The Mozambican government claims that the increase in the cost of living in the country, which has already provoked public anger, is a direct consequence of the destruction of commercial establishments during the post-election demonstrations.

According to the spokesman for the Council of Ministers, Inocêncio Impissa, who was speaking after the end of the 4th Ordinary Session held on Tuesday (11), the cost of living has risen because, in addition to the money needed to buy, there is now a need for more resources for travel, "this means that the more we destroy, the more expensive life becomes".

For Inocêncio Impissa, who was answering a question about the blockade of National Road Number One (N1) in the village of Macia, Bilene district, Gaza province, in protests against rising food prices, "the increase in the cost of living was a foreseeable consequence of the demonstrations".

"Stockists today are not restocking their products for fear that the population might loot their establishments. No one would invest knowing that the next moment they could be robbed and lose their goods. The environment for investment is becoming increasingly threatened. As these actions continue, the population will suffer even more, because supply is falling and demand is rising, creating difficulties in supply," said the government official, quoted by Letter from Mozambique.

However, he ignored the fact that the generalized and accelerated increase in the prices of essential goods is not only happening in areas where commercial infrastructure has been destroyed. The same scenario is repeated in the Greater Maputo region, in all neighborhoods, including those where there has been no destruction of stalls or containers.

In his explanation, which focused on the areas where the commercial infrastructure was destroyed by the protests, Inocêncio Impissa did not present any government solutions to respond to the crisis, nor any security guarantees for stockists to encourage them to restock their products.

(Photo DR)