Lying outside her hut on a tattered mat, 20-year-old Maria struggled with her breathing as she tried to explain why she and her five orphaned nieces and nephews in her charge had not eaten. Maria was dying from Aids-related diseases, as well as from severe malnutrition. "I had to sell my plot of land to survive," she said through her gasps for breaths.
At 9am on a Monday morning, the used clothing vendors at Chiquelene Market in Mozambique's capital, Maputo, are still unpacking their wares. The sale of clothing donated to charities in Europe and North America has supported Angelina Arnaldo and her seven children for 17 years. On a good day, she takes home around $10. "It's easier than selling food because it doesn't go off," she explained.
When her husband died two months ago, Albertina Come did not only lose him. She also lost their house and belongings acquired through hard work over ten years of marriage. Come's husband is among some 97 000 Mozambicans who health authorities say will die of HIV/Aids this year alone. And Come's situation is not unique.
There were few surprises this week when the final results for Mozambique's general elections on December 1 and 2 were announced. On Tuesday, the National Elections Commission said the presidential poll had been won by Armando Guebuza of the ruling Frelimo party. This group also garnered a majority of seats in Parliament.
Armando Guebuza, one of Mozambique's richest businessmen and a stalwart of the ruling party and the country's fight against Portuguese colonial rule, crowned his political career on Tuesday by being elected president in key polls. Guebuza inflicted a crushing defeat on main opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama in the polls.
Mozambique's ruling party and its presidential candidate, Armando Guebuza, have secured a landslide victory in polls to choose a successor to veteran leader Joaquim Chissano amid opposition outrage and demands for new elections. Opposition party Renamo and 20 smaller parties on Tuesday demanded fresh elections.
Former rebel leader and opposition candidate Afonso Dhlakama on Friday demanded fresh elections in Mozambique, accusing the ruling Frelimo party of "criminal fraud" during two days of voting for a new president and Parliament. Dhlakama accused Frelimo of preventing millions from casting their ballots.
Mozambican electoral officials on Tuesday blamed heavy rain, muddy roads and spoilt ballot papers for the delay in counting the vote from last week's presidential and parliamentary elections. The main opposition Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama has accused the National Electoral Commission of trying to fix the vote.
The Mozambican Parliament on Tuesday unanimously adopted a new Constitution for the first time since the advent of multiparty politics in the Southern African nation. The new Constitution adopted on Tuesday will come into force after elections on December 1 and 2 to elect a successor to President Joaquim Chissano.
Mozambique's National Elections Commission has announced it will not give observers access to all stages of the vote counting in December's presidential and parliamentary elections. The decision has prompted an angry objection from the European Union, which plans to send one of the largest observer missions to the election.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe wrapped up a three-day state visit to Mozambique on Wednesday by playing down the economic and social turmoil in his country. Mugabe told journalists the meeting with Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano was very fruitful and the two had discussed the state of his own country.
Mozambique's national police chief on Wednesday called on armed members of a former rebel movement to surrender their weapons following a gun battle in Sofala province last week that left one policeman dead. "It's about time the Renamo men give up their weapons and join the police as the [1992] peace accord envisaged," he said.
Police in northern Mozambique have enlisted the help of local hunters to kill lions and other wild animals following a recent spate of attacks on locals, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. "The populations of these areas have lived in an atmosphere of fear because of the high presence of wild animals out of control," police said.
The Aids pandemic has taken a particularly heavy toll on Southern African countries -- not least Mozambique. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids latest statistics indicate that about 13% of the country's 19-million-strong population is infected with HIV.
Nigeria plans to launch software that would help catch people who send scam letters via e-mail, known as the 419 advance fee fraud, a meeting on the sidelines of Africa's World Economic Forum has heard. The new technology, which would identify key words used in the e-mails, is likely to be made available to internet service providers and government departments.
A $1,2-billion natural-gas project led by South Africa's petrochemical giant Sasol in neighbouring Mozambique has fuelled hopes for the economic recovery of the country's once-vibrant southern hub. With the Matola gas project, Mozambique also hopes to cut its annual fuel imports by about $80-million.
Vodacom Mozambique, a subsidiary of South African mobile services provider Vodacom, last week reached the 100 000 customer milestone after commencing commercial operations in one of Africa's most promising economies in December last year.
At an average of 2,5% of gross domestic product, levels of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows into Africa are not as low as generally believed, especially relative to Africa's market size compared with the rest of the world, according to the World Bank's Alan Gelb. But South Africa in particular has recently recorded FDI flows that are well below their potential.
The success of the first mass immunisation campaign against cholera in Mozambique's port city of Beira has prompted calls for greater access to an oral vaccine. Needle-administered cholera vaccines have generally provided about 50% protection for just two months, but the oral vaccine has proven far more effective.
Mozambique's newly elected President, Armando Guebuza, on Wednesday took over the reigns from long-serving leader Joaquim Chissano with a pledge to step up the fight against poverty, bureaucracy and corruption. "We want to bring about a more accelerated rhythm towards a better future, which translates in a sharp reduction of poverty," Guebuza said.
