The Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA) announced yesterday (30) that the country has lost three billion Meticais due to the paralysis of economic activity resulting from the demonstrations on the 21st, 24th and 25th of this month.

The CTA was speaking after a meeting with the government to take stock of the demonstrations in the economic sector.

Today, the country once again saw demonstrations, this time for a period of one week.

"We did meet with the government this afternoon to assess and receive comfort from our leaders, as we remain ready to leave the production units open with the security guaranteed to us by the government," said Vuma.

He said that the demonstrations on October 24 and 25 had contributed to the reduction in transactions on the foreign exchange market, which fell by 75.3%, from an average of around 60 million dollars to 14 million dollars.

"We've had sabotage, vandalization, break-ins at private commercial establishments, even production units, the level of vandalization of establishments is such that they won't be able to operate again and it's estimated that 1,200 to 1,300 workers have indirectly been left without jobs," said Vuma.

Some 33 establishments have been affected, which could affect the living conditions of more than 6,000 people.

"There is a need for our leaders to guarantee the security of our production units because we are witnessing looting, looting that is bringing down the economy," he said.

According to the CTA, the demonstrators obstructed some sections of the Maputo Corridor, which led the government to close the Ressano Garcia border crossing, affecting the entry into the country of logistics trucks, most of which were bound for the Port of Maputo.

At the same meeting, the government guaranteed that the Defense and Security Forces would be on standby in order to prevent acts of vandalization of property.