Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambique’s National Resistance (Renamo) today announced the immediate suspension of former MP António Muchanga from party membership for violating the statutes of the political organisation, a decision aimed at restoring internal discipline, an official source said.
“Given the seriousness, repeated conduct and public impact of the infractions, the National Jurisdictional Council resolves to suspend Mr António Muchanga from his status as a member of the Renamo party, with immediate effect until a further decision to the contrary,” announced Edmundo Panguene, first member of Renamo’s Jurisdictional Council, at a press conference in Maputo.
The decision follows systematic statements made by the former MP in national media outlets, digital platforms and informal meetings, in which he “directly attacks the legitimately constituted leadership”, exposing internal matters and party conflicts to the public sphere, Panguene explained.
The Renamo representative also recalled that the measure was taken after an “exhaustive analysis” of the actions of the veteran member and former MP, assuring that there is no room for other members to abandon the party as a result of his suspension.
On Saturday, Lusa reported that António Muchanga had called for the departure of Ossufo Momade from the party leadership, accusing him of a “lack of ideas” and of failing to hold regular meetings in accordance with the party’s statutes, calling for unity to remove the party president from power.
The first member of the Jurisdictional Council today described the former MP’s actions as deliberate disobedience to the political guidelines of the party’s competent bodies, further accusing António Muchanga of violating his duty to maintain confidentiality regarding Renamo’s internal activities, leading to the weakening of institutional authorities. As a result, he is absolutely prohibited from representing, speaking, commenting or acting on behalf of the political party.
In addition to this prohibition, Panguene added, Muchanga is also barred from using the party’s name, symbols, images, structures or political assets and headquarters, and is suspended from the right to vote and stand for election to any Renamo bodies, for instrumentalising demobilised former combatants and encouraging narratives of confrontation, tension and violence for “purposes contrary to Renamo’s principles and social peace”.
The Renamo Jurisdictional Council warned that “persistence or recurrence in the conduct now sanctioned will constitute sufficient grounds for the application of the maximum sanction of expulsion (…) without prejudice to possible civil and criminal liability, given the nature of some of the acts committed”.
According to Edmundo Panguene, the measure aims to “draw attention to members who deviate and act outside the boundaries established” within the party, recalling that no member is above the statutes.
For months, former Renamo guerrillas have been calling for the resignation of Ossufo Momade from the leadership, accusing him of “poor management”, failure to pay pensions and allowances and of “total incompetence” in dealing with the party’s crisis. They convened a two-day meeting in Maputo province, in the south of the country, to discuss the possible convening of an extraordinary congress and the presentation of the Management Commission they created, in response to the constant closure of party branches.
In addition, the group has threatened to “act in another way” should Ossufo Momade fail to resign, arguing that this is the only path to avoid another electoral defeat. At the same time, Momade has repeatedly occupied provincial branches and has now created and installed management commissions until the holding of a new National Council, which has already been scheduled by the party for March this year.
Senior Renamo member Alfredo Magumisse has also demanded Momade’s resignation.
Source: Lusa
