This problem was presented to Guebuza at a rally he addressed in Calanga on the last day of a tour of Maputo province.
Calanga residents told Guebuza that for them to use the only road in fair conditions to get to the main north-south highway and to Manhica town, they have to cross the property of the Maragra sugar company, which demands that they obtain written authorisation from the company.
Jose Mahumane, one of the residents, said "we need written authorization to use the road that runs through Maragra. We have to resort to the local government authorities to unblock the situation. The authorities have always helped us".
The main shareholders in Maragra are South African - which has resulted in the notice barring access to the road across the plantation being written in English, rather than in Mozambique's official language, Portuguese.
There are other access roads to Calanga, but they are in such a poor state that using them is hazardous, even with a four wheel drive vehicle.
Another participant at the rally told Guebuza that during the rainy season, Maragra will not allow anyone to use the road, for fear of damaging it.
"Worse still is that when we leave Calanga we must make sure that it will not rain. If it does, nobody will come back to Calanga. We spend days sleeping in verandas of shops in Manhica, waiting for authorization from the Maragra company to go back to our own homes", Mahumane told AIM after the rally.
He said that the main concern is that this road, that is now being "privatised" was built before the company even existed.
Guebuza's delegation drove along this dirt road, which is in good enough condition to allow any vehicles to reach Calanga.
Calanga is known for its agricultural potential, and Guebuza, during his visit, formally handed 25 head of cattle to the local people for breeding and animal traction. The cattle were purchased with the money allocated last year to every district in the country for development projects.
SOURCE: AIM
