Mozambique to protect trade with SA amid protests

Mozambique said on Wednesday it would boost security along a vital South African trade corridor to prevent further disruptions after two months of unrest following October elections that have caused major losses to both economies.

Senior delegations from the neighbouring countries met amid concerns that protests would increase after the Constitutional Council is due to announce on Monday the final results of the disputed October 9 vote.

Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane claims he won the election but the election authority has said it was a clear victory for Daniel Chapo, the candidate of the ruling Frelimo party.

Mondlane has vowed to bring "chaos" to the Southern African country and to call his supporters to shut down the economy if the Constitutional Council ratifies these results on Monday.

Freight traffic reduces

His followers have already brought city centres to a standstill, disrupted power plants, blocked mines and intermittently shut down the main border between South Africa and Mozambique, holding up trucks carrying South African exports to Maputo's Indian Ocean port.

Each day of interruption costs the South African economy 10 million rand ($558,000), according to the Road Freight Association.

The demonstrations had triggered for the Maputo port around $54 million dollars in losses, Mozambique Transport Minister Mateus Magala told the ENCA broadcaster on the sideline of the high-level meeting.

From the usual 1,100 trucks a day, freight traffic from the border to the port had at one point dried up, although it was back to 300 vehicles a day, he said.

Danger of 'food and energy insecurity'

A joint statement released after talks said the "disruptions have had a significant negative impact on the economies of both countries and the free movement of people and goods between our two countries."

"Many companies have suffered losses as a result of the disruption in trade. Should the situation persist, there is great danger of food and energy insecurity."

Mozambique was taking steps to ensure the "economies of South Africa and Mozambique will not be damaged any more than they already have been", Minister of Interior Pascoal Ronda told reporters.

"There are protection and security measures that will be implemented by the defence and security forces, including escorts if necessary," he said.

Deadly protests

South Africa Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said the government would respect Mozambique's Constitutional Council as the final arbiter of the election results.

"But we continue to assess and plan for all scenarios that may arise," he said.

The election authority said Mondlane won 20% of the vote, while Chapo secured 71%. Mondlane claims a separate count found he won 53% with 36% for Chapo.

Around 130 people have been killed in opposition protests, many of them by security forces, according to the local civil society group Plataforma Decide, whose figures have been cited by Amnesty International.

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