Surviving the cyclone

And: Maersk found shipping illegal Mozambican timber to China

Good afternoon. The weather system known as Freddy has broken records for its duration and intensity. It has cruelly come back for round after round — and may not be finished yet. All of south east Africa is feeling the effects. But Mozambique is winning plaudits for how it has managed the storm.

As we report today, Freddy has taken out vital infrastructure and wiped out crops. However, the death toll of those killed directly by the effects of the storm has been mercifully low. The storm was less severe than the worst predictions; nevertheless, as President Nyusi said in his address to the nation yesterday, Mozambicans are also learning how to live with cyclone season. It will never be easy, but lessons do seem to have been learned since the tragedy of Idai in 2019.

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The latest from Zitamar News:

Shipping giant Maersk found sailing illegal timber from Mozambique to China
Danish shipping giant Maersk says it is concerned with curbing illegal timber trade. But the company shipped illegal timber from Mozambique to China several times between 2019 and 2021 — action described as "morally unforgivable"

Freddy flooding cuts Mozambique coal export routes
Flooding linked to tropical storm Freddy is preventing the export of coal, which accounts for more than a third of Mozambique’s export revenues

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From the Zitamar Live Blog:

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Cyclone Freddy has claimed 53 lives and displaced almost 50,000 people in Mozambique according to a new assessment from the country's disaster management agency INGD

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Also in the news:

• Filipe Nyusi announces measures to minimise impacts of Freddy

• Cyclone Freddy destroys 40 resettlement houses in Macuse 

• Mozambique says it has solutions for South Africa's electricity crisis 

• Floods hit sugar production in Maputo province

Today’s front pages in Maputo. Photo © Faizal Chauque / Zitamar News