South Africa has reiterated its call for calm and restraint following post-election protests in Mozambique.
International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Lamola, told a media briefing on Tuesday, that on 6 November 2024, he had spoken with his Mozambican counterpart, Minister Verónica Macamo, and discussed the current security situation in Mozambique following the recent general elections.
“South Africa expresses concern at the outbreak of incidents of post-electoral violence and regrets the loss of lives and destruction of property. We once again reiterate the call made by various leaders in Mozambique to the law enforcement agencies to investigate these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice speedily.
“We reiterate our calls for calm and restraint, to allow the electoral process to conclude successfully, and to give the Constitutional Court of Mozambique time and space to address the concerns raised by all parties and validate the election results in accordance with its mandate,” Lamola said.
As a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), South Africa played a key role in the SADC Electoral Observer Mission (SEOM), which monitored Mozambique’s presidential, legislative, and provincial elections on 9 October 2024.
The SEOM, led by former President of Zanzibar, Dr Amani Abeid Karume, was composed of 53 observers from 10 SADC countries.
A total of 17 169 239 Mozambicans were registered to vote, including 333 839 in the diaspora, yet only 7464,822 turned out on election day, yielding a voter turnout of 43%.
In a preliminary statement, Dr Karume noted the late amendment to Mozambique's Electoral Law, which impacted voter education.
Despite this, the SEOM Preliminary Statement concluded that, “the SEOM observed that the pre-election and voting phases of the 2024 Presidential, Legislative, and Provincial Elections were professionally organized, conducted in an orderly, peaceful, and free atmosphere”.
The Preliminary Statement further identified areas for improvement following the Mozambican elections.
Following the announcement of the preliminary results, President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasised the need for calm, urging respect for legal procedures in resolving election disputes.
“South Africa, therefore, believes that the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections remain the viable set of norms to support the delivery of regular, free, fair, and credible elections in the SADC Member States,” the Minister said.
Looking ahead, South Africa welcomes the upcoming SADC Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit and SADC Extraordinary Summit on November 20, 2024, in Zimbabwe.
These meetings, preceded by sessions of senior officials and ministers starting on 15 November, will focus on recent political developments in the region, including elections in Mozambique, Botswana and Mauritius. – SAnews.gov.za
