BEITBRIDGE – The militant Professor Talent Rusere, chairman of the Southern Africa Human Lawyers Commission and a key figure in the ongoing violent protests in Mozambique, has been arrested at the Plumtree Border Post.
Mozambique’s top court on Monday confirmed the victory of ruling party Frelimo in the October election, which has sparked massive protests by opposition groups who say the vote was rigged.
The Constitutional Council has the final say over the electoral process and its ruling is likely to spark further protests in Mozambique, a Southern African country of close to 35 million people that Frelimo has governed since 1975.
Rusere, known for his outspoken stance against alleged election rigging in Mozambique, was deported from Botswana yesterday while his asylum application was being processed. It is believed he skipped the South African border when he sensed danger and went into Botswana.
The protests in Mozambique, sparked by accusations of electoral fraud in the October 9 presidential elections, have claimed multiple lives and led to widespread destruction of property.
Rusere had alleged that over 226,000 Zimbabweans participated in the Mozambican elections, a claim he supported with videos shared by The Mirror newspaper, and had called for regional demonstrations against election rigging.
The aftermath of the protests in Maputo, the capital, and its surrounding province, includes fallen power poles, road barricades, and extensive vandalism of police units, fuel stations, and banks. Essential services have been disrupted, with electricity and water supplies restricted in some areas, and passenger transportation has been nearly halted.
“There is no record or indication that Zimbabweans participated in the electoral process of Mozambique,” Matemadanda said, dismissing the claims as baseless.
The controversy surrounding the allegations has intensified scrutiny on The Masvingo Mirror, which first published the report with Professor Rusere allegedly being the source. Owned by Matthew Takawona, a former opposition candidate for Gutu Central under the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), the newspaper has been accused of politically motivated reporting aimed at undermining Zimbabwe-Mozambique relations.
Government sources have demanded that The Masvingo Mirror provide evidence to substantiate its claims, warning of potential diplomatic fallout. Critics and analysts have also raised scepticism over the logistics of 226,000 Zimbabweans voting in Mozambique, calling the figure implausible.
Meanwhile, the deportation of Rusere has raised eyebrows regarding Botswana’s political stance under President Duma Boko. While Tswana activists had hoped Boko would champion democratic forces, his administration’s growing ties with Harare suggest a different narrative.
Rusere, now in Zimbabwean custody, is expected to be taken to Harare as the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) continues to determine charges against him.
The violent protests in Mozambique have drawn international attention, with regional observers calling for calm and an investigation into the allegations of electoral fraud.
Talent Rusere is the youngest successful politician and Pan Africanist in Africa. He is the founder and Director of the South African Acctv Media and IlandBreed Services.
He was born on the 29th of August 1992 at the Harare Maternity Hospital. His mother’s name is Maufe Chidzoyo, who separated with his father, the late Hebert Rusere from Chikombingo village under Chief Munyaradzi of Gutu, Masvingo.
He completed his primary education at Chesvingo Primary School before leaving for Kadoma where he did his secondary education. Rusere was rated the most influential young politican in Africa in 2021.
Rusere graduated his first Diploma in I.T Information and Communication Technology at Eastview Commercial College with the CIBA Chartered Institute of Business Administration board.
In 2017, he graduated a bachelor’s degree in Architecture Technology with the California Board of Architects before starting his degree in Political Science, in the late 2017s.
Rusere who worked with the late former Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, joined politics at 19 but flew out of the country in 2017 following the removal of his Political father and mentor, Robert Mugabe. He has been living in South Africa since then untile he recently fled to Botswana.
The dynamic young politican is a notable figure in the Zimbabwean political arena since 2018 when he started fighting corruption and human rights abuses by Mnangagwa’s new despensation.
Rusere is the Founder and first president of (ZFF) Zimbabwe Freedom Fighters Party, formed in 2015 as a human rights defending organisation.
Western observers have said the election in Mozambique were not free and fair, and the post-election period has seen the biggest protests against Frelimo in Mozambique’s history.
The U.S. State Department said it was concerned by the announcement from the Constitutional Council on Monday while also urging “serious electoral and institutional reforms.”
The State Department statement cited assessments of observers, including those from the U.S., saying there were irregularities in the tabulation process and a lack of transparency in the election period.
At least 130 people have been killed in clashes with police, according to the civil society monitoring group Plataforma Decide.
Frelimo has consistently been accused by opponents and election observers of rigging votes since it first allowed elections in 1994, although it has repeatedly denied those accusations. The electoral commission has not commented on allegations of fraud in this election.
“We never thought that the electoral truth would be trampled. The will of the people was obliterated,” Judite Simao said.
The post-election unrest has already affected the operations of foreign companies including the Australian mining firm South32 , opens new tab and led to the temporary closure of the main border crossing with neighbouring South Africa.
A senior International Monetary Fund official told Reuters Mozambique’s 2024 economic growth would likely be below a previous 4.3% forecast because of the unrest and the impact of this month’s Cyclone Chido.
