ActionSA concerned by Mozambique election violence

ActionSA has sounded the alarm on the escalating election violence in Mozambique, warning that the situation could directly affect South Africa.

ActionSA Parliamentary Leader, Athol Trollip, said that both the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the South African government have remained mute on this matter.

“ActionSA believes that the South African government’s negligent silence on this crisis reflects a deeply concerning lack of appreciation for the urgency of the situation, which carries serious implications for the region and directly affects South Africa.”

Violence in Mozambique intensified after the recent killing of Elvino Dias, legal advisor to Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and opposition politician Paulo Guambe.

These events take place amid reports about violent dispersion of supporters in the aftermath of last week’s presidential election.

There were widespread allegations of vote-buying, intimidation, inflated voter rolls in the ruling party’s strongholds, and an overall lack of transparency in collation.

“The pending announcement of the election results has already sparked serious concerns about electoral integrity and the potential for further violence, while ongoing reports indicate widespread election fraud and political violence, including the tragic killing of opposition lawyer, Elvino Dias, who was gunned down by Mozambican security forces while preparing to submit a case to the Constitutional Court contesting the irregularities in the elections, said Trollip.

He accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of showing an appetite to tackle global issues while he remains silent on domestic issues.

“Importantly, the President and Minister [Ronal] Lamola would do well to remember the inaction during the 2008 Zimbabwean elections chaos, which, under the guise of ‘quiet diplomacy’ led to a massive immigration crisis with devastating consequences for both the region and South Africa, where we witnessed an unprecedented influx of Zimbabwean immigrants,” Trollip underscored.

ALSO READ: KZN govt to fast-track barrier wall of SA-Mozambique border.