Mozambican prison heads fired days after appointment

Two new prison directors in Mozambique have been fired just 12 days after they were appointed.

One of them is Herminia Nhamundze, the director of Ndhlavela Women’s Penitentiary, where it was found that inmates there had been forced into prostitution.

The other is Ramos Zambuco of the Maputo Maximum Security Prison.

Soon after they were sworn into office early this month, reports surfaced that the two had pending court cases.

The reports said the two had been detained for their alleged involvement in the release in 2014 of the “notorious” prisoner Momade Abdul Satar, better known as Nini Satar.

Satar had been serving a 24-year prison sentence for the murder of a prominent Mozambican investigative journalist, Carlos Cardoso, in November 2000.

His release on parole was later revoked and an international arrest warrant issued against him. He was arrested in Thailand and extradited to Mozambique in 2018.

Justice Minister Helena Kida also dismissed Alfredo Pires who was recently appointed the national director of administration and finance.

The ministry said Mr Pires was sacked after the minister learnt that he was being investigated in the southern province of Inhambane for alleged embezzlement of funds.

The justice minister said she was wrongly advised to appoint the fired leaders. She is yet to appoint their replacements.

BBC/Dominica Nwabufo