By Sheila Nhancale
Maputo (MOZTIMES)—The Government announced on Monday that toll fee collection will resume, with a reduction of approximately 50% from the current rates. However, the measure, strongly contested by the public, may trigger a renewed popular revolt.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, toll collection will resume on 15 May at 25 of the 41 toll booths across the country. The suspension of toll fees had been imposed following post-election protests, during which tolls became a primary target of popular anger. The Government had previously attempted to reintroduce toll fees but backed down due to public resistance.
To try to ease discontent, the Government announced reduced fees for public transport operators and for motorists living near toll sites. “With the downward revision of toll rates, the Government aims to ease operational costs for providers of public passenger transport services—both urban and interprovincial—as well as relieve citizens who use tolls regularly,” the statement reads.
Despite the price cuts, experts warn of the potential for violence, in a context still marked by social discontent.
“People channelled their frustration into the toll gates. This was clear from the speeches during the demonstrations: hunger, poverty, lack of job opportunities. The tolls became a symbolic site of that revolt,” Arsénio Cuco, Professor of Political Science, told MOZTIMES.
Activist Adriano Nuvunga, a vocal critic of the toll concession model, said in a live broadcast on his Facebook page on Tuesday that “the debate should not focus on price reduction, because toll gates should never have been placed where they are”.
Civil society continues to call for a complete suspension of toll charges or, at the very least, the creation of exemption or compensation mechanisms for low-income workers. The Government claims to have instructed road concession managers to maintain dialogue with users and to publicise the benefits of the new tariffs, but so far, no formal public consultation channel has been announced.
During the 2024 protests, several toll booths were destroyed. What began as a protest against election results quickly evolved into broader demands for social and economic justice. (SN)
