Presidente do município de Quelimane, Manuel de Araújo
Maputo, 7 Jan (AIM) – Manuel de Araujo, the mayor of the central Mozambican city of Quelimane, has sacked almost the entire City Council, reports the independent television station, STV.
Without offering any explanation, Araujo sacked 12 city councillors, 21 directors, and various other officials, including the director of his own office.
This purge is happening in the middle of a deep financial crisis. Quelimane Municipal Council has been unable to pay wages to its 900 staff for the past six months.
The unpaid wages amount to 72 million meticais (about 1.2 million US dollars, at the current exchange rate).
Municipal staff were unwilling to comment to STV about the crisis. But within 24 hours of the sackings, Araujo appointed a new director for his office, and a new municipal financial director.
Araujo is one of the most high profile municipal opposition figures. He has been mayor of Quelimane since 2011, when he won a municipal by-election, standing on the ticket of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM).
He was then re-elected three times (in 2013, 2018 and 2023). In the last two of these elections, he abandoned the MDM and ran for the former rebel movement, Renamo.
(AIM)
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