Mozambique: Frelimo has $1 million for helicopters

The Guebuza campaign is making intensive use of four helicopters, and the Bulletin estimates that the cost will be nearly $1 million. This means that Frelimo is spending more just on helicopters than the total amount ($750,000) being given to it this year as state funding. (Total funding to all parties is $1.85 million). This shows that Frelimo has much more money to spend on this election than any other party.

Each of the four Bell 206 Jetranger helicopters being used by presidential candidate Armando Guebuza costs $700 per hour of flying time just to hire, plus all costs of fuel, taxes, a crew of four for each helicopter, and ground staff. The initial move of the helicopters to Maputo also must be paid for. We estimate the total cost by the end of the campaign will be nearly $1 million.

The helicopters are leased from National Airways Corporation, based at Lanseria airport in Pretoria. The company also leases helicopters to the Mozambican government, and the same type of helicopter has been used by the President to travel around Mozambique as part of his “open presidency” programme. This has raised some concerns about contracts and transparency.

Tension and fraud warnings
in Ilha de Moçambique

Ilha de Moçambique, which had the most serious misconduct in local elections last year, is tense again this year.

Gulamo Mamudo, ex-mayor and now head of the Renamo elections office on Ilha de Moçambique, accuses Frelimo of orchestrating a scheme whereby young men in Frelimo “shock groups” will try to block Renamo members from voting. The idea is that the young men will sleep at polling stations in order to be first in queues, then slow down the queues, hoping that older voters will get tired of waiting and go home.

Frelimo brigade head in Ilha de Moçambique, Martinho Marcelino, says all of Renamo’s accusations are baseless and it is only preparing to justify its eventual defeat.

However, Mamudo’s allegations are not as odd as they may seem. In local elections last year, Frelimo youth did something similar. Young men went up to older people in the queues, seemingly to help them, looked at the voters cards, and said they were in the wrong polling station and had to go to the other side of the island to vote. When they arrived at the new polling station, they were told they had been in the right place initially, so had to walk back. The assumption was that older people there were more likely to vote Renamo, and that the older voters would go home rather than trek back to the first polling station. So Mamudo’s concern could be valid.

Meanwhile, there is continuing violence on the island. Frelimo militants vandalised the Renamo headquarters on 13 October. The Bulletin saw many stones inside the building and Renamo reports that its members inside were injured by the stone throwing.

Meanwhile Martinho Marcelino reports that eight Frelimo members were beaten by Renamo militants and that one Frelimo man, José André de Castro, remains hospitalised.

Four Renamo candidates for Nampula provincial assembly were arrested for damaging Frelimo campaign posters. After being held by police, they were charged and released. Neves Alberto (Lumbo district Renamo delegate)), Assane Yahaia, Omar Wacaire, and Zito Momade Ussene. A fifth Renamo candidate, José Carmona Nanhecua, has already been convicted of electoral crimes. (See Bulletin 15). Mamudo says it is intimidation and the police are improperly targeting Renamo provincial assembly candidates.

One source of tension on the Ilha is the fact that the former president of the municipal assembly, Caetano Alberto Júnior, has quit Renamo and joined Frelimo and is actively campaigning for Frelimo. Renamo demands that he leave the current municipal assembly, because he is no longer a party member.
- Julio Paulino

Campaign Diary

Small parties chase votes in Zambézia

Although the elections in Zambézia, as elsewhere, are dominated by the three main parties (Frelimo, Renamo and MDM), the small parties have also launched their campaigns.

ADACD (Aliança Democrática dos Antigos Combatentes de Luta de Libertação de Moçambique), a coalition of three parties set up by veterans of the liberation war, only started its campaign Sunday 18 October. Although it is standing for Zambézia seats in the national parliament, the head of the list, Ana Langa, seemed more interested in campaigning in favour of Frelimo presidential candidate Armando Guebuza.

Although the ex-combatants are actively supporting Guebuza, they say they want seats in parliament in order to change his incorrect economic policy, which is not generating wealth or well-being for the majority of Mozambicans.

ADACD’s symbol is the orange and it wants to be elected to parliament to promote social well-being. The party is campaigning without election material, other than a few caps, shirts and posters, but former guerrillas from the liberation war 40 years ago remain a strong presence. The coalition is standing in five provinces, Zambézia, Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Maputo and Gaza.

Few choices for PDD

The PDD (Partido para Paz, Democracia e Desenvolvimento) led by Raul Domingos, which once seemed placed to become a third political force in Mozambique, is virtually dead in Zambézia, and is hardly seen on the streets. PDD is standing in seven provinces for national parliament, but not in Zambézia, which seems to have broken the spirit and enthusiasm of party members there. There have been no rallies or other actions in Quelimane because there is no point. PDD election head Inácio Mukalachi says the party is only campaigning in the three districts where it is standing for provincial parliament: Inhassunge, Gurué and Namarrói,

In the early days of the campaign militants in Milange attempted rallies, but says they were confronted by a climate of violence which led to scuffles with Frelimo, during which eight PDD members were arrested.

Party militants says they have not been told to campaign for any presidential candidate, and feel that none of the three candidates has the qualities of their president, Raul Domingos.

Frelimo, Renamo and MDM

But it is mainly Frelimo, Renamo and MDM who are keeping up in this 45 day marathon race for votes. After a quiet period, Renamo is pedalling harder, with its president Afonso Dhlakama campaigning in Zambézia. MDM had been concentrating on the capital but with the return of its candidate Daviz Simango, it is spreading its activities through the province, particularly in Gurué this weekend. Frelimo, too, is preparing with the final weekend of the campaign, with various brigades spread throughout the province and cars circulating with Frelimo publicity.

Campaign incidents

Acts of violence by all parties and use of state vehicles continues to be reported in a few places. These are reports from our 120 journalists as well as from people’s correspondents.

Violence

Mabalane, Gaza: 17 October, two Frelimo militants arrested for beating the local Renamo delegate, Nelson Chitsondzo.

Sussundenga, Manica: 18 October, Renamo party headquarters in Dombe burned.

Nhamatanda, Sofala: 18 October, Frelimo militants used drumming, megaphones and loud motorcycles to disrupt training of MDM (Movimento Democrático de Moçambique) polling station agents.

Other incidents

Cheringoma, Sofala: 17 October. Frelimo officials distributed model ballot papers showing votes for Frelimo, and allegedly told local traders that if they did not post the model ballot and tell people to vote for Frelimo, then their stalls would be forced to close.

Marringue, Sofala: 18 October, training of polling station staff was suspended for the day because of the arrival of Armando Guebuza. Furthermore, some of those being trained say they were forced to go to a rally for Guebuza in Nhamapaza.

Use of state cars

Mabalane, Gaza: 19 October, Ministry of Science and Technology double cabin Ford Ranger, with the registration number covered by Frelimo pamphlets