Mozambican police this morning resorted to firing several shots to reopen access to the Maputo toll booth on the N4, the main entrance to the capital, which had been blocked since the early hours by protesters protesting the resumption of toll charges.
At around 10:30 am, after the police removed the trucks that were blocking access, groups of young people gathered near the toll booth, trying to prevent traffic from returning to normal. The police fired several shots to demobilize the crowd in the following minutes, and they responded by shooting. stones, including on vehicles accessing the site.
After police intervention, groups of young people tried to repeat the blockade on the access from Matola to Maputo, preventing trucks from passing, actions opposed by the police.
Protesters completely cut off access to the Maputo toll booth, the main entrance and exit to the Mozambican capital, for more than an hour this morning, with barricades and heavy vehicles crossing the road, protesting the resumption of toll collection after weeks of suspension due to post-pandemic protests. - electoral.
After police intervention, traffic began to resume, but at the toll booths it was clear that only those who wanted to pay were able to do so, with some barriers open.
Since around 9am local time (two hours less in Lisbon) two trucks have been abandoned on the road in the Maputo - Matola direction, with dozens of protesters protesting, while in the opposite direction an articulated bus was also abandoned, completely blocking traffic for part of the morning. .
Faced with strong police reinforcements, including an armored vehicle from the Rapid Intervention Unit, protesters burned tires to protest the resumption of toll collection on the N4, the main Mozambican road that connects Maputo to the South African border, operated by the South African concessionaire. African Trans African Concessions (TRAC), which announced it would resume payment today.
Given the difficulty of getting around, including transport, hundreds of people walk to the center of the capital, without any traffic at the toll plazas.
TRAC, which built and operates the expressway under a 30-year contract with the Mozambican government, announced on Wednesday that it would restart toll collection on that road today, after it had been suspended in recent weeks following post-election protests.
The information is contained in an announcement published by TRAC, the concessionaire of the expressway that connects Tshwane, Gauteng (South Africa) and the port of Maputo (Mozambique), via the Ressano Garcia border.
The border has also been closed at various times in recent months due to post-election protests.
Former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane appealed in December for the non-payment of tolls in the country, and after the destruction and vandalization of some toll booths, several booths were closed, without receiving payments, including on the N4.
Meanwhile, in a document published on Tuesday with 30 measures he demands for the next 100 days, Venâncio Mondlane, who does not recognize the official results of the general elections of October 9, once again pointed out the non-charging of tolls throughout the country. as a requirement.
"On the N4, the tolls, given their lifespan, have fulfilled the time of profitability in relation to the investment made", it says in the document, demanding the extension of the non-payment of tolls during this period, also claiming that on several toll roads in the country "there was no public consultation" on this charge and "the principle of the alternative route was not respected".
"Many of the roads are in a disastrous state, which offends the idea of benefiting from services," he said.
The post-election demonstrations in Mozambique, called by Venâncio Mondlane, have caused 314 deaths and more than 600 shootings since October 21, according to organizations on the ground, such as the electoral platform Decide, in addition to violent clashes with the police, looting and destruction of equipment. public and private.
Daniel Chapo, presidential candidate supported by the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), was declared the winner of the elections and took office as the fifth president of the Republic on January 15.
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