Maputo, 11 Feb (AIM) – Celese Macunha, a member of the newly elected Municipal Assembly, in the central Mozambican city of Quelimane, capital of Zambezia province, has been found dead, apparently murdered, in the district of Nicoadala.
Macunha, who was a member of the Quelimane District Committee of the ruling Frelimo party, had been recently sworn into office as a member of the Municipal Assembly.
Macunha was reportedly last seen on Thursday afternoon, when she was attending a funeral in Quelimane. But from Friday morning, images of her charred body, dumped in Nicoadala, began to circulate on social media.
According to the coroner Emílio Lucas, cited by the independent daily, “O País”, the victim’s head shows signs of violence.
“The body is in an advanced state of carbonization and there are some parts that are difficult to identify. Some parts are preserved, the brain and lower limbs. The injuries to the brain are suggestive of having been produced by a blunt object”, the doctor said.
Celeste Macunha was also an employee of Quelimane Central Hospital (HCQ).
According to the HCQ director, Ladino Suade, “she was assigned to the cleaning sector and was a very active woman. On Saturday morning, Celeste’s colleagues and friends were at the mortuary to prepare and remove the coffin for the wake and burial”.
Suade said that Macunha was due to fulfill another work schedule on Friday, but she did not turn up.
“She was never absent. Her absence worried colleagues who were later surprised by the tragedy”, Suade said.
(AIM)
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