Zanu and the MCP may be mobilizing Zimbabweans and Malawians to register as Mozambican voters. The people benefit because their voters card serves as an ID document and they can go in and out of Mozambique, where some trade good across the border. Meanwhile their votes will be used by Frelimo.

Chicote is a village with a voter registration brigade right on the border. It is in Vila Nova da Fronteira, Charre, Mutarara, Tete, and there is regular movement across the border. According to local sources, large numbers of Malawians from Marka and Mankhokwe were entering to register as voters. We were able to ascertain that the citizens mobilized are all members of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), which seems to be organising the registration to support Frelimo.

On Friday (26 April), the Zimbabwean Mirror newspaper published an investigation showing that that Zimbabwe’s ruling party, Zanu PF, was mobilising Zimbabwean citizens to register and vote for Frelimo. According to the newspaper, the mobilization is led by Zanu-PF, which has historic relations with Frelimo. Once registered, the Zimbabweans say they are “happy” to obtain a Mozambican document.

“With the voter card we shall also work in South Africa because in Mozambique with this document we will be able to obtain a visa for South Africa”, said one of the recently registered people. “We were told that, if we participate in the voting, we will have jobs. It’s very good that I now have a Mozambican document. I want to vote, and after voting, I want to deal with a passport. I have heard that with a Mozambican passport, you can move at will in Mozambique and especially in South Africa”.