João Fernando Chamusse — a prominent Mozambican journalist, co-owner and editor of the independent outlet Ponto por Ponto, and frequent commentator on TV Sucesso — was found dead in the backyard of his home in KaTembe, just outside Maputo. Neighbors recounted hearing his cries for help before discovering him with a severe head wound, a machete, and a gardening hoe nearby, and two mobile phones and a laptop missing.
Chamusse had earned a reputation as a courageous voice against local corruption and government mismanagement. He previously co-founded the respected Canal de Moçambique newspaper and contributed to Mediafax, where the editor Carlos Cardoso was himself murdered in 2000 due to his reporting. His reporting in late 2023 tackled electoral misconduct and threats to judges, heightening suspicions that the killing was politically motivated.
Initial police reports attributed the murder to a personal dispute over noise with a neighbor, who was detained but later released due to a lack of evidence. Subsequent arrests in mid-December involved two young suspects allegedly found with Chamusse’s laptop and phone; one reportedly confessed, claiming Chamusse owed him about 12,000 meticais (approximately US$188). However, doubts persist: one of Chamusse’s phones remains unaccounted for, and the violence inflicted appears disproportionate to a simple financial dispute.
The murder prompted fierce denunciations. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) urged Mozambican authorities to conduct a thorough, impartial investigation into all possible motives, including journalistic work. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called the killing “deeply disturbing” and demanded credible inquiries to hold perpetrators accountable. Amnesty International condemned the killing as part of a broader pattern of escalating threats ahead of Mozambique’s 2024 elections. UNESCO’s Director-General also denounced the killing, warning that impunity for crimes against journalists must not stand.
Chamusse’s brutal death has sent shockwaves through Mozambique’s media landscape, underlining the dangerous conditions for journalists and igniting international calls for justice. Without an independent and transparent legal inquiry, fears linger that his murder was punishment for exposing the truth, not a crime of chance.
Reference –
https://www.africanews.com/2023/12/15/prominent-mozambican-journalist-murdered//
CPJ calls for a thorough investigation into killing of Mozambican journalist João Chamusse
