The Maputo Files – 28 March 2022 – Maputo to Gaborone

My brief, but most enjoyable, visit to Maputo has come to an end. A brief recap of the city is in order. Maputo was officially named Lourenço Marques until 1976, after chief Maputsu I of the Tembe clan, a subgroup of Tsonga people. Maputo, the capital city is the most populous city of Mozambique. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (2017) distributed over a land area of 347,69 km2. Maputo is a port city, with an economy centered on commerce. In fact, Maputo is the closest port for Johannesburg, being closer than Durban. The major exports through the port are cotton, chromite, sisal, hardwood, sugar and copra. Maputo is noted for its vibrant cultural scene and distinctive, eclectic architecture. Four major rivers empty into the Indian Ocean near where Maputo is situated. How cosmopolitan the city is can be gauged from the diverse languages spoken like Bantu, Tsonga, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese and Indian languages as well as the cultures.

Maputo has a number of interesting landmarks like the Maputo Railway Station, the fortress, Independence Square, City Hall, Catembe Ferry, Tunduru Botanical Park, Iron House, Central Market, Natural History Museum and the Bay. The city must have been one of the most aesthetically attractive cities in the world at one time, for the current dilapidated condition speaks volumes of its past. The wide tree lined avenues, carefully planned blocks and a salubrious climate earned the city names such as City of Acacias and Pearl of the Indian Ocean. The educational scene in the city is enhanced by the Pedagogical University, Sao Tomas University and the oldest University in the country, the Eduardo Mondlane University.

I was at the Maputo airport by 6 am for the 7.40 am departure, thanks to Sevi. South Africa has removed need for RTPCR test result and Botswana had waived that for triple vaccinated guests a month ago. The check-in clerk asked me for RTPCR test result and I asserted that I did not need one being a triple vaccinated traveller. He checked on the computer and then demanded to see my visa for Botswana. He did not seem satisfied to issue the boarding pass with the multiple entry visa in my passport. He cross-checked with another colleague and issued my boarding passes duly booking the baggage through to Gaborone.

When I put my bag on the security belt the guard asked how much of Mozambique currency I was carrying. Sevi had warned me that the guards would try to persuade me to give them the left over cash. I told him off sternly, and when the bag went through, another guard tried his hand. I told him that checking currency was not his duty. He stood down and I walked past the gaping mouth.

With about 30 minutes to go for boarding I walked around and bought a couple of fridge magnets. The scheduled boarding time came and went and there was no visible activity at the gate, except for patient travellers waiting to board turning their heads here and there trying to find out what was going on. The flight time was also breached and no one from the airline, Airlink, was visible. I accosted a security person and asked what the delay was about. She said that the airport had been closed for a Presidential flight to land and that the flight to Johannesburg would be delayed by an hour. It was indeed most baffling as to why the delay was not announced to the waiting passengers, some of them with sharp connections in Johannesburg.

The long awaited Presidential flight landed a few minutes after 8 am and the Airlink flight was permitted to board at a half past. The flight was almost full. After landing in Johannesburg and completing the transfer formality I waited for the connection to Gaborone, which was at 1650 hours. The Jacksons cafe and restaurant was just beside my Gate, A06. It has good lounging chairs, work stations and charging sockets with a full view of the runways and tarmacs. I had over seven hours to kill. Soon after I took a place in the restaurant the waiter came along to ask me what he could get me. A cappuccino was the obvious choice. I have never ever before taken two hours over a coffee and I also never knew that my patience would last that long. The coffee went from super hot to super cold in that time. Close to 2 pm I ordered chicken nuggets with fries. By the time I got through those and a bottle of coke it was time to board the flight to Gaborone.

The boarding took for ever. The full flight landed in Gaborone a few minutes before time and that is when the ordeal started. Ahead of the Immigration counters is a counter for screening Covid related documents. Wow of woes, the counter was manned by just one lady who was doing the best she could. It took over an hour for me to get to the counter. I showed the triple vaccination certificate and submitted the self declaration form before I was registered and passed on to the immigration. The lady at the immigration counter was in some sort of mild banter with her colleagues when she scrutinized the passport and visa before she stamped the passport for my entry once again into the country.