affair, and also her 1,000 million pounds invested in Portugal and the Portuguese colonies., We in Mozambique are therefore facing a formidable international capitalist force, v/hich opposes anything that leads to our national
independence.
FOREIGN INVESTMENTS AND THE ARMED STRUGGLE IN MOZAMBIQUE
The world does not need to be told of Portugal's backward cultural, economic
and social development, her lack of a responsible democratic government. She
has nothing to offer the colonies but the reflection of her backwardness at
home. Annex I, an extract from a report by a Canadian observer team, illustrates
the methods she uses in Mozambique to maintain her evil colonial system.
Foreign capital, exploiting backward Portugal, has made its way into the
Portuguese African colonies - a fact which sometimes causes concern to the
Portuguese themselves who believe this is a "sell-out" policy of the colonies
"to Anglo-American capital, making it a foreign colony under the Portuguese
flag"! The Financial Times of 13 June. 1968 stated: "Foreign investors find
favourable conditions for private enterprise, low level of taxation, abundant
manpower for some light industries and wage levels considerably lower than in
most European countries.'* In 1965? of the 122 foreign countries which were
established in Portugal, 34 were British. One year later the trade deficit
of Portugal reached a total of £138 million with a sound increase the year
after. On the other hand, in .19679 she received a loan of £50 million from
Britain,, In that same year foreign capital invested there totalled £27 million.
All these investments allow Portugal to continue paying for her colonial war.
The Cabora Bassa Project
Meanwhile, foreign capital is pouring into Mozambique to build what will be
the fourth largest dam in the world* It is estimated to cost between £110
Million and £125 million. The following groups applied for the contract:
1. Cabora Bassa Builders(Paris) - French, American, South African
2. Cabora Bassa Construction Consortium - Italian, British, South African
3* Zambezi Hydroelectric Consortium - Paris(Zamco) West German, French,
Swedish, South African and Portuguese. The final contract was awarded to the
ZAMCO Consortium,
If those who support the fascist-colonialist regime of Portugal think that in
doing so they are harming only Africans they are mistaken. For the conditions
of the Portuguese people are also unbearable. On March 15t 1966, the weekly
"AKTUEL" published an interview with a Swedish engineer, formerly employed by
one of the 11 Swedish textile and clothing factories operating in Portugal.
Mr*. Karisson said he left his job, because "I was ashamed of being Swedish"
in a Swedish factory in Portugal v/here women enter the factory at the age
of 16 with a wage of 3 shillings a day. At 18 they reached the maximum of
6 shillings. History has shown that imperialism as a system never looks after
the welfare of the masses under its rule. Our welfare, therefore, cannot be
guaranteed by those who exploit the Portuguese people and the people of the
colonies. .What we want from the United Nations is not pious resolutions, but
concrete action, that will accelerate the process to our independence. For
this reason we have some proposals to make to the Committee.
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