Professor Bheki Mngomezulu believed that President Cyril Ramaphosa was right to attend the inauguration of Daniel Chapo as the new president of Mozambique. Picture: Supplied
NOTHING was sinister about President Cyril Ramaphosa attending the inauguration of his newly elected Mozambican counterpart President Daniel Chapo of the ruling Frelimo, said political analyst Professor Bheki Mngomezulu.
However, the DA lambasted Ramaphosa for attending on January 15 in the capital Maputo, an event marred by dispute over election results.
It was reported that since the October elections, at least 300 people were killed in Mozambique when Venancio Mondlane, of the opposition Podemos party, clashed with police as they were protesting against the allegedly rigged results.
Another opposition party, Remano, also boycotted the event.
Mngomezulu, from the University of the Western Cape, said it was a given that as a head of state and leader of the ANC, which worked with Frelimo during the Struggle against apartheid, Ramaphosa would attend Chapo’s inauguration.
Neither Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, nor International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, responded to questions sent to them on Thursday.
Mngomezulu said South Africa had no authority to determine whether or not its neighbour’s election results were rigged as the high court had legitimised them.
“South Africa has no say but to take it as a given that because the results have been officially announced, inauguration is there, the invitation is there, the president has no option but to attend as a neighbour and also as a regional partner.
“I don’t think he made a mistake by going there,” said Mngomezulu.
Only Ramaphosa and Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló showed up in Maputo while other Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states were represented by juniors.
South Africa gets a supply of 100MW of electricity from Mozambique.
It was still too early to predict whether or not the situation that disrupted traffic flow on the Lebombo border post between South Africa and Mozambique, and delayed trucks that were transporting goods to Mozambique for days, would subside following the inauguration.
Mngomezulu hoped that the protesters might be deterred and their fighting spirit dented after the inauguration.
“But I don’t think that the protest would disappear immediately, it will take time because there are people who are still disgruntled and not accepting Mr Chapo as their president.
“It happened in Kenya where Raila Odinga (former president) wanted to inaugurate himself as the people’s president when the president (William Ruto) had already been elected.
“These things happen but after some time they die down, so in Mozambique, I expect the same thing,” said Mngomezulu.
He did not rule out the possibility of many members of the opposition parties exiling to neighbouring countries, including South Africa, for fear of reprisal by Chapo’s administration.
“If the South African government believes that Chapo is duly elected, it might not give them political asylum.
“Mozambicans who find the situation difficult in Mozambique would definitely look for alternative countries to stay,” he said.
DA MP Emma Louise Powell described Ramaphosa, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s visit to Mozambique as undermining South Africa’s role in championing democracy and human rights in the region.
“Opposition parties in Mozambique have alleged widespread electoral manipulation, whilst international observers, including the European Union, have criticised the elections as being marred by irregularities,” said Powell in a statement.
She also called on Ramaphosa to clarify South Africa’s position on Mozambique’s political crisis.
“South Africa should be leading efforts within the SADC to hold member states accountable to democratic norms, and prioritise regional stability by supporting a transparent, inclusive process to resolve Mozambique’s electoral dispute.
“By attending this controversial inauguration, Ramaphosa, Lamola, and Ntshavheni not only failed Mozambique’s citizens, but once again called into question South Africa’s credibility on the international stage,” said Powell.
bongani.hans@inl.co.za