Maputo, 24 Feb (AIM) – The provincial committee of Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party in the central province of Zambezia has readmitted Caifadine Manasse, who is now the Minister of Youth and Sport.
Manasse was expelled from the Zambezia committee two years ago in the midst of a bitter struggle that pitted him against several dozen other Frelimo parliamentary deputies from Zambezia.
The committee took the decision to readmit Manasse at an extraordinary meeting on Saturday, held in the provincial capital, Quelimane, at which readmitting Manasse was the only point on the agenda.
According to the independent television station, STV, the meeting was chaired by the deputy head of the Frelimo central brigade to assist Zambezia, Jose Pacheco. He declared that readmitting Manasse was intended to boost “internal cohesion within the party”.
The root of this dispute is the allegation that senior Frelimo members in Zambezia are involved in drug trafficking. Manasse was said to have accused five Frelimo deputies of involvement in smuggling illicit drugs through the port of Macuse.
Manasse was then charged with violating the Frelimo statutes by discussing internal problems of the party in public. He was also accused of incitement to violence, and failure to pay his party membership dues on time.
Manasse, who was the party’s national spokesperson at the time, retorted by accusing 22 Frelimo deputies of libelling him. The Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) began interviewing these deputies in December 2023, and the case against three of them is still dragging on. This had the effect of turning attentions away from accusations of drug trafficking to whether Manasse had been defamed.
The readmission of Manasse to the Zambezia Provincial Committee did not end the court case. He told reporters that he was considering withdrawing the charges of libel, but would consult with his lawyers on the next steps to take.
By now, however, the PGR had decided to shelve the cases against 19 of the deputies accused by Manasse. That left three Frelimo deputies facing libel charges which the PGR seemed to believe would stand a good chance of success.
The three are Damiao Jose (who is a member of the powerful Frelimo Political Commission), Alice Cufa and Sabado Chombe.
(AIM)
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