STAE brigade caught red-handed registering people at night in Iapala

Two mobile computers were found being used to register voters at 9pm Saturday (last night), at the
residence of the Frelimo party first secretary, in Iapala, 40 km from Ribáuè and far outside the
municipality. When they were caught, about 20 voters and the brigade members ran away – as shown
in this video.
The two computers that were being used had been taken from Ribauè Sede EPC and
Quithele registration posts. In these two posts no one has been registered for a week,
allegedly because the equipment is broken, when in fact the computers were moved to
other areas for clandestine registration at night.

They were being used to register people outside the municipality but on computers from
inside the municipality, allowing these people to vote illegally in municipal elections.
According to the Renamo district delegate and the speaker of the Ribáuè Municipal
Assembly, the district director of STAE was present during the clandestine registration.
Our Bulletin tried to contact the district director of STAE, but was unsuccessful, as he did
not answer our calls.
The brigades withdrew their mobiles at 6pm Saturday (yesterday, 6 May) for another night
of registration. But on the way, they bumped into the Renamo team in the Ribáuè market,
while they were buying biscuits. Renamo already had information about the night
registration. When the brigades realised the Renamo presence, they got into their vehicle
and left in the direction of Iapala.

But a Renamo team, consisting of the deputy STAE
director, a STAE technician, their district delegate and others, jumped on their motorbikes
and headed towards Iapala, following the brigade with the two computers.
Renamo had information that the brigade was at the residence of the Frelimo first
secretary in Iapala, which is also a guesthouse. The brigade members installed the
computers and started to register people, supposedly Frelimo members.

The people fled but the equipment, shown in the photo, was confiscated by Renamo. The district
director of STAE eventually claimed the equipment, and the issue was only resolved at midnight
when the head of police operations arrived and took the machines back to the district command.
Last Wednesday, our correspondents in Ribáuè reported that the registration post at Ribáuè EPC
(primary school) had already been paralysed since Sunday 30 April. Thus for a week there was no
registration at Ribáuè EPC. The photo shows the closed post, paralysed by alleged hardware
breakdown.

Officially, Frelimo has not yet reacted or responded to requests for information. But the
Nampula-based Ikweli newspaper quotes a Frelimo source as threatening to sue those
who associate the STAE action with the party.

Unaware that they were members of the electoral body

OJM members went to ask the CNE member for his voter card number

A team of 10 members of the Frelimo youth league OJM in Maputo City went knocking on
doors. They reached house of Abilio Baessa, Renamo member of the CNE, to ask for his
voter card, supposedly to be added to the list they are producing. They did not know that
he was a member of CNE. They asked him whether he had registered to vote. After a
positive reply, the OJM members asked to take a photo with him, with his respective voter
card, to add him to their list. When they realised he was a member of the CNE, they
apologised and justified that they were mobilising people to register. They were unable to
explain the purpose of collecting voters cards.