South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was ‘undecided’ about his participation in the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Daniel Chapo, an event that will take place next Wednesday (15) in Maputo city.
‘As time progresses, we will analyse your programme and see how well it is aligned with our various activities,’ he said, quoted by the Mozambican Information Agency.
The position comes at a time when the country has been living in a climate of post-election tension for more than two months, with general demonstrations taking place in almost every province, which led to thousands of deaths and injuries in clashes between supporters of Venâncio Mondlane and the Defence and Security Forces.
However, Ramaphosa emphasised that his country is ready and willing to support Mozambique if the political unrest persists. Speaking on Thursday 9 January during a progressive business forum of the African National Congress (ANC), Ramaphosa assured that he was closely monitoring events in the country.
The election of Daniel Chapo has been marked by protests and unrest, as the opposition rejects the election results, which has led several times to the closure of the Ressano Garcia border crossing, which links the two countries, with consequences for the economy of both nations.
At the event, the South African President recalled: ‘This is a situation that greatly affects the majority of countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) without access to the sea, which therefore depend on Mozambican corridors and ports for the import and export of their goods, such as Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and the Kingdom of Eswatini.’
‘As members of the Southern African Development Community, we are ready, willing and able to give them all the support we can to overcome the challenges they face and we hope that the inauguration on 15 January goes well and that they have our full support in every way possible,’ he said.
Portugal has not yet confirmed its presence either
Recently, the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, confirmed that he had received a formal invitation from the outgoing President, Filipe Nyusi, to take part in the ceremony scheduled for 15 January in Maputo. However, his presence at the event has not yet been officially confirmed.
The issue of the Portuguese President travelling to the ceremony is still under discussion. Portugal’s Foreign Minister, Paulo Rangel, said on Tuesday (7) that the possibility of participation ‘is being evaluated’, but so far no final decision has been made. The delicate political situation in Mozambique, marked by protests and post-election violence, could be one of the factors influencing the presence of international leaders at the event.
In a statement issued on 23 December, Rebelo de Sousa acknowledged the post-election challenges and called for dialogue, stressing that he had taken ‘due note of the results’ and encouraged a process of political dialogue.
Chapo Assumes the Presidency in a Context of Contestation
Despite the protests, Daniel Chapo, the Frelimo candidate, was declared the winner by the Constitutional Council, with 65.17 per cent of the votes. His inauguration, initially scheduled for 2 January, was rescheduled for 15 January, allowing for a period of adjustment in a politically tense environment.
