by Staff Reporter

Zimbabweans with missing relatives in Mozambique have been urged to get in touch with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade for assistance.

In a press statement yesterday confirming the death of Mr Nyasha Mugwagwa in Palma’s insurgents attack, the Ministry revealed that the Zimbabwean Government was working closely with the Government of Mozambique to account for all missing Zimbabweans that were working in Palma.

“The Government of Zimbabwe through our Embassy in Mozambique continues to work closely with the Government of Mozambique and the Companies in Palma to account for all Zimbabweans that were working in that town, following the recent disturbances.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in the last statement of 8 April 2021 confirmed that one Zimbabwean was yet to be accounted for. Emerging eye witness accounts are confirming that Mr Nyasha Mugwagwa, a Zimbabwean that worked for the Remote Site Solution (RSS) Company in Palma was among the twelve that were killed in Palma by the insurgents. The twelve have since been buried by the local authorities as their bodies were in a state of advanced decomposition,” reads part of the statement.

The Ministry said under such circumstances, Pathological expertise is required to identify the bodies and that the Government of Zimbabwe is therefore working with the Government of Mozambique with a view to identify bodies. Once one of the bodies is identified to be that of Mugwagwa, the Government would facilitate the repatriation process.

Meanwhile, the SADC Extraordinary Double Summit held in Mozambique recently directed an immediate technical deployment to the Republic of Mozambique and the convening of an Extraordinary meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ by 28 April 2021 that will report to the Extraordinary Organ Summit on 29 April 2021.

The security situation in northern Mozambique is deteriorating at an alarming rate. Attacks by violent extremists have claimed over 1 000 lives and displaced over 700 000 people since October 2017. Infrastructure has been destroyed and citizens robed of their livelihoods.