CTA - Confederation of Business Associations of Mozambique on Friday repudiated the kidnapping of two citizens, on Thursday, in the city of Maputo, considering that crime in the country's main cities is reaching alarming levels.

"These kidnappings reveal that the criminality in which Mozambican society is immersed is reaching alarming levels, contributing to a greater climate of despair, uncertainty and insecurity, negatively affecting the business environment and private investment in Mozambique," says a CTA note. 

The victims of the kidnappings, which all occurred in the morning, are Basit Gani, a doctor and vice president of the Mozambican Association of Muslim Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs, and Nazir Tadkir, a businessman in the restaurant business, according to information from the CTA.

The first victim was kidnapped by an armed group at around 7:00 a.m. on the campus of Eduardo Mondlane University, and within less than an hour another man was forcibly taken in front of his residence on Friedrich Engels Avenue, which houses several diplomats, also by an armed group, confirmed the Mozambican Republic Police.

The CTA calls for the authorities to adopt measures to stop the wave of kidnappings that has affected major cities.

"CTA condemns these horrendous crimes and vehemently demands that the competent entities immediately activate the mechanisms to combat these crimes efficiently, concretely and with visible results," stressed the largest employer.

In addition to the CTA, the Association of Doctors of Mozambique has expressed its repudiation of the situation, demanding the urgent intervention of the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi. 

"The kidnapping of doctor Basit Gani, a young doctor working at the Maputo Private Hospital, is a serious sign of the deteriorating security situation in Mozambique and in the city of Maputo in particular, which may have worrying consequences on the day-to-day lives of health professionals, a sector already martyred by covid-19 and its effects," the president of the Association of Doctors of Mozambique, Milton Tatia, told the media on Thursday.

The President of the Republic announced in December the possibility of creating an anti-trafficking police unit to combat the crime wave in Mozambique's main cities, with more than 10 cases registered during 2020.

Lusa Agency