Mayor of Nacala placed under house arrest

Nacala (Mozambique), 14 Dec (AIM) – The district court in the northern Mozambican port city of Nacala has ordered the house arrest of the city’s mayor, Raul Novinte.

According to a report in the latest issue of the bulletin on the municipal elections, published by the anti-corruption NGO, the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), the court took its decision in response to a request from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in the context of a criminal case in which Novinte, and his advisor, Arlindo Chissale, are charged with “incitement to collective disobedience and public instigation to commit a crime”.

Novinte was elected mayor in 2018, on the ticket of the main opposition party, Renamo, and he was standing for a further term of office in the latest elections, held on 11 October. He has been leading demonstrations in Nacala against the election results, which Renamo regards as fraudulent.

In addition to Novinte and Chissale, a further eight members of Renamo are facing prosecution in Nacala.

The court suspended Novinte and Chissale from office, and ordered their house arrest. It feared that if these measures were not taken the two would pose a flight risk, or might disturb the investigations.

There are ten criminal cases against Novinte. The prosecutors claim he was the “moral author” of the Renamo demonstrations in Nacala, and is thus responsible for the damage caused during these protests.

Novinte has been questioned by the Nacala District Attorney’s Office, and is now waiting for formal charges to be laid against him. He is also being blamed for the fire that broke out in one of the schools used for the repeat election in Nacala last Sunday.

Novinte has retorted that he could have had nothing to do with the fire, since he was in Maputo at the time.

The mayor is also accused of spreading disinformation about cholera, which culminated in mob attacks against homes of members of the ruling Frelimo Party and of community leaders, falsely accused of causing the disease.

On Monday, Novinte denied all the charges against him and told reporters “I am the messenger of the people”.

“I was questioned by the Attorney”, he said. “They told me that I am inciting violence. I didn’t incite any violence, the marches I led were peaceful”.

“The people are rejecting the results”, he continued, “and I am just their spokesperson. I acted in the name of the people”.

(AIM)

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