Africa-Press – Mozambique. More than 900 families have built houses near the current airport in the city of Inhambane. The local municipal council is said to have granted the DUATs Right to Use and Enjoy Land to those now targeted, although it knew that the land belonged to the now-bankrupt Aeroclube company.
Daniel Nhamazi, head of Block C in the Muele neighbourhood, told Deutsche Welle (DW) that people are willing to leave the disputed area, but the resettlement neighbourhood must have some basic infrastructure.
“They did promise plots, but there must be electricity, water, access roads, a hospital and a school nearby. There wouldn’t be a problem, even if it was far away; the people are amenable,” he says.
Waiting for the court’s decision
Paulino Canana, who has lived near the airport for over 20 years airport, says that the local municipality participated in the regularisation, so he is awaiting a court decision.
“Through the municipality that brought us together here, [telling us] that we cannot build without first regularising it, which I did it and paid for it. So we are waiting for what they will decide,” he says.
A civil aviation team in Mozambique warned in March that if the families do not leave the airport area, the runway could be closed to flights.
Dagnesh Amratrelal, who has a license to build a house in the Marrambone neighbourhood, says the company that manages the airport has problems with the population. “We don’t have a problem with airports; the airport is the one that has problems with us. If they think they should compensate us, we’ll accept,” he says.
City Council summoned
Pompílio Xavier, spokesman for the public prosecutor, told the press that the municipal council had already been notified to clarify the case in the courts.
“It was for this reason that we summoned the municipal council, so that it could clarify to us how it was possible that the city council issued other DUATs (land use rights) to third parties,” he declared.
Contacted for a response, Inhambane City Council of City promised to comment in the next few days.
