long distances and cross the Rovuma River, in order to sell their cashew nuts in Tanzania”.With a cashew orchard of about 1.8 million trees, Nangade is the largest cashew producing district in Cabo Delgado province. In the 2011-12 cashew harvest, Nangade farmers marketed 7,100 tonnes of nuts, significantly higher than the target of 6,600 tonnes set by the National Cashew Institute (INCAJU). But the real figure is rather higher, because some of the Nangade cashew production is taken over the border. Focas believed that stable producer prices for cashew are reducing this trend. The estimates are that, during the 2009-2010 campaign about 2,000 tonnes of Nangade cashews were sold in Tanzania – that figure dropped to 800 tonnes in the 2010-2011 campaign.Cashews are a key cash crop for Nangade farmers, and money from the sale of the nuts has been invested in improving houses, in acquiring bicycles, motorcycles and even, in some cases, vehicles, as well as radios and cell phones.

MOZAMBIQUE RISES IN PRESS FREEDOM RANKINGS

Mozambique has risen by over 30 places on the Press Freedom Index compiled every year by the Paris-based organisation Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF – Reporters without Borders).In the 2011-12 index, published in January, Mozambique is rated 66th out of 179 countries. In the 2010 index it was in 98th position out of 178 countries, and in 2009 it was number 83 out of 175 countries. The RSF index assigns points for violations of media freedoms. The fewer points a country is awarded, the freer its press. For this purpose, RSF uses a questionnaire that enquires about such matters as the murder, torture, imprisonment and harassment of journalists, censorship of media, impunity of those responsible for such violations, self-censorship, the ability of the media to investigate and criticize, the legal framework for the media, and financial pressures on the media. The questionnaire is sent to 18 other freedom of expression organisations across the globe, to RSF’s own network of150 correspondents, and a variety of journalists, researchers and human rights activists. Up until 2011, the best score a country could obtain was zero. But in the latest index, RSF has also attributed negative points, so that the countries where the media is deemed freest score less than zero. Top of the list are Norway and Finland on minus 10, followed by Estonia and Holland (-9), Austria (-8), and Iceland and Luxemburg (-7). Two African countries have minus scores – Cape Verde (-6) and Namibia (-2).There seems no limit to how bad a score can get. Bottom of the list this time is Eritrea with a score of 142, followed closely by North Korea (141), and Turkmenistan (140.67). RSF describes these three countries as “absolute dictatorships that permit no civil liberties”.Mozambique’s score is 21.5, an improvement on the previous year’s 26.5. Mozambique outranks several European countries, including two European Union members – Greece (ranked at number 70, with a score of 24) and Bulgaria (at number 90, with a score of 29).The RSF rankings for all members of the Southern African Development Community are as follows (with their score in brackets):

Namibia – 20 (-2)
Tanzania – 34 (6)
South Africa – 42 (12)
Botswana – 42 (12)
Mauritius – 54 (17)
Lesotho – 63 (21)
Mozambique – 66 (21.5)
Seychelles – 73 (25)
Madagascar – 84 (29.5)
Zambia – 86 (30)
Zimbabwe – 117 (55)
Angola – 132 (58.43)
Swaziland – 144 (67)
Democratic Republic of Congo – 145 (67.67)
Malawi – 146 (68)

The self-proclaimed champion of press freedom, the United States, does not score particularly well. It is ranked 47, with a score of 14 – beaten by countries such as Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania and Ghana.

INDIAN GROUP PLANS NEW PORT IN MOZAMBIQUE

The second largest private port operator in India, Essar Ports, is likely to sign a concession agreement with the Mozambican government for the construction of a new port in Mozambique, according to reports in the Indian press. The port would be aimed largely at handling some of the vast amount of coal exports that the mines now being opened in Tete province will generate over the next few years.“We are in talks with the Mozambique authorities. We expect to have a clear idea on the size and investment for the proposed port there within the next six months,” Rajiv Agarwal, Managing Director of Essar Ports, told the paper Business Line. The port will handle 30-40 million tonnes of cargo a year – mostly iron ore used by an Essar Group affiliate, and coal for the mining companies operating in Tete.Also on the drawing board is a plan to build a slurry pipeline to connect the Mozambique port to Zimbabwe. The aim is easier movement of iron ore and pellets to support the raw material required at the Essar Group's recently acquired Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company.

The white race just changed!

Our job is to say that Erick is called Charas, Charas is boss of the group, owner of the only newspaper printed and distributed free of charge in Mozambique.

Moz: When was the newspaper "The Truth", there was much skepticism about the project, especially regarding the free of charge. Why a free newspaper? What is the motive for the newspaper?
 Charas Erick (Erick): The newspaper The truth is essentially free, because it came after a study has been done, a business plan and outlined their goals. Emerged as the best alternative and the option to bring information to people. After his studies and research that we had come to the conclusion that if the intention is to spread the access to information, should be taken into consideration what the people have. We're not talking about a group of privileged people who have capacity. We are talking about the majority who may appear to have money to spend, but has thousands of options to spend your money. So the basic idea was to observe this point of law that the people must be informed. We think that information is a right for us constitutes us as citizens.Moz: Is there an update that did in his Facebook page that said it was urgent that Mozambicans were freed of their liberators. The liberators that mean? And why? What would be the way, in your opinion, for this release?
 Erick: Yah. This is one of those things for now is not and can not be attributed to a single person. It is a common conversation and the feeling that goes into each one since independence are still living the same misery. Most people walk dissatisfied with the level of governance we have today. Says so. He says I'm being managed today by the Government that are already in for thirty years. We were talking about the youth recently. You have people today who are younger and vote and determine the future of the country, who are younger compared to the period when the same people in power and nothing changes. And we talked about 50 times that Graca Machel joined the government in 28 years. So we continue to be governed with old ideas. Can not those who govern us today, create policies and programs for what we have today as needed. The rules that send live according to them are old. Only in context: you look for other sides and you see that liberation movements are falling. People are not fighting against governments that have existed for two or three years. People are fighting against governments with old old ideas.Moz: Once, a newspaper called him even in a very hidden and using resources stylistic with Frelimo disenchanted? Erik Charas is disenchanted with Frelimo?
 Erick: (Laughs) I do not know ... For now this newspaper. But look, it depends on what is being disenchanted or even charmed by FRELIMO. Virtually maybe I'm reaching a point of saying this: Frelimo, with those who are leading it today, has expired. Needs new leaders. Need new thinking. You need to be a representation of the people. You must see that when Frelimo was created was as a representation of the will of an entire people of the Rovuma to Maputo, the poor and indigent. The people wanted to get rid of a system. Today Frelimo represents what? Today the leaders of Frelimo represent the will of the people out of poverty? During the war of liberation, the leaders of Frelimo were in the bush. Crawling with people. The people welcomed them and thanked the hut. Today the leaders of Frelimo people go to the hut with mineral water. They refuse to drink the water of the people. So disillusioned is not a personal case. There is disenchantment against Frelimo. No. Let me be clear: I am a member of Frelimo and when a person believes something is in line with their ideals. We are not talking here about ice cream. It is according to what is written in the constitution of the party. Now I ask: what is written in the constitution of the party is what their current leaders advocate? I do not know. Now comes a paper that called disenchanted, I'm actually disappointed with a lot and in the first place with this newspaper is a newspaper shoeshine. I do not even read it. Because deep down a newspaper is not to walk to lubricate. It is to inform people.Moz: The group Charas in partnership with its allies launched an ambitious project called home "Youth House" which besides being a business aims to contribute to alleviating the housing problem in young layer. How many walks?
 Erick: The project is in progress and motivate us even more. In fact, the best news I had today (Wednesday ancestor), is that after all the rain that left the capital of the country flooded, the area of ​​the Youth House is brilliantly grounded. Our ditches are draining the water as it should be. Right now we move forward with the foundation of 15 of the 26 buildings we going to do initially. Everything is in progress. This year we plan to start with the delivery of houses to those in front. Unfortunately I could walk better, not from the perspective of buyers or construction. Necessarily speak to the issue of support. We are talking about a project that is primarily for young people. And it becomes clear that this project could be sold and could be implemented later. I am the implementer of the project within the Youth House in which theory is for someone. We have partnered in order to be hired to develop a project, the answer I gave, and that makes me be invited to various parts of the world and Mozambique, is that my interventions should be social curries. I said that the project fits in the land, it is young. There is a structure that owns it. But what was important to say this is to develop and the Government by its nature had to be involved as part of their responsibility to provide housing. Initially we will deliver around 150 homes. This is what is written in the contract. In global terms we have three years. But not everything is in global terms. You have people who buy this year, have a term, and who buy next year, have another term. But I can assure you one thing, people who come to the project today, the houses only have two years from now. There is no way. We currently have over 400 people who have bought and are waiting to receive the houses. And people who pay are a key part of the financing. At the stage where the project is already invested close to $ 30 million.

POORLY EDUCATED CHILDREN DAMAGE THE FUTURE

Poorly educated children damage the country’s future, warned the Mayor of Maputo, David Simango, on Monday.Speaking at the opening of the 2012 Mozambican school year, Simango appealed to parents, teachers and the pupils themselves to contribute towards improvements in the quality of education.“It’s not worth wasting time discussing the quality of education, since we already know it’s poor”, he declared. “What we must do now is work to improve the quality of our education”.There is a widespread belief that, although there are more children in Mozambican schools than ever before, this increase in access has been achieved at the cost of a decline in quality. The poor quality of primary education has knock-on effects in secondary schools, as seen by alarming failure rates in December in the exams taken by secondary pupils at the end of 10th and 12th grades.Simango insisted that all stakeholders in education should work to ensure that children know how to read, write and do basic maths, and in this way contribute to the fight against poverty.“For us to have good quality education, we need trained teachers”, he said. “But that is not enough in itself. For if the pupils do not apply themselves, then they are not going to learn. Furthermore, the parents even if they do not have high qualifications themselves, should contribute by accompanying the training of their children. If we were to do this, then we would contribute to raising the quality of education”.The school year opened throughout the country on Monday, under the motto “Let’s make good quality education a task for each and every one of us”.The Maputo City deputy director of education and culture, Alfredo Nahia, told the ceremony that all the vacancies for enrolment in the city’s schools had been filled. There were 71,246 vacancies in first, sixth, eighth and 11th grades – the grades that mark the four cycles into which primary and secondary education are divided.There is no enrolment in the other grades, since pupils move into them automatically from the lower grades.

'CWABO' LAUNCHES CRY OF REVOLT

Quelimane, "Chuabo City" as the natives termed, can cry of pain and consternation. Since the National Independence on June 25, 1975, the "City Chuabo" knowing was gradually regression and systematic destruction caused by the successive local governments before flowing into a sea of ​​problems with no solution in sight to the present.  Water shortage is chronic and dramatic. On the outskirts of the city, the shortage or lack of it is alarming shape. Women and children jostle with, with their biddons during the day, along with holes, often in the morning to the setting of the sun, do not do well one drop of water to wet the throat, as well as the musician sings Mozambique Luis Fernando  At the opening of the campaign, Pio Matos, a former mayor, said he leaves with head held high because "Frelimo took water to the neighborhoods." This "can" does not convince anyone. The cry for water is heard, with increasing intensity.  Pio Matos, one of the "generals" of the campaign Frelimo party, lied that he left the city with the water problem solved. Good speaker, which humiliated the mayor to step down raise elections "interim" in the land of Chuabo talks swirling. The real fallacy of the water could only get out of the mouth of a great magician ... 

The water problem is severe and has not even begun to be attacked. People say that "Frelimo and Pius deceived him in three times." Promise to solve the same problem, but when they come to power, are more concerned with their arrangements. They are not concerned with the problems of the city. "Chuabo" is a mix of city and country. In the middle of the city's housing construction material precarious, surrounded by gardens full of worthless scrap wood to be sold abroad because it is fashionable in the country, exporting raw timber, a lucrative business involving elites linked to the ruling party and citizens Chinese, too, go to "taxi" bike here in Quelimane.  This way one sees large tonnage trucks loaded with logs, to circulate through the city, damaging the floor, under the impassive gaze of the authorities who should regulate the movement of such trucks. No one can be judge in his own. Those who were to oversee the administration are now in horse-trading behind the desks of state institutions. Manage their personal affairs installed in wards of the state. Do not put an end to these attacks to the assets of public funds does not impede the movement of trucks because business people are all the same political family. Quelimane so degraded.  The "City Chuabo" trash heap has in its corner that is not removed regularly. Its streets are potholed. Now that the election campaign is underway, city officials are working to full production, to cover the shame. What should be your daily work is done in the electoral campaign to deceive the most distracted.  "Chuabo" stopped in time and, as irony, the authors of their misfortune, every five years, returning to the door hit you on the hunt for votes to continue to enjoy.  Manuel de Araujo, the candidate of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique, said that his candidacy is a cry of revolt. Used to say "enough to play with Chuabo Mwana."  The struggle in these "interim" is red hot. It is as early as next Wednesday that the residents of the capital of Zambezia go to the polls. This is the capital of the second most populous province in the country You can not have a secure sense of what might be the outcome of these elections. The truth, however, is that Manuel Araujo is messing with everything and everyone and his name is the most talked about, especially in the periphery and among young people.  Do not be surprised if the opposition wins, but the fear of fraud is present and may happen to be the spark that fired the prairie. It is recommended that the greatest civility, for fair elections. (Edwin Houn)

MOZAMBIQUE SCORE ON CORRUPTION INDEX UNCHANGED

The international anti-corruption NGO, Transparency International, has placed Mozambique in 120th position out of 184 countries surveyed in its 2011 Corruption Perception Index, which is much the same as its position in 2010.The index scores countries on a scale between zero and 10 – the nearer a score is to ten, then the cleaner that country is deemed to be. On this scale, the least corrupt countries in the world are New Zealand (with a score of 9.5), Denmark and Finland (each on 9.4), and Sweden (9.3).At the other end of the scale, the countries worst hit by corruption are Somalia, which has not had a functioning government for two decades, and North Korea, which both score just 1.0. Also among the most corrupt countries are Myanmar and Afghanistan (1.5) and Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Sudan (1.6).Mozambique is scored at 2.7, and shares position 120 with the Solomon Islands, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Ecuador and Bangladesh.According to TI, the least corrupt African country is Botswana, on a score of 6.1 – the same as Portugal. It is followed by Cape Verde (5.5), Mauritius (5.1) and Rwanda (5.0).The 15 members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have the following rankings and scores in the TI Index:
32 Botswana (6.1)
46 Mauritius (5.1)
50 Seychelles (4.8)
57 Namibia (4.4)
57 South Africa (4.4)
77 Lesotho (3.5)
91 Zambia (3.2)
95 Swaziland (3.1)
100 Malawi (3.0)
100 Madagascar (3.0)
100 Tanzania (3.0)
120 Mozambique (2.7)
154 Zimbabwe (2.2)
168 Angola (2.0)
168 Democratic Republic of Congo (2.8)
Perhaps not surprisingly, there are some poor performers in the euro zone. Italy, with a score of 3.9 is tied with Ghana, Macedonia and Samoa. Greece does rather worse with 3.4 – on a par with drug-stricken Colombia. And anyone who imagined that the fall of the Soviet Union was a recipe for clean government is in for a shock – Russia trails in 143rd position with a score of 2.4.Mozambique’s score is unchanged from last year. In 2010, it also scored 2.7, but because fewer countries were covered Mozambique was ranked in 116th position (out of 178).TI says that the Corruption Perception Index is based on “different assessments and business opinion surveys carried out by independent and reputable institutions”, and covering such questions as “bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, embezzlement of public funds and questions that probe the strength and effectiveness of public sector anti-corruption efforts”.The TI report notes that “public outcry at corruption, impunity and economic instability sent shockwaves round the world in 2011”. Referring clearly to the toppling of dictatorships in North Africa, it adds “protests in many countries have escalated quickly from small scale action to mass demonstration, united people from all parts of society”.
Public frustration “is well founded”, says TI. “No country or region in the world is immune to the damages of public sector corruption”. A clear indication of the seriousness of the problem is that the great majority of the 183 countries surveyed score less than five on the zero to 10 scale.“Whether in a Europe hit by the debt crisis or an Arab world starting a new political era, leaders must heed the demand for better government”, declared the TI chairperson, Huguette Labelle, cited in the report.