A woman was injured after being hit, inside her car, by a tear gas grenade launched by the police at the Katembe toll booths in an attempt to demobilize dozens of people who were protesting the return of the charge at that entrance to Maputo.
Access to Maputo via the Katembe bridge was blocked this morning by drivers, who are protesting that the Revimo concessionaire is 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, at the bridge exit, 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 grenades. of tear gas, precipitating the leak, for a few moments.
One of these grenades ended up breaking the window of the car, one of the dozens that was stopped in the line at the exit of the toll, 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 police 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.
Since early morning, drivers accessing the toll plaza on the bridge in Katembe, the only entrance to the capital from the south of the country, have been honking their horns and refusing to pay the toll, despite the strong police presence.
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.
At around 9:30 am, 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 pedestrians, the same happened 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.
"We inform you that, as of Monday, 01/27/2025, the collection of toll fees will resume [...] under our management", says a statement released by Revimo.
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, causing popular outrage, with protesters blocking the road and police firing several shots to reopen access to the Maputo toll booth.
In December, then presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane called for the non-payment of tolls in the country, and, after the destruction and vandalization of some toll booths, several were closed, without receiving payments.
Meanwhile, in a document published on Tuesday, with 30 measures that he demands for the next 100 days, Venâncio Mondlane, who does not recognize the official results of the general elections of October 9 that gave victory to Daniel Chapo, already sworn in as fifth President of Mozambique, once again highlighted 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".
Revimo says that the fees charged through tolls guarantee the maintenance of road infrastructure, stating that it will continue to implement measures to mitigate costs, "including discounts" for public transport of passengers and frequent users.
Since October 21, Mozambique has been experiencing a climate of strong social unrest, protests, demonstrations and strikes, called by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, with violent clashes between the police and protesters, as well as looting and destruction of public and private equipment.
According to the electoral platform Decide, a non-governmental organization that monitors electoral processes in Mozambique, at least 315 people have died in these protests, including around two dozen minors, and at least 750 people have been shot.
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