Minister of Interior, Aesenia Massingue
Police Lament Death Of Kidnap Victim
Maputo, 28 Dec (AIM) – Mozambican Interior Minister Arsenia Massingue on Tuesday lamented the death of the latest kidnap victim, Hayyum Ali Mamade, whose lifeless body was found in the southern city of Matola the previous night.
Speaking to reporters, Massingue said “first, as the Ministry of the Interior, we want to lament this loss. It’s a life that has been lost. As for the work under way to clear up this and other kidnap cases, the Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) will tell you in the coming days what is being done”.
Thus the Minister could do no more than promise a Sernic press conference some time in the next few days.
But, according to the independent newssheet “Mediafax”, Sernic itself, on Tuesday afternoon, told the press that an individual linked to the group that kidnapped Mamade had been detained, but gave no further details.
Mamade was kidnapped at gunpoint on 14 December, in front of one of the Matola ice cream parlours he owned. The kidnappers phoned his family to say that he was very ill, and told them to collect him. But when they did so, Mamade was already dead.
The Confederation of Mozambican Business Associations (CTA), which represents the business community, vehemently condemned the kidnapping and murder of Mamade, and called on the authorities to take more vigorous measures against the kidnap gangs.
The CTA warned that such crimes against business people will make it more difficult to attain the economic recovery desired by the government. “The image of the country continues to be stained by these situations”, said a CTA release. “The national business class deserves to work and develop their activities in security”.
The CTA believes the authorities are quite capable of stopping the kidnappings, “and so the CTA reiterates that the government should make the fight against kidnapping a priority for national development”.
The Islamic Council of Mozambique demanded that the government put an end to the wave of kidnappings, warning that the kidnappings could drive away investment. The Council’s Communication and Cooperation Officer, Mussa Suefe, said “We must be aware of the investments that these businesses are making in our country. There are already business people who prefer to invest in other countries, such as South Africa, because of the security situation. This is bad for our economy, and we have to solve this situation”.
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