Welcome to Zitamar’s daily Mozambique briefing for 11 December, 2017.
The latest from Zitamar News:
FREE TO READ: Savana: Thousands flee extremist violence in Cabo Delgado
Mozambican newspaper Savana sent a team to Mocimboa da Praia to speak to refugees and the local government. Read our translation of their important report
The best of the rest:
Chapa driver on his phone kills 6 in collision with lorry (Jornal Domingo, Radio Moçambique, Magazine Independente)
Six people died and a further five were injured when the driver of a minibus – who had refused his passengers’ requests to stop using his phone – ploughed into a lorry near Manhica in northern Maputo province on the EN1 highway.
Minibuses or ‘chapas’ remain the only option for the majority of Mozambicans travelling up and down the country – and they remain far more deadly than the military conflict’ which caused so much panic on Mozambique’s roads last year. Let’s hope the recently-announced initiative to promote road safety bears fruit.
State dividend from Cahora Bassa falls 14.7% due to drought (Correio da Manhã)
Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB)’s contribution to the Mozambican treasury fell 14.7% in the first nine months of 2017 relative to the same period last year, mainly due to low water levels in the dam reducing its electricity output.
The stars really are not aligning for HCB to maximise the price it will get for the sale of a 7.5% stake on the Mozambican stock exchange. On top of the company’s poor financial performance this year, the company’s shares will have to compete with term deposits yielding 20% interest – all of which points to them being sold at a serious discount, which could play into fears of cronyism in the privatisation process.
Water rates rose, unannounced, in September (@Verdade)
Water rates were raised, unannounced, at the start of September, @Verdade has discovered, with the greatest increases in Nampula and Pemba where the price of mains water rose 27% and 25% respectively. The reason given for the rate rises is to help water utility FIPAG maintain its infrastructure – which tallies with the unfortunate fact that those areas suffering the biggest rate rises also suffer the patchiest levels of service.
Market traders reach agreement over Maputo-Katembe bridge access (O País)
Traders at the 16 de Junho market, more commonly known as ‘Nwakakana’, in Maputo have reached agreement with state-owned Empresa de Desenvolvimento Maputo Sul to allow an access road to the Maputo-Katembe bridge to displace the market. Traders will receive an undisclosed sum to leave the market immediately.
Agenda
- Today: President Filipe Nyusi accredits new Ambassadors from Cuba, Nigeria, Rwanda, New Zealand, Romania, and Ivory Coast.
- Today: MPs meet in parliament to debate the government’s 2018 Economic and Social Plan and State Budget.
- Today: Letícia Klemens, minister of mineral resources and energy, signs the mining contract for Baobab Resources’ iron and steel project in Tete
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