Mozambique’s elite moves into the mining sector

The President, ministers, key Frelimo party figures, and their families have been attracted to the extractive industries, where they have significant business interests. An ongoing CIP study shows the following connections to companies which identify mining, mineral trading, or mineral exploration as one of their objectives:
President Armando Emílio Guebuza, through Intelec Holdings, in association with Shree Cement Limitada, created ECM - Elephant Cement Moçambique, Limitada, to mine limestone and other minerals.
Tobias Dai – ex-minister of Defence and brother-in-law of the first lady, is a shareholder of Tantalite Holdings, established in 2008 to, as the name suggests, mine Tantalite and associated minerals.
Valentina da Luz Guebuza, one of the daughters of President Guebuza, and her uncle José Dai (cousin of Tobias Dai) set up a mining company, Servicon, Limitada, in 2008.
One of Guebuza’s sons, Ndambi Armando Guebuza, set up Intelec B.A.C. - Business Advisory & Consulting, Limitada, which is linked to Intelec Holdingss.
Environment Ministers Alcinda Abreu, in 2008 created Mozambican Investment Enterprise, Limitada, with Manuel Tomás Nhatumbo and Chivambo Samir Mamadhusen (the son of the late Muradhali Mamadhussem, who died with Samora Machel in the plane crash in Mbuzine).
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Nelson Diogo da Silva, son of Albano Silva and former Prime Minister Luísa Diogo, with Lucílio Dias Diogo, established Duplo D, Limitada.
Flávio Efraime Pedro Taímo, son Pedro Taímo, the ex-Ministry of Labour representative in the then East Germany, and later South Africa, has with Marta Pedro Paulino and the Aldo Trust set up Gold International, Limitada.
The present Prime Minister, Aires Bonifacio Ali, last year became a shareholder in a mining company, Makala Investimentos. His partners are Alexandre Luis Venha and Augusto Alberto da Silva Chirindza.
Abdurremane Lino de Almeida, Vice Minister for the Civil Service, is linked to ABC e Comercio, Indústria e Servicos, Limitada with Aurélio Machimbene Matavek Júnior and Maria António Luís Mate.
Another senior Frelimo figure involved in minerals is Adriano Fernandes Sumbana who, with a Russian citizen, Alexei Skrinnik, created the Gold Mining Corporation (GMC). Partners in GMC include Navegação Internacional, Gráfica Tropicana Internacional and Mbimbi. Sumbana is married to the Mozambican ambassador to the United States, Amélia Matos Sumbana. Previously Adriano Sumbana established Delaware Trading, Limitada with Schefler Olga.
Minerais de Moçambique Lda (MIMOC) involves several important Frelimo figures, including Beira businessman Ganha Ah Kom, who was elected a member of the Frelimo Central Committee in 2006 at the 9th Congresso in Quelimane; Joaquim Alberto Chipande, ex-Defence Minister and member of the Frelimo Political Commission; and the current governor of Gaza, Raimundo Maico Diomba. Chipande is also part of Delta do Zambeze Limitida, with Barry John Swart, Paulo Samuel Machatine, Raymond Anthony Parkes and Leonor Paulo Tivane.
Former Education Minister Alcido Eduardo Ngoenha, also a Frelimo Central Committee member, in 2008 set up União Financeira e Minerais, Limitada with Louis Joachin Reynene, Lotterskrantz Limitada and Alipele Servicos, Limitada. It has a specific interest in precious and semi-precious stones. The following year Alcido Ngoenha set up Takura, Limitada with Esperanca Agostinho Mutimba, Stélio Erwin Guenha, Milva Esperança Guenha and Mavis Isabel Alcindo Nguenha.
Jacinto Soares Veloso, Security Minister in the Samora Machel era and now a prosperous businessman, is part of Companhia Mineira de Naburi, S.A.R.L with Miriam Gaivão Veloso, Diogo José Henriques Cavaco, Eduardo Gaivao Veloso, Sandra Maria da Silva Pinto Belém Rodrigues, Urgel Morais Barreia, Verónica Alberto Chongo Seneta and António José Marques Gomes. The company has a licence to search for titanium. Miriam Gaivão Veloso is also a shareholder in the import-export company Distribuidora da Zambézia e Cruzeiro do Sul. Jacinto Veloso recently established Companhia Mineira do Chibuto with Diogo Henriques José Cavaco, Morais Urgel Barreira, and Mário Diniz Fernandes Deus (one of the founders of the geology consulting company Gondwana Empreendimentos e Consultores Lda). Through his company JV Consultores Internacionais, Jacinto Veloso is also involved in companies working with precious stones, including Metais e Pedras Preciosas de Moçambique (Metalmoz Lda), which is turn is one of the founding shareholders of Minas Rio Bravo Lda, a mining company based in Tete.
Luís Nhachote