Chapo appoints minister of justice

Maputo, 30 Jan (AIM) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Thursday completed his government by appointing Mateus Saize Minister of Justice, and of Constitutional and Religious Matters.

Saize is currently serving his third term as a judge on the Constitutional Council, the country’s highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law. He was appointed to the Council by the parliamentary group of the ruling Frelimo Party.

He must now leave the Council since holding a government position is incompatible with membership of the Constitutional Council.

Chapo also appointed the provincial secretaries of state. While the central level secretaries of state, equivalent to ministers, have been abolished, Chapo has retained the provincial secretaries of state, but with slimmed down powers.

At his inaugural speech on 15 January, Chapo said the Secretaries of State in the provinces, “will concentrate only on the supervision, monitoring and evaluation of the tasks of the state and central government within the province”, while all executive tasks “will be in the hands of the Provincial Executive Council, led by the Provincial Governor”.

Of the secretaries of state inherited from the previous government, Chapo kept two, Vicente Joaquim, as Secretary of State for Maputo city, and Cecilia Chamutota as Secretary of State for Sofala

Several others are moved from one province to another. Thus Jaime Neto leaves Nampula to become Secretary of State in Gaza. Cristina Mafumo is moved from Zambezia to Tete, and Lourenco Lindonde from Gaza to Manica. Fernando Bemane de Sousa is transferred from Manica to Cabo Delgado.

Avelino Muchine, who had been Frelimo Party First Secretary in Maputo province, becomes Secretary of State for Zambezia. The former general secretary of the Frelimo youth wing, the OJM, Silva Livone, becomes Secretary of State for Niassa.

The former National Director of Local Administration in the Ministry of State Administration, Placido Pereira, is now Secretary of State for Nampula, while the former Deputy Minister of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries, Henriques Bongesse, becomes Secretary of State for Maputo Province.

The only one of the appointees who has not held prior government or party positions, is educational psychologist Bendito Lopes, who becomes Secretary of State for Inhambane.
(AIM)
Pf/ (366)