By MOZTIMES
Maputo (MOZTIMES) - Unidentified individuals on Wednesday night attempted to assassinate Carlitos Cadangue, a prominent journalist of the private Mozambican television station, STV.
The attack took place in Trangapasso neighbourhood, in the central city of Chimoio, as Cadangue and his son were driving home.
Cadangue said there were four members of the attacking group, all of them wearing masks.
“It was thanks to the grace of God that we escaped”, he declared. “I was returning from the city with my son. When we were almost at my house, we heard shots fired against my car. There were four people, all of them masked”.
“After the shots, the attackers fled, in a black Ford Ranger vehicle”, Cadangue added. “Luckily we were not hit, but the car suffered”.
According to Ernesto Nhanale, the executive director of the Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom body, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Cadangue was attacked because of his persistent reports about environmental pollution in Manica, which forced the government to appoint an Interministerial Commission to investigate illegal gold mining in the province.
As a result, all mining in Manica was temporarily suspended. “Cadangue has been a very active voice, and we are witnessing the courage and impact of the work he has carried out in Manica. We, as a society, have followed how Cadangue’s work has denounced the impacts of pollution caused by illegal mining in Manica”, said Nhanale.
MISA has called on the authorities to take a firm stance in investigating the case and “punish in an exemplary manner those who tried to put Carlitos Cadangue's life at risk.”
“This act certainly puts to the test the actions of journalists in pursuing the mining dossier, which continues to yield new developments, since there are new seams of gold being developed, as Cadangue recently reported”, Nhanale said.
The police have not yet commented on the attack. (MT)
