
Lucrécia Rafael, delegada política da Renamo ao nível da cidade da Maxixe, faz campanha eleitoral
Metarica (Mozambique), 29 Sep (AIM) – 14 people who claimed they were members of Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, on Friday defected to the ruling Frelimo Party in Metarica district, in the northern province of Niassa.
The public defection was witnessed by Gueta Chapo, the wife of the Frelimo presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo.
44 year old Silverio Tiago, who spoke for the group, said he had been the Renamo delegate in the locality of Muhemele, and had recruited the other 13.
He said he had joined Renamo in 2004. Despite his 20 year membership, “I saw that the party doesn’t have any conditions, any T-shirts or caps”. (Tiago was referring to the practice of Mozambican political parties of distributing T-shirts and other items of clothing to their supporters during election campaigns).
“Furthermore, Renamo can’t build roads, or bring the water we are now drinking thanks to Frelimo”, added Tiago. “These difficulties led me to conclude that I am suffering, and that it would be good to flee from this party and join Frelimo”.
Another defector, Octavio Celange, said “the behavior of Renamo repelled me”, and Tiago had convinced him to return to Frelimo. He too was annoyed that Renamo had not provided its supporters in Metarica with any clothing. “During the campaign, we only had the right to posters”, he complained.
Celange said Renamo is a party that goes from defeat to defeat, losing in every election campaign. “They convinced us we were going to win, but this never happened”, he added.
Gueta Chapo welcomed the defectors and gave them Frelimo propaganda material. At an election rally in Metarica, she urged her audience to vote for her husband “as the right person to lead the country to success”.
Since he had already worked as a district administrator and a provincial governor, “he has a great deal of experience and you should trust him and his party”.
She pledged that a government led by her husband would pave the road between Metarica and the city of Cuamba, which is currently impassable, would attract more businesses to the district and create more jobs.
(AIM)
Nl/pf (357)