More than 1,500 prisoners have escaped from prison in neighbouring Mozambique, after taking advantage of the ongoing political turmoil and widespread demonstrations in the country.
Earlier this week, IOL reported that political turmoil in Mozambique, ignited by the elections held on October 9, was renewed after the country’s top court confirmed that ruling Frelimo party’s candidate Daniel Chapo as the legitimate winner of the highly contested polls.
The Constitutional Council, Mozambique’s highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law has however revised Chapo’s victory margin by five per cent, from 70 to 65 percent, with majority of that five percent going to Chapo’s archrival Venâncio Mondlane, whose total rose from 20 to 24 percent.
Amid the degenerating situation in Mozambique, the prisoners escaped from a high-security prison in Maputo, while 33 people died and 15 were injured during clashes with prison guards.
On Wednesday, Mozambique police’s General Commander Bernardino Rafael said about 150 of the daring fugitives had been recaptured.
Rafael said crime levels in Mozambique would skyrocket after the massive prison escape.
“We expect that, in the next 40 or 48 hours after the escape 0f 1,534 inmates, there will be a dizzying increase of crime in Maputo. An increase of all types of crimes because they (the fugitives) are specialists in all types of crimes,” he said at a press briefing.
“There will be an increase in robberies, assaults, rape of women, car theft, armed robberies, and even kidnappings.”
Violent demonstrations initially erupted in different cities including the capital Maputo since the end of October, with protesters contesting the election results that further entrenched Frelimo's 49-year hold on power in Mozambique.
As the protests intensified, border operations at Lebombo have been temporarily suspended at several intervals, hindering trade flow between South Africa and Mozambique as heavy trucks carrying minerals to ports in Mozambique are stuck on South African side.
In an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Afrika on Christmas Day, Mayor of Quelimane, the fifth-largest city in Mozambique, Manuel Lopes de Araújo, who is a member of Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, warned that the South African Development Community (SADC) region will feel the heat if the situation in Mozambique further degenerates.
“If we do not have peace in Mozambique, what is going to happen to South Africa’s economy will be very dire. The Maputo port is the most important port to South Africa, it is the closet port to Johannesburg. Minerals from Joburg area are exported through Maputo port,” he said.
“If the Maputo port is closed, if the border is closed … the same applies to Zimbabwe, if Beira port is closed and the Nacala port is closed, the economy of SADC will collapse literally. Mozambique is a very important and strategic partner, I wish the SADC had taken a proactive (stance) but I am very happy with President (Cyril) Ramaphosa’s stand and with Minister (Ronald) Lamola.”
Arajulo warned that a humanitarian crisis would be inevitable in Mozambique, and that would lead to millions of desperate people fleeing into South Africa and border management authorities would not be able to stop the crowds.
“That is what I have been telling the South African government, the civil society and the economic sectors. Problem in Mozambique is a problem next day to South Africa. You saw what happened when the Ressano Garcia border (Lebombo in South Africa) was closed. There were thousands of trucks standing still in the road, so the economy of South Africa was affected but that is nothing if the situation escalates. People will be flocking.
“Look, we don’t have a border literally, people can just cross that line there. I know South Africa tried to put a wall and so on, but that will be destroyed in minutes when people really want to move. Remember what happened when there was a crisis in Zimbabwe. People flocked to South Africa and up to now, Zimbabweans are in South Africa,” said Arajulo.
IOL