The South African supermarket chain Shoprite has temporarily closed its stores in Maputo and “other high-risk areas” due to the post-election protests, which on Thursday led to the looting and vandalism of two stores in the capital.
Contacted by Lusa, the South African chain, which has almost 30 stores in Mozambique, explained that “concerns for the safety of employees and customers continue to be of utmost importance”, that the “situation is being closely monitored” and that “the stores will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so”.
“We are concerned about the senseless acts of malicious damage that put the livelihood, life and safety of others at risk”, a source from the supermarket chain told Lusa.
During Thursday's protests, called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, two telecommunications and furniture stores in the shopping centre owned by Shoprite in the centre of Maputo were vandalised and looted by more than a hundred people, according to a security guard at the scene who told Lusa on the same day.
In the middle of the Avenida Acordos de Lusaka, in the city centre, the people knocked down the railings and broke the windows of the shop windows, including children, taking televisions, mobile phones, printers and even fridges, many of which took refuge in the old bullring next door, which had been converted into housing several years ago.
At the scene, as Lusa witnessed, a large contingent of police tried to stop the looting and pursued the perpetrators, with several arrests being made, while the police fired shots and launched tear gas, while they recovered some of the looted material from a floor strewn with empty open mobile phone boxes.
The announcement by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) of Mozambique on October 24 of the results of the October 9 elections, in which it attributed victory to Daniel Chapo, supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, the party in power since 1975) in the election for President of the Republic, with 70.67% of the votes, sparked popular protests, called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane.
According to the CNE, Mondlane came in second place, with 20.32%, but he stated that he did not recognize the results, which still have to be validated and proclaimed by the Constitutional Council.
After street protests that paralyzed the country, Mondlane once again called the population for a general strike lasting seven days, starting on October 31, with nationwide protests and a demonstration concentrated in Maputo previously called for Thursday, November 7.
Venâncio Mondlane, who does not recognize the announced results of the general elections of October 9 in Mozambique, announced Thursday that the protests will continue until the electoral truth is reestablished.
At least three people were killed and 66 people were injured during clashes between protesters and the police on Thursday, the eighth day of the strikes called by Venâncio Mondlane, the Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the largest hospital in the country, announced today. "Yesterday, the 7th, [Thursday] at all our entrances we had a cumulative of 138 patients admitted, of which the adult emergency room had 101 patients. Of the 101 patients, 66 were victims of these demonstrations and the rest were due to other causes", said the director of the Adult Emergency Service at HCM, Dino Lopes, in statements to the media.
Data presented by the official indicate that at least three people lost their lives on Thursday as a result of the demonstrations. "Of the 66 injured, we had 57 possibly with injuries caused by firearms, four by falls, three by physical assault and two injured with sharp weapons," added the director of the Adult Emergency Service at HCM.
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