Mozambican police shut down resorts

MOZAMBICAN authorities repossessed a South African-owned resort in the south of the country last Friday and Saturday despite a pending court decision on the suspension of the resort's permit, state media reported.

Provincial agriculture, tourism and public ministry authorities sent the special police force, FIR, to the La Perla do Bilene resort in Bilene in the southern province Gaza a week ago, evicting the inhabitants, removing their possessions and changing the locks, according to state Sunday newspaper Domingo.

The land borders on properties linked to Mozambican president Armando Guebuza and former president Joaquim Chissano.

The resort's parent-company, Perola, "did not comply with the business plan, subject to the application for land," reported the newspaper.

All land in Mozambique is public property and individuals or business obtain a lease, or right, to use the land. But they can own the buildings and other constructions on the land.

In 2005 the Gaza provincial governor Djalma Lourenco, suspended Perola's permit to use the land because the company had subdivided and sold parcels of land instead of developing it for tourism only, according to the newspaper.

The company launched five unsuccessful court cases to overturn the permit suspension, said the newspaper.

In September last year, the public ministry applied to the administrative court to have the property and buildings registered in the name of the state. The court rejected the application in June this year.

The state next launched a case at the country's supreme court, but repossessed the land and buildings before the court decision.

Provincial tourism authorities have been closing a number of resorts in the Gaza and Inhambane provinces over the last year for alleged misuse of tourism permits. This is the first known case where police have forcefully evicted inhabitants.