The Chinese are now doing business all over Africa and Mozambique is no exception. It’s all about money, of course, and more often than not, it’s about who is going to get whose money!
The other day when O’D went to see Danke Liu, who is hiring our tractor, he found Danke in the middle of a dispute with his Mozambican landlord. Danke had paid for electricity and for some reason the landlord (who worked for the electricity department) had cut off his electricity. So Danke was moving out.
The landlord hadn’t liked this and had insisted that Danke, there and then, hand over rent for the entire month he would not be staying in the house. To make sure Danke paid up, the landlord put a chain on the gate of the walled-in property and was keeping Danke, his Chinese right-hand man and Mateus, his Mozambican driver, captive in the house!
When O’D drove up the street, he saw Mateus running down the road, waving his arms at him. Climbing over the wall, Mateus had managed to make his escape.
Together, they went to the house where O’D broke the chain to the gate.
The young Chinaman was furious at the way he had been treated. Eyes glinting behind his glasses, he had some words for his absentee Mozambican landlord jailer.
“I’m not going to pay him ANYTHING now!” he said.
And heaving his baggage into his car, they all drove off to his new rented home in Chimoio.
trees4moz.org 