By Garikai Mafirakureva | Masvingo Mirror |
MAPUTO – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo finally met Venâncio Mondlane yesterday and bowed down to pressure by accepting most of the demands that the opposition leader made following the heavily disputed October 10, 2024 election results.
Mondlane confirmed the late-night meeting held in Maputo to The Mirror today and said that his opponent has agreed to most of the demands made during yesterday’s meeting chiefly to end violence that has gripped the country.
It is understood that Chapo capitulated mainly because of investor pressure; particularly from the USA which is injecting US$20 billion into renewed investment in the TotalEnergies gas project in Palma, Cabo Delgado.
A team has since been set up to put in black and white the time frames of the implementation of the agreement.
Some of Mondlane’s key demands are mainly to stop violence.
“We have made some progress and we have reached consensus on these issues. There is a team set up from both sides that will be putting this in black and white with deadlines, so that all the people and all of us we can follow up, supervise and monitor whether what we agreed is being done. We have reached a consensus to end violence.
‘’Chapo’s leadership will now be tested. His administration must take concrete steps to halt police brutality, including addressing incidents like the recent fatal police shootings of children in Manhiça, and begin implementing VM7’s proposed reforms.
“Failure to do so risks further public unrest,” said Mondlane.
At least 361 protest-related deaths have been reported by Plataforma Decide post-election period with fresh violence erupting in Katembe and Xai-Xai.
The Chapo administration now faces the challenge of implementing these commitments, a difficult task given Frelimo’s history of unfulfilled promises—including its failure to deliver the 2024 campaign pledge to reduce VAT, which remains unchanged as of March 2025.
However, skepticism remains over whether the ruling party is genuinely committed to change or merely seeking to appease foreign investors.
Cabo Delgado’s past experience, where local communities were sidelined while corporate interests were prioritized, has left many wary of government pledges.
