Africa-Press – Mozambique. In Mozambique, Ossufo Momade has broken his silence and, through an internally produced interview widely shared on the social media platforms of the country’s second-largest opposition party, publicly pointed the finger at those he considers enemies of the party.
According to Momade, the ringleaders are General Elias Dhlakama and Alfredo Magumisse, who, he says, engineered the closure of all provincial and national delegation headquarters. In the case of the latter, they attempted to negotiate, but unsuccessfully.
“First, they [former guerrillas under the orders of those accused] closed some delegations in the provinces, then they showed up here [at the national headquarters], and even tried to close the president’s office. But before they got here, I received information from some civil society members claiming they wanted to speak with the party leadership,” Momade related.
When he asked who the people were who wanted to “talk with the party leadership”, he was told it was Elias Dhlakama and Alfredo Magumisse.
“These two were the people who could work to remove those at the national headquarters. I disagreed, because I knew these two were the ones who brought those who left the provinces to the national headquarters,” he added.
Ossufo Momade declined, because, according to him, members don’t need intermediaries, especially outsiders, to engage with the leadership. Momade also accuses the pair of paying members to create destabilization, but says he knows their objectives.
“This is blackmail, there’s no other name for it. And they want to seize power, but as long as I lead the party, they will never seize power. I defy them.”
Ossufo Momade is “disoriented”
Elias Dhlakama, brother of the late party leader, Afonso Dhlakama, denies the accusations and claims that Ossufo Momade is quite disoriented.
“It’s not my calling, and it doesn’t constitute the truth. Ossufo Momade himself must know what he’s doing and why he left RENAMO in the current state. If I need Ossufo Momade, I’ll go to his house. I’ve spoken to Ossufo Momade several times, criticizing him, and I’ve warned him for a long time that he’s putting the party in a position [of decline],” Elias Dhlakama said.
Dhlakama says he doesn’t intend to gain power in the party through any means other than internal elections, repeating that he will tirelessly run for Renamo leadership.
Alfredo Magumisse, another senior Renamo official accused of promoting disorder, dismisses Momade.
“I’m very sorry to comment on the promiscuous and cheap ideas of an adult talking about such naive things. I have nothing to say. I’m very sorry; I think I should be focusing on other things. I’m not going to get involved in the fight of people without vision,” he said.
Academic and journalist Aunício da Silva says that Ossufo Momade’s recent statements will create more division, rather than reconciliation.
“This will generate increasingly fierce disunity within the party itself. Renamo is losing members to other political forces, and only those who are at the top of the table will be making their presence felt.”
Ossufo Momade has led RENAMO since 2018, when he was elected at a congress to replace the late Afonso Dhlakama. The party, which had previously always been the largest opposition force, fell to third place in the 2024 general elections.
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