Podemos leader returns to Moz; will announce spearhead protest phase
Venâncio Mondlane, presidential candidate of Mozambique’s Podemos party, returns to Maputo on Thursday to announce a new phase of protests. After two months abroad, he vows to end the violence, honouring the victims and challenging the election results that led to widespread unrest.
The presidential candidate of the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), Venâncio Mondlane, will be back in his home country on Thursday, January 9, and announce the ‘spearhead’ phase of protest action.
Mondlane called on his followers last night to await him at the Maputo International Airport when he lands shortly after 08:00 on a Qatar Airways flight. Mondlane said the outgoing president, Filipe Nyusi, was included in the invitation.
Mondlane has been out of Mozambique for over two months and has led the protest action via Facebook Live communications.
On Sunday night, he said he had not slept for three days as the death of so many Podemos supporters had kept him awake. Mondlane requested his followers to wear white or black T-shirts with print on it honouring the victims of these protests.
Also read: Calls for calm after week of violence and death in Mozambique
Mondlane declared his return will focus on ending the killings ‘of his brothers’ and warned that should he be assassinated or arrested, the popular fury that will be felt in Mozambique will be unparalleled in the history of this country or the whole of Africa.
On January 15, Daniel Chapo of the Frelimo party will be inaugurated as president, in the same year the country marks 50 years of independence. Mondlane, who lost the election by securing only 24% of the votes, contested the results at the Constitutional Council, which confirmed the initial election outcome on December 23. It sparked violent protests in Maputo and major cities in the country.
Mondlane remains adamant that he will be inaugurated as president.
The past week has been mostly calm after Mondlane had called on followers to clean up the cities and stop their violence. The new year started with only sporadic incidents reported.
Club of Mozambique and the Bulletin of Human Rights, under directorship of Prof Adriano Nuvunga, both reported that more than 300 official deaths had been recorded and over 500 people had been shot.
Also read: SA monitors security at Mozambique borders; next protest phase may be postponed
Read original story on www.citizen.co.za
