Good afternoon. Daniel Chapo closed Frelimo’s National Cadre Conference in Chimoio on Sunday by declaring the start of a “new era” in the ruling party. In Frelimo, there is no room for the corrupt, he said, no place for thieves, and the party is no sanctuary for criminals. He promised to shake the party’s tree until the rotten fruit falls.
The language was unusually blunt, and the message was familiar. Chapo declared a new era once before, at his inauguration in January 2025, with the same pledges to fight corruption, open opportunities for the young and bring government closer to the public. The improvements since have been modest. The conference was a chance to say what would now change inside the party that has governed Mozambique for 51 years. Instead, he offered another statement of intent.
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Chapo acknowledged that listening without acting would frustrate the public. Yet the conference made no binding decisions. Its recommendations go to an extraordinary meeting of the Central Committee on Wednesday, and later into the theses for next year’s party congress. The new era begins with proposals for further consideration.
More revealing was his diagnosis of Frelimo’s damaged reputation. A small minority of members involved in corruption, organised crime and drug trafficking, he argued, had led society to associate their conduct with the party. Each offender should answer individually, without their crimes being tied to Frelimo.
That is a convenient distinction, and it does not fit Mozambique’s experience. Corruption involving Frelimo members has not simply been individuals stealing while the party looked away. Access to state jobs, public contracts, business licences and natural resources has long run through political connections, and state resources are routinely turned to the party’s advantage at election time. Businesspeople cultivate Frelimo because political protection can decide who reaches the state and its money.
