Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Confederation of Mozambican Business Associations (CTA) has called for radical changes to the country’s Penal Code, and the establishment of heavy penalties with no right to bail for anyone involved in kidnapping.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Maputo, CTA deputy Chairperson, Zuned Calumias, said a failure to adopt such measures will make the criminals feel “some comfort”.
“There is a strong need to introduce far reaching changes to the legal framework, handing out heavy penalties without any right to bail,” Calumias said, expressing his frustration for the fact that some kidnappings occur a few metres from police stations, with the criminals showing confidence and “freedom of movement”.
From the confederation’s point of view, there might be some degree of collusion between the kidnappers and the police, as the corporation has barely done anything to stop the wave of kidnappings, even those occurring within a stone’s throw of a police station.
“We have noticed and established a relationship between some kidnappings occurring near the police stations, which give some degree of security to the kidnappers who apparently are free from any police action,” he indicated.
Following the alarming increase in the number of kidnappings and the ISIS terror attacks in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, Calumias said the CTA has established a Private Security Protection Board, which has been working in close partnership with the Ministries of Defence and the Interior.
From this partnership with the ministries, the CTA is seeking “better solutions to bring the kidnappings to an end”.
“We expect a broader openness so that we identify common approaches that might lead to the elimination of this and other threats to the country’s business class,” he declared, pointing out that the kidnappings have had a severe impact on the economic fabric of the country.
The threat, he added, affects not only the decisions of those who want to invest in the country but also leads to cash exit by investors who feel unsafe. As a result, jobs are lost and there is a decline of income generation.
Calumias added that, due to the severity of the latest cases, the CTA jointly with the Moslem and Hindu Communities are available to assist the Mozambican state in fighting against the kidnap gangs.
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