On 25 September, when Mozambican Armed and Defence Forces (FADM) Day was being commemorated, the killing did not just happen in Zimpinga, Gondola district, Manica Province (central-western Mozambique). In Nkondezi, Moatize District, Tete Province, unidentified alleged armed men broke into the home of 47-year-old Elesson Jonasse, the Mozambique National Resistance (Renamo) political delegate, and shot him in cold blood in front of his wife and under-aged children.
Renamo spokesman Antonio Muchanga, short on words and visibly upset about the situation, told @Verdade: “It is true.”
A little unrecognizable due to his excessive restraint -which we are not used to -Muchanga proceeded: “They killed the man in his home in front of his wife and children (…[subheadings as published])
The alleged bandits pretended to be Renamo members who needed J! onasse’s help urgently, Canal de Mocambique reported in its last edition, quoting Marcos Vululu, a neighbour and pastor of a local church, who witnessed “an armed group” heading for the victim’s home, knocking on the door as Renamo members but being refused entry as the owner was suspicious.
Because of this, the criminals resorted to force, broke the door down, took the Renamo delegate, and opened fire in front of his family. They fired two shots, one to the forehead and the other to the thorax. He died instantly.
His wife started screaming and crying drawing the attention of nearby people. Feliz Assomati, the party’s provincial delegate in Tete, confirmed the incident to the weekly and added that his colleagues are being subjected to Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) persecution in the Tsangano, Macanga, Moatize, and Angonia districts. Hence they sleep in the bush overnight.
