Public servants and the rich accused of illegal parties

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Mozambique: Public servants and the rich accused of illegal parties – AIM
Mozambique: Public servants and the rich accused of illegal parties – AIM

Africa-PressMozambique. Mozambique’s National Inspectorate of Economic Activities (INAE) has accused public servants and wealthy individuals of being the main violators of the government rules intended to restrict the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The accusation is supported by the Civil Registry offices in the northern city of Nampula who say that public officials and rich individuals have been organising illegal wedding parties in their homes, although they know full well that these are in violation of the Covid-19 measures.

At a meeting in the city, chaired by Nampula provincial governor Manuel Rodrigues, complaints were raised at the generalised failure to comply with the preventive measures against Covid-19.

“There are countless wedding parties and birthday parties”, said the INAE Nampula provincial delegate, Elio Rareque. “Many of these parties take place in the houses of public officials, some of whom are in leadership positions”.

These people, he said, have the obligation to obey the law, and they should be specifically banned from organising or attending parties. Raising awareness was no longer enough, added Rareque, “and now we must act much more vigorously, because everybody knows what is happening in the country because of Covid-19”.

The rules restricting the consumption of alcohol are also being disregarded. “In Nampula, in recent days, we have seen many young people drinking alcohol on the public highway and inside vehicles, and in homes that are being turned into bars”, said Rareque.

It was the same story in the city’s markets, where stallholders pay no attention to the official closing time of 17.00. “The stallholders claim that it is between 17.00 and 20.00 that more clients appear”, explained Rareque. “We propose that there should be permanent inspection teams at all places where crowds are liable to gather”.

Farida Fernando, a registrar at the Nampula city registry office, condemned those who hold weddings, and then organise receptions in blatant disregard of the government decree on Covid-19 restrictions.

“Let’s stop holding weddings in homes, because we note that the decree is being violated, and those responsible are public officials and leaders”, she said. “We are constrained, and often we have to call on the police to restore order”.

In the last six months, INAE has inspected 2,600 establishments, 210 of these were suspended and 15 of them were definitively closed because they had become bars devoted solely to the sale of alcoholic drinks.

Despite the fears expressed at this meeting, Nampula is currently one of the provinces least affected by the pandemic. On Thursday and Friday only 15 positive cases were detected out of 222 people tested, and there were no covid-19 deaths in the province.

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