Venâncio Mondlane Voluntarily Appears Before Justice to Face Criminal Charges

By Noémia Mendes and Sheila Nhacale

Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane announced on Monday in Maputo that he will voluntarily present himself before the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) to respond to the charges against him.

There had been doubts as to whether Mondlane would attend the hearing. He had been out of the country since 7 March on a trip to Botswana, where he held several meetings, including one with the country’s former president, Ian Khama.

On Monday, upon his arrival in Maputo, Mondlane told journalists that he is aware of eight ongoing legal proceedings against him but does not know which one will be addressed in Tuesday’s hearing.

“I do not know which of the cases I will respond to tomorrow, but the Attorney General’s Office has informed me that there are eight cases against me,” he stated. “My expectations are not high regarding the impartiality of this institution,” he added, accusing the PGR of acting with bias in favour of the ruling party, Frelimo.

“The Attorney General’s Office is serving as a propaganda machine for a political party. It is an institution that serves political interests,” Mondlane criticised.

Venâncio Mondlane was the most voted opposition presidential candidate in the general elections of 9 October 2024, securing 24.19% of the votes, according to official results. However, he rejected the figures, claiming widespread electoral fraud that allegedly favoured Daniel Chapo, who was declared the winner with 65.17% of the votes.

Several domestic and international observers reported electoral fraud, including the European Union Election Observation Mission (MOE-EU), which, in October 2024, reported incidents of ballot box stuffing detected in the provinces of Zambézia, Maputo, Nampula, Tete, Gaza, and Sofala.

Since then, Mondlane has led a movement contesting the election results. Initially peaceful, the movement turned violent, resulting in the destruction of public and private infrastructure and clashes with the police. According to data from the Platform DECIDE, which monitors post-election violence, more than 350 people have lost their lives, most of them shot by the police. The protests have also caused economic losses estimated at 3% of Mozambique’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The charges brought against Mondlane by the PGR relate to the damage caused during the protests. So far, at least three legal proceedings against him are publicly known. The Provincial Attorney’s Office of Inhambane has filed a civil lawsuit demanding compensation of 4 million meticais from Mondlane for damage to public infrastructure during the post-election demonstrations. Additionally, on 22 November 2024, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Maputo Province initiated a civil lawsuit against the politician, seeking compensation of 105 million meticais for losses resulting from the protests.

Political analyst Arcénio Cuco stated in an interview that “this is the right time for Mondlane to clarify all the allegations made against him since last year,” adding that by facing justice, the opposition leader will have the opportunity to publicly explain his involvement in the violent events that have shaped the current political landscape. (NM/SN)

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