Dozens of people and vehicles are today occupying the access roads between the toll booth and the Katembe bridge, with traffic to and from Maputo cut off by drivers contesting the payment, interrupted by post-election demonstrations in Mozambique.
Shortly before entering the toll booth on the bridge, owned by the Revimo dealership, Luís Manuel was preparing to stop the car, at around 9 am (two hours less in Lisbon).
"I'm not prepared, I don't have any money. This is a disgrace, they punish the people. The people are living in misery and they still punish the people", he points out, while Estélio, in another cabin, waited inside the truck, without paying. , hoping that the gate would still open.
"Today we won't pay, the president decreed not to pay (...) I'll wait. There's no way," says the driver, referring to an appeal by Venâncio Mondlane, the former presidential candidate who is contesting the results of the general elections. October.
Inside the bus, Ana Maria, a tomato seller, needed to go to the city to do business. The bus wasn't running and neither was the business, especially since there is no alternative to get from Katembe to the center of Maputo: "We can't cross this bridge on foot. How are we going to do that?"
Therefore, he demanded to pass, like everyone else on the bus.
"It's not paying today, so they should open this toll (...) We want to pass. If the government doesn't have money, where will the population find money to pay the toll? Where will the money come from?" he asks.
Despite attempts to negotiate with the police and members of Revimo, at around 1 pm the situation remained unchanged, with vehicles immobilized and people walking along the access roads to the bridge, while others were already trying to do business, selling refreshments and food, in front of the hours of waiting and the heat that is felt, above 35 degrees.
Access to Maputo via the Katembe bridge was blocked this morning by drivers protesting against the Revimo concessionaire for once again charging tolls, which has not happened in recent weeks due to post-election demonstrations.
After moments of tension, dozens of people approached the toll booths and Revimo facilities, demanding an end to toll charges, and were repelled by the police, at around 10:40 am (two hours less in Lisbon) with gunshots and tear gas grenades, precipitating the escape, for a few moments.
One of these grenades ended up breaking the window of a car, one of the dozens that was stopped in the line at the exit of the toll booth, unable to move forward due to the blockade in front, and ended up detonating inside.
"I was inside the car, and the car caught fire, burning my seat and everything. I was alone, I was going to work, my car is practically the last one here in line," described the driver, who suffered bruises and burns.
The action led to an uproar among drivers and other people at the scene, who demanded satisfaction from the police, followed by new moments of tension and attempts at negotiation by the authorities at the scene, which led to the release of a protester, a fare collector for a transport vehicle. informal, arrested shortly before, in this protest against the return of toll payments.
"This is a surprise to us," says Francisco, outraged.
"They closed the roads, they started shooting. That car burned everything (...) they injured the owner of the car and that guy who fell," he adds.
Refusal to pay caused huge queues, which led those responsible for Revimo to open the road for a moment, at various times, to clear the traffic, without drivers paying, so that the passage was made in a festive atmosphere.
Drivers immobilized vehicles a few dozen meters before the toll plaza, completely blocking traffic on the way to Maputo, forcing dozens of people to leave their vehicles and make the journey to the city, across the bridge, on foot, despite the ban on circulation. of pedestrians, the same happening with vehicles, which were returning in the opposite direction on a two-lane expressway.
The Mozambique Road Network (Revimo), responsible for the construction, maintenance and operation of several national roads, today resumes the collection of toll fees in the country, suspended due to post-election protests.
Also, South Africa's Trans African Concessions (TRAC), the concessionaire of the N4 highway, which connects Maputo to the Ressano Garcia border, resumed toll collection on Thursday, also causing popular outrage.
Since October 21, Mozambique has been experiencing a climate of strong social unrest, protests, demonstrations and strikes, called by Mondlane, with violent clashes between the police and protesters, which have caused at least 315 deaths, including around two dozen minors, and around 750 people were shot, according to the electoral platform Decide, a non-governmental organization that monitors electoral processes.
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