Chronicle Editor
Zvamaida Murwira in MAPUTO, Mozambique
President Mnangagwa has arrived in Maputo, Mozambique this morning where he will join other leaders attending a closing ceremony of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration phase for Renamo, a former insurgency and military group formed in the 1970s to destabilise the Frelimo-led government.
Renamo has since become a fully fledged opposition political party here participating in Mozambican national elections.
The Head of State and Government was welcomed at Maputo International Airport by Mozambican Minister of Public Works, Mr Carlos Mesquita, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Mozambique, Cde Victor Matemadanda and staff at the embassy as well as senior Mozambican government officials.
He was later welcomed at the venue, Joachim Chissano Conference Centre by Mozambican leader President Filipe Nyusi where the two leaders were treated to some traditional dances.
Botswana leader President Mokgweetsi Masisi will also be among the leaders to attend the milestone event after he arrived this morning.
The reintegration is expected to end decades of civil war in Mozambique whose impact threatened the security stability of the SADC region that included Zimbabwe which bore the brunt of the hostilities particularly Chimanimani and Chipinge.
The end of the conflict dovetails with the SADC region to have sustainable peace and AU objective of “silencing the gun in Africa by 2030” to allow socio economic development.
Renamo was formed around 1976 by white Rhodesians who were seeking a way to keep newly independent Mozambique from supporting the black guerrillas such as Zimbabwe and South Africa trying to remove white Rhodesians in their countries.
Under the Frelimo government, Mozambique housed Zanu PF military wing ZANLA which were fighting for Zimbabwe’s independance alongside ZAPU with its military wing ZIPRA based mainly in Zambia.
Renamo’s was led by its founding leader Mr Andre Matsangaissa, hence the group earned a nickname “Matsangaissa” as it caused hostilities through its banditry work in Mozambique and neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe where it destroyed several infrastructure.
To mark the end of the war Renamo leader, Mr Ossufo Momade handed over an AK47 gun to Mozambican leader, President Nyusi last week.
Matsangaissa died in 1979 and was succeeded by Afonso Dhlakama who led the group until his death in 2018
derick.khumalo