Chapo’s visit of little consequence to SA but boosts his credibility

Mozambican President Daniel Chapo's visit to South Africa has sent a strong indicator to the region of his legitimacy to hold office after widespread riots following his country's election results late last year.

Chapo held bilateral meetings with President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday, with his visit to the country being his first official state visit since his inauguration in January.

Chapo was inaugurated after a controversial, disputed election, becoming the fifth president of Mozambique.

Despite questions over the legitimacy of the elections in the former Portuguese colony, Ramaphosa announced that he would attend his inauguration, legitimising his position as the president-elect. 

Opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane had rejected his electoral defeat resulting in violent protests affecting border trade routes between South Africa and Mozambique. 

In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Ramaphosa's office said Chapo’s visit aimed to strengthen political co-operation at the bilateral, regional, continental and global levels.

It said discussion between two leaders focused on enhancing co-operation and strengthening state institutions.

To show that Mozambique was moving forward from its electoral troubles, Chapo announced the appointment of his cabinet on the same day as his visit to South Africa. 

He told Ramaphosa his visit was to explain the situation in Mozambique was “good and now we are working”.

He said he would meet the opposition to sign an agreement on talks about the many issues affecting the country including discussions on electoral laws.

“We are also here to talk about how we can grow our economy,” Chapo said. 

Political analyst Sanusha Naidu said Chapo's visit to South Africa was an attempt to build diplomatic credentials and his visit should be viewed in the context of Maputo rather than Pretoria. 

“Coming to South Africa is about trade and diplomacy, but also dealing with some of the issues regarding Cabo Dalgado. It's not just about South Africa being the structural power on the continent, but rather how he builds his presidency going forward considering the undercurrent of the election result and the question of his inauguration as the winner of the election,” she said. 

She added that it would be interesting to see which other countries on the continent Chapo visits.

Pundits have argued that South Africa broke the wheel when the governing party accepted its electoral defeat and formed a government of national unity, while others argue that South Africa should put pressure on its neighbours to accept electoral outcomes. 

“There is a serious legitimacy and credibility question not just in Mozambique but across the region. South Africa went down the route of accepting a coalition, but you are not seeing that kind of electoral maturity in the region. We sit in a region where in many ways democratic right is still a contested issue,” she said. 

Ramaphosa said the two neighbours would continue strengthening bonds to turn a new page of co-operation at a political, diplomatic and economic level, entrench political stability in Mozambique and create a conducive environment for businesses to operate in both countries.

The Presidency said current estimates indicate South African companies have invested between R155bn and R175bn in Mozambique, creating more than 42,000 job opportunities.

Several South African companies recently established the South African Chamber of Commerce, promoting trade and investment between the two nations, the Presidency said. 

Mozambique is a vital energy security partner for South Africa.

“The bilateral meeting gave effect to President Ramaphosa’s commitment in the 2025 state of the nation address that South Africa will leverage its international relations to advance the wellbeing of humanity, strengthen trade relations around the world and leverage strong and diverse global alliances to make South Africa’s economy more resilient,” the Presidency said.