Mozambique does not do polls to assess a president’s approval rating. So, the only way to measure a president’s popularity is through anecdotal evidence.
The ruling Frelimo party’s Central Committee would have Mozambicans believe that President Filipe Nyusi’s popularity is through the roof – after all, Nyusi was elected to a second term last September with a 100 percent of the vote, although there were rumours of some shenanigans.
But it seems as if Nyusi’s favourability within Frelimo’s Central Committee does not resonate with Mozambicans, at least on social media.
For example, on Wednesday Nyusi posted pictures of himself on his Facebook page, arriving in Harare, where he started a three-day state visit. Judging from the pictures, Zimbwabe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa went out of his way to ensure that Nyusi felt really welcomed: the Harare airport was packed, to say the least.
Although there were lots of replies congratulating him on the visit, others took the opportunity to air grievances about the way he is governing the country; starting from the onion prices that skyrocketed to about 80 percent to wishing that he would meet the same fate as the late President, Samora Machel, while others stated that they could not wait to see the back of him in 2025, among other less savoury responses.
Last week he unveiled a solar power plant in Magude district, in Maputo province, about 155 kilometres from the capital, which he posted on his Facebook page. The solar plant’s output is 100 kw and can provide power to 209 homes.
Facebookers did not forgive him for that. They thought the plant should have been unveiled by the district’s administrator and not him.
Meanwhile, former President Armando Guebuza’s star is on the rise. These days, he is fêted wherever he goes.
A week ago, Guebuza and spouse went to a cultural event and the participants showed them love. People could be heard on videos telling Guebuza how they missed his days at the helm of the state.
On Sunday, the Guebuzas went to watch a play and they duly posted it on his Facebook page. The comments were again congratulatory, and the Facebookers were begging him to come back since the ten-year ban to run again is elapsing.
This is quite a development for a president who was hated when he stepped down. There were various incidents in which he was booed whenever he visited a place – there was an unfortunate moment when he was booed while coming out of a cemetery.
Comment
It is understandable that Nyusi should run across the breadth of the country unveiling public works, regardless of how small they might be. Unlike Guebuza, he does not have lots to show in terms of legacy.
Perhaps this is because he found the state coffers quite empty owing to the and had to spend a considerable amount of time appealing to the generosity of donors to fund part of the state budget after $2.2 billion ‘hidden debts’ scandal broke out, leaving the country in dire straits. It also did not help that there was much happening in Mozambique during the Covid pandemic.
As for the ‘hidden debts’ scandal, this was blamed on his predecessor. Hence Guebuza was not loved.
So, what explains the turn of events? There is no easy answer, but this has more to do with the fact that Nyusi is not seen as a very capable leader, compounded by his poor command of the Portuguese language, producing countless memes whenever he speaks.
Mozambicans also seem to remember that major public works were erected during Guebuza’s tenure at the office of the presidency, and that people had money in their pockets to live their lives. They do not seem to care that the scandal impacted the country’s economy as this was felt under Nyusi. So maybe the newfound love for Guebuza is just a prison of the moment reaction.
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