– More than 700 patients who were expected were unable to go to hospital to pick up medicines or attend programmed consultations and clinical analyses, while the morgues became full of corpses because of the reduction in the number of funerals
By Aurélio Muianga
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Maputo Municipal Council estimates at around 160 million meticais the preliminary losses caused by the demonstrations called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, protesting against the results of the general elections of 9 October, which gave victory to the ruling Frelimo Party and its presidential candidate Daniel Chapo.
The data were presented this Tuesday morning at a press conference chaired by the Mayor of Maputo, Razaque Manhique, assisted by the city councillors of key sectors most sensitive to the demonstrations that began on 21 October.
The counsellor for infrastructures and sanitation, João Munguambe, stressed that the solid waste sector was greatly affected during the demonstrations, with difficulties in taking the waste to the garbage dump.
“By way of exemple, considering a a working day of eight hours collecting a total of 1,200 tonnes a day of solid waste, it would be necessary to transport 150 tonnes an hour. This implies an accumulation of 150 tonnes for every hour that the work is stopped”, said the Councillor.
Munguambe added that, if three days pass without any garbage collection, the situation will require more time, trucks, machines and labour, because rubbish scattered on the ground cannot be removed in the normal way, and so work that should be done in minutes comes to take hours.
According to the Councillor, the demonstrations will compromise the deadlines for completing the repairs to the drainage system in almost the entire capital.
“As for damage to the roads, we reckon that each tyre set on fire damaged about one square metre of road, and the repairs could cost up to 4,000 meticais”, he said. Work is under way to assess exactly how many tyres were burnt, and how much the repairs will cost, at the rate of 4,000 meticais per square metre. “So far we are estimating a loss of around 160 million meticais, for replacing the rubbish containers, repairing damage to buildings, and replacing equipment lost during the demonstrations” , said Munguambe.
He added that if the demonstrations continue, they could slow down the work to create conditions for housing the 2,500 people displaced from their homes by urban flooding and the 150 families living in accommodation centres.
Health and Social Welfare sector
For her part the Councillor for Health and Quality of Life, Alice de Abreu, said that 777 patients were unable to reach the 28 primary health care centres.
“Of the 3,864 patients expected at the various primary health centres, only 3,087 – or 79% – were attended to. The others were unable to appear at the health units for consultations, picking up medicines, and programmed clinical analyses”, said the Counsellor.
As for the morgues, there was a reduction in the number of funerals because fewer bodies were buried on days of demonstrations.
The morgues at the Maputo Central Hospital, the largest health unit in the country, at the Jose Macamo and Mavalane General Hospitals and at Michafutene Cemetery were full up. It was also difficult to dig mass graves to bury bodies not claimed by their relatives.
Less transport for passengers
The municipal Transport and Mobility sector reported a reduction in the number of buses on the roads for fear that the vehicles would be vandalised. Demonstrators stoned at least seven buses of the Municipal Public Transport Company.
Cables supplying electricity to traffic lights were destroyed, and 30 pylons were knocked down.
The municipal markets were about 30% operational in terms of the presence of sellers and of clients. The sellers were obliged to invest in burglar bars and other anti-theft measures to boost their security, at a time when they were selling very little.
Mozambique’s largest municipal council also noted the absence of tourists, because many hotel reservations have been cancelled. (AM)
