Maputo largely at a standstill

Maputo, 24 Oct (AIM) – On Thursday, the first day of a two day general strike called by the independent presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, Maputo was largely at a standstill, despite calls from the government and from the main business association, the CTA, for citizens to go to work.

This does not necessarily mean that the Maputo working class has obeyed Mondlane’s call – merely that bus owners have kept their vehicles off the road for fear that they might come under attack.

Trains, however, were still running, but were reported to be carrying only a quarter of their normal number of passengers.

Without buses, people who live a long way from their workplaces find it difficult, if not impossible, to reach their work.

Areas in the heart of the capital, which are normally busy in the middle of the week, were largely deserted on Thursday morning. Many shops and other businesses, both public and private, closed for the day, including the banks. Even normally crowded markets, such as Xipamanine, on the city outskirts, had few clients.

The same was true of schools, both state owned and private. AIM knows of private schools where the management sent the parents notes telling them not to send their children to school on Thursday or Friday.

Thus much of the country has been shut down without striking a blow. No doubt Mondlane, whose current whereabouts are unknown will claim this as a victory.

As of midday, there had been no violence. Unlike the events of last Monday, so far there have been no clashes between protesters and police, no clouds of tear gas, no piles of burning tyres, and no barricades in the streets.

Reports reaching AIM from other major cities suggest that the rest of the country is also calm – although a strong police presence may have prevented disturbances in the southern city of Matola.
(AIM)
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