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PRESS CONFERENCE
by Filip Johannes Madzodzere
The Situation in the Portuguese Prisons in
MOZAMBIQUE
I.
I wish to congratulate the Tanganyika Government and the People
of Tanganyika for their victory over the colonialist and imperialist
domination.
And I thank the Tanganyika Government for their cooperation and
hospitality to allow the downtrodden Africans of Mozambique a chance
to mobilize and to unite politically under the name of the Mozambique
Liberation Front.  I believe their assistance shall continue till we
achieve a complete liberation of our motherland - MOZAMBIQUE.
II.
The Arrest
I believe that some of you heard about my arrest, and some
wondered how and why I was arrested.
When I v/as in Southern Rhodesia in I960, I joined a Mozambique
African burial society for the benefit of Africans of MOZAMBIQUE.
It was an organization to help Mozambicans who were working in
Southern Rhodesia.
In 1961 I was elected the Chairman of this organization; it
was called THE PORTUGUESE EaST aFRICa SOCIETY.  Under my leadership
the organization was running magnificently, carrying on its aims,
objectives, principles and programmes v/hich were laid down in its
constitution approved by the Southern Rhodesian Government.
But on the 9th February 1962, when I was working in the office
of  the defunct federal Prime Minister as Sir Roy Vellensky's personal
messenger, two white policemen came in plain clothes:  one was a
Portuguese PIDE agent and the other was Mr. R. Evans of the Federal
Immigration Department who is also acting as a PIDE agent in Salisbury.
They arrested me at 3:20 p.m. on Friday, the 9th February 1962.
After they had handcuffed me I asked to know the reason why they
arrested me.  They told me that they would tell me when they arrived
at the Police Station.
I was taken to Hatfield Police Station where I was detained for
twelve hours until the following morning.  I took a plane at 7:00 a.m.
accompanied by R. Evans to Beira (MOZAMBIQUE).  A forgery plane
ticket was issued to me in the name of J. Copley. (Exhibit.)
When I arrived in Beira at 9:00a.m.;  at about 5:30 p.m. I took
a Portuguese Air Force plane to Lourenço Marques with other 34
(thirty-four) political prisoners who were arrested in Beira, among
them was Mr. ALFREDO ROBERTO de aMaRGO, a male nurse in Beira working in the Capitania do Porto de Beira (Health Service in the Beira
Harbour) who was also involved in my case.
When I arrived in Lourenço Marques, I v/as received by PIDE
Inspector named C. ROCHA and his assistant SOUSa BRITO and greeted
me just as people v/hen greeting a snake trying to enter in someone's
house.  For a couple of minutes in PIDE headquarters they started
to ask me about Mozambique political underground movements which
they said were affiliated to P. E. A. Society.
I told them that the Society had nothing to do with politics,
and I advised them to prove it through its constitution.
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