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Zitamar Daily Briefing, 4 September 2018

Welcome to Zitamar’s daily Mozambique briefing for 4 September, 2018.

BREAKING NEWS: The Constitutional Council has rejected Renamo’s appeal to have Venancio Mondlane reinstated at the head of their list in Maputo’s municipal election. Renamo to react at a press conference in Maputo at 14:00.
Keep up to date on our Mozambique Politics Live Blog


Agenda

  • Today: Conference at Hotel Cardoso on inclusive development and sharing information related to the extractive industry, organised by CIP and the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex
  • Tomorrow: Start of a two-day national gem fair, organised by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME) and the National Geology Museum, taking place at the AFECC Gloria Hotel
  • Tomorrow: Laying of the first stone of Agility’s new warehouse facility on the Maputo Ring Road

The latest from Zitamar News:

Saudi group seen selling Mozambique portfolio of luxury resorts and Rani Towers
Aujan Group is understood to want to quit Mozambique entirely - despite protestations to the contrary


The best of the rest:

  • Samora Machel Jr.’s AJUDEM appeals Maputo election exclusion (MediaFax, O País)
  • Listed and delisted MATAMA needs $6m to get back on its feet (O País)
  • Mozambican exporters aren’t taking advantage of free trade with US (DW)
  • MITADER publishes land use plan for Maputo city and province (Notícias, AIM)
  • Maputo Special Reserve destroys poachers’ firearms (CanalMoz, AIM)

Samora Machel Jr.’s AJUDEM appeals Maputo election exclusion (MediaFax, O País)
Youth organisation AJUDEM yesterday submitted its appeal to the national election commission, the CNE, over its exclusion from the Maputo municipal election on the grounds of not having enough candidates on its list. The list, headed by Frelimo rebel Samora Machel Junior, who would become mayor if AJUDEM were to win the most votes on 10 October, is in trouble after four of its candidates pulled out - allegedly under pressure from Frelimo. The CNE now has up to five days to decide whether to refer the appeal to the Constitutional Council, which will in turn have five days to rule.
AJUDEM is a number of days behind Renamo, which appealed last week against the exclusion of its mayoral candidate, Venancio Mondlane. Renamo is pressuring Frelimo to let Mondlane stand, saying the peace process is under threat; ‘Samito’ Machel has no such leverage, although he does have powerful supporters within Frelimo.

Listed and delisted MATAMA needs $6m to get back on its feet (O País)
The MATAMA abattoir in Manhiça, Maputo province, which listed on the stock exchange in 2017 before having to delist due to financial woes, needs at least $6m to get back on its feet, including paying back some of its debts to Mozambican banks. The plant was inaugurated by President Nyusi in 2016, but is currently operating at 20% capacity due to its financial problems.
The MATAMA saga is a dent in the reputation of the Mozambican stock exchange, the BVM, which apparently bent its reporting rules to let the company in, before having to suspend its shares. Recent more minor incidents - including a failure to require brewer CDM to inform shareholders of its plans for a new brewery in the country - suggest the exchange still has a long way to go.

Mozambican exporters aren’t taking advantage of free trade with US (DW)
US Ambassador Dean Pittman says only 1% of Mozambique’s $100m exports to the US take advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which allows them to export duty free - low by regional standards. Mozambique needs to implement AGOA fully, Pittman said, in order to be able to take full advantage.

MITADER publishes land use plan for Maputo city and province (Notícias, AIM)
The ministry of land, environment, and rural development yesterday launched its special plan for the land in and around Maputo - with a particular focus on Inhaca Island and the district of Matutuíne, home to the Maputo Special Reserve. The latter is of particular importance given the impending opening of the Maputo-Katembe bridge, which will transform access to the area, and is expected to accelerate development there.
One of the biggest environmental threats to the area could be the proposed Techobanine port at the end of a proposed railway line coming through Zimbabwe from Botswana - but Zitamar understands that the project, whose promoter in Mozambique is General Jacinto Veloso, is unlikely ever to see the light of day.

Maputo Special Reserve destroys poachers’ firearms (CanalMoz, AIM)
38 firearms were destroyed by the authorities in Maputo Special Reserve, along the coast south of the capital, on Friday, having been captured from poachers. Of the total number 26 were homemade firearms, and 12 were conventional weapons. More firearms were kept by the district police command in Matutuíne to serve as evidence.


Company announcements:

  • Syrah Resources announces $68m institutional placement and share purchase plan for Cabo Delgado graphite project
  • Savannah Resources lists on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, alongside its primary listings on London’s AIM and Stuttgart’s SWB exchanges
  • Mustang Resources announces planned name change to New Energy Minerals Ltd, reflecting shift away from rubies to focus on graphite and vanadium
  • Ncondezi Energy announces agreement in principle to restructure shareholder loan; says negotiations with MIREME and EDM are ongoing over coal-fired power project
  • Triton Minerals’ largest shareholder, China’s Shandong Tianye, will increase its holding in the graphite mining company to 19.4% by participating in a AUD 4m entitlement issue

Photo of the Day:

One of 24 lions released in the Zambezi Delta last month has already been trapped and killed.

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