Nyusi visits Ressano Garcia line

Maputo, 1 Jan (AIM) – Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Tuesday visited Ressano Garcia, on the border between Mozambique and South Africa, to assess the level of damage caused by rioters who claim to be supporters of self-exiled presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane.

Ressano Garcia was the scene of repeated destruction and rioting which interrupted normal border operations and prevented goods from entering Maputo port.

Nyusi travelled on the railway that connects Ressano Garcia to Maputo, and confirmed that the line is operational, although the weighbridge has been damaged.

He expressed his anger at the destruction inflicted by the rioting. “These actions have got nothing to do with politics”, he said. “The trains carry all kinds of people without exception”.

He did not think it was a priority to identify the ringleaders of the rioting, but urged members of the public to protect the goods and services they had asked for – including not only the railway, but also the water and electricity supply infrastructures.

He claimed that the situation in the country is beginning to normalise – although this optimism may be misplaced, since Mondlane is threatening a new wave of unrest, which he calls his “spearhead”.

Addressing workers of the publicly owned port and rail company, CFM, Nyusi urged them not to become disheartened. He stressed the need to complete the doubling of the track on the Ressano Garcia line to allow an uninterrupted flow of people and goods.

The Chairperson of the CFM Board of Directors, Agostinho Langa, said the company needs more than ten million US dollars to repair the damage done during the riots.

The Tenga and Matola-Gare stations had been vandalised. “Fortunately, they did not set the stations on fire, but they burnt everything that was around them”, said Langa.

In central Mozambique, rioters had burnt parts of the Sena line, which connects the port of Beira to Zimbabwe. The figure of ten million dollars should cover the damage to both the Ressano Garcia and Sena lines.

The repairs, Langa added, depend on access to electronic equipment imported from South Africa, and at this time of year, some of the supplying companies are closed.
(AIM)
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