Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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06MAPUTO1553 | 2006-12-04 06:23:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Maputo |
VZCZCXRO4978 RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN DE RUEHTO #1553/01 3380623 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 040623Z DEC 06 FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6506 INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP 0127 |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 001553 |
1. This cable provides biographical information on 10 of the 17 members of the Political Commission, the highest body of Mozambique's ruling political party, FRELIMO (we have provided bio information on the other members in previous reporting). Sources used include official government biographies, local media reports, and information obtained from Embassy contacts. In the list below an (H) before the name denotes a holdover from the previous political commission, while an (N) indicates a newly elected member. Members: - (H) Manuel Tome, FRELIMO party whip - (H) Eduardo Mulembwe, Speaker of the National Assembly - (H) Alberto Chipande, former Defense Minister - (H) Eneas Comiche, Mayor of Maputo - (H) Margarida Talapa, FRELIMO deputy whip - (H) Veronica Macamo, first Vice-President of the National Assembly - (N) Raimundo Pachinuapa, veteran of the independence struggle - (N) Teodoro Waty, former speaker of the Maputo Municipal Assembly - (N) Paulina Mateus, Secretary General of the Mozambican Women's Organization - (N) Conceita Sortane, Secretary for Training and Cadres MANUEL TOME: 2. Manuel Tome is the FRELIMO party whip in the National Assembly and served as FRELIMO secretary general from 1997- 2002. Although not part of the generation that fought for independence, Tome has risen quickly through the FRELIMO party ranks, which is due partly to his years as director general of state-owned Radio Mozambique and subsequently as secretary general of the Mozambican Association of SIPDIS Journalists. Tome was born in 1947 and is a journalist by profession. EDUARDO MULEMBWE: 3. Eduardo Mulembwe has been the Speaker of the National Assembly since 1994, and in this capacity has the constitutional role of replacing the head of state when the latter is traveling or incapacitated. Before this Mulembwe served as Attorney General for several years. He gained prominence for promising to disclose the names of high- ranking political figures involved in corruption, although he ultimately did not release any information. ALBERTO CHIPANDE: 4. Alberto Chipande is one of the most senior members of FRELIMO, perhaps outranked in power and prestige only by President Guebuza and former President Chissano. Chipande is a member of the Makonde tribe, which played a significant role in the independence struggle. FRELIMO credits Chipande with firing the gunshots that killed a Portuguese official in 1964, an event which marked the beginning of the war of independence. He was Minister of Defense during the Samora Machel era. He is currently a deputy in the National Assembly and owner of several businesses in his home province of Cabo Delgado. Chipande was born in 1939 in Mueda, Cabo Delgado Province. ENEAS COMICHE: 5. Eneas Comiche is currently the mayor of Maputo city. He is very close to Chissano, during whose mandate he served both as governor of the Central Bank and Minister of Finance. Comiche is an economist by profession and studied at the University of Porto in Portugal. He was born in 1939 in Moma, Nampula Province. MARGARIDA TALAPA: 6. Margarida Talapa is a deputy in the the National Assembly and FRELIMO's deputy party whip. While she is not part of the generation that fought for independence, she is one of MAPUTO 00001553 002.2 OF 002 the most prominent female politicians in the country and has risen through the party ranks primarily through her efforts to mobilize voters in Nampula, the country's most populous province. Talapa was born in Nampula Province. VERONICA MACAMO: 7. Veronica Macamo serves as first Vice-President of the the National Assembly, where she has been a deputy since 1994. Macamo is an attorney by profession and she is also chairwoman of the National Tourism Fund. She was born in Gaza Province. RAIMUNDO PACHINUAPA: 8. Raimundo Pachinuapa served as governor of Cabo Delgado Province during the Samora Machel era. During the Chissano presidency, Pachinaupa was the country's inspector general. Pachinuapa belongs to the Makonde tribe and is from Cabo Delgado Province. TEODORO WATY: 9. Teodoro Waty is an influential lawyer in Maputo. From 1998 to 2003, he served as president of the Maputo Municipal Assembly. Waty is also a former administrator of the People's Development Bank and chairman of the Polana Casino Board of Directors. He is a close ally of Chissano -- his wife worked for some time as Chissano's private secretary. Waty is from Maputo city. PAULINA MATEUS: 10. Paulina Mateus is the secretary general of the Mozambican Women's Organization, the women's wing of FRELIMO, a position she has held since 1996. From 1981-1988, she was a deputy in the Beira Municipal Assembly. Mateus was born in March 1952 in Nachingwea, Tanzania. CONCEITA SORTANE: 11. Conceita Sortane has served as FRELIMO's secretary for training and cadres since 2002. Prior to this, Sortane was a practicing psychologist. She is also one of the few people from Zambezia (a RENAMO stronghold) to have a position of prominence within FRELIMO. Dudley |