The Mozambican Federation of Contractors (FME) announced that 58 construction companies have not paid salaries since last November, due to stoppages allied to the violent post-election demonstrations in the southern city of Maputo, Lusareported on Wednesday (4).
‘We’re having trouble invoicing because companies can’t work, especially those working on public roads (…). We already have a situation of 58 companies that haven’t managed to pay their salaries – for November – and are probably unable to pay for December,’ said the president of the FME, Bento Machaila.
He also explained that the demonstrations are ‘largely’ affecting companies operating in the greater Maputo region, the metropolitan area of the Mozambican capital.
‘With this situation of a week of complete paralysis, the companies will certainly not be able to pay the December salaries. Some large companies in the construction sector are already closing their doors because of the situation created by the demonstrations,’ Machaila concluded.
At least 76 people died and another 240 were injured in 41 days of demonstrations to contest the election results, according to the Mozambican non-governmental organisation (NGO) Plataforma Eleitoral Decide.
According to the report released by the electoral monitoring platform, which includes data from 21 October to 1 December, there were also ‘more than 1,700 people injured from various causes’ throughout the country in these demonstrations and an estimate of ‘more than 3,000 arrests.’
Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who does not recognise the election results announced, called on Monday (2) for a new phase of electoral protest lasting a week, starting on Wednesday (4), in all Mozambican districts, with a halt to traffic.
