MBOMBELA – Reports of an overuse of force against tourists committing minor infringements in the Mozambique holiday town of Ponta do Ouro are giving rise to worries it may scare away visitors.
Mr Carlos Carvalho from Moz Info said that he had received a number of reports of police intimidation and possible corruption in the past week.
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One of the people involved, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had visited three bars and a restaurant. On their way home they were pulled over by men who were not in uniform but bearing arms, including an AK-47. One had a badge.
“Understanding that we were overloaded we responded extremely respectfully and passively. We were all aggressively told at gunpoint to get out of the vehicle, which we did. The officers in question seemed intoxicated and were shouting and gesturing wildly. They proceeded to fire two rounds of the AK-47 into the sand about three metres away from our feet.”
They were told to drive to the police station where they were interrogated in Portuguese. They searched them roughly, “kicking our ankles to open our legs.” No breathalyser tests were performed.
Their wallets were confiscated. An Italian-speaking member of the party attempted to find out what the charges were – and was locked in a cell.
“We were at gunpoint the entire time, to the extent that I was shielding my girlfriend with my body while a man holding an AK-47 stared at us.”
The other four men were also locked in the cell. “We were not given any water or so much as a piece of wood to sit on. We were told to share a two-litre Coke bottle between us and pour the contents out the window. The cell was absolutely disgusting (with) only a candle (for) light.”
The two women were locked in the car where police stood guard over them throughout the night. They succeeded in contacting the owner of the home where they were staying and he sent an employee to the station.
He was allegedly beaten upon arrival. The following morning they were informed that they were being held for overloading and had to pay fines of R5 000 each.
“We were now dealing with a man in uniform, another armed man and one wearing a vest and jeans who we were informed was the boss. We told them we didn’t have that kind of money.”
The police let two members of the party return to their accommodation to gather any money they could. “We managed to scavenge roughly R4 500 but were told it was not enough and would now be taken to court.
“Luckily a friend back home had managed to get hold of someone they knew in Ponta and they struck a deal with the police to release us if we paid another R5 500 to total R10 000.
“We were then forced to admit that we had not been mistreated and that they acted lawfully, while they were staring us in the eye and intimidating us. We left vowing to never go back to Mozambique.”
Earlier on the same day some of the five cars in the convoy in which Ms Mechelle Grobler Steyn was travelling parked next to one another in Ponta do Ouro. It was the beginning of a trip to celebrate her 40th birthday. Heavily armed and aggressive police officers carrying automatic weapons informed them they had double-parked.
Their passports were confiscated and they followed the police to the station where they were interrogated. Steyn said they were also forced to sign an acknowledgement “of what they said we did wrong”.
They were fined R1 000 and paid it, only to be told to pay an additional R1 500 to get their passports back. They were not issued with receipts.
“The experience put a damper on the trip, but it is no use crying over spilt milk,” she said. “We know they are strict and we try to stick to the rules. However, it was my mother’s first trip to the country, and surely her last.”
The newspaper’s attempts to obtain comment from the police were fruitless. The area police chief could not be reached by phone, while the Ponta do Ouro commander claimed he could not speak English.
A lodge owner summarised the seriousness of the potential negative impact on tourism – on which the town’s economy relies. “We have no gas deposits, coal, harbours, commerce, industry nor agriculture. I spend about R20 000 per month marketing Mozambique as a destination. I have invested millions of meticais in my resort and infrastructure.
“The harsh reality is that it is a question of survival in an already depressed tourism market. With the weak economic situation in Mozambique and South Africa, the perception of the ‘war up north’ and the fiasco with unabridged birth certificates, the last thing we need is for the people entrusted to protect the community to destroy the economic base of that community.”
• In a separate incident on Tuesday, South African guests were prevented from leaving after the domestic worker accused one of them of attempting to solicit sex from her for money. It was reported on social media that he was locked in a cell and intimidated and a large sum had to be paid to secure his release.
However, the complex management company said in a statement on its website that the man had in fact attempted to rape the woman and that the party had attempted to bribe the police. The guest was allegedly asked to apologise to the female and then requested by police to leave the country.
The man, who cannot be identified due to the nature of his alleged offence, told Lowvelder he was seeking legal advice on the reports and did not wish to comment.
