Chinese at it again

Chinese at it again

Just in case anyone ever thinks this is going to stop anytime soon…follow the following link to yet another shady Chinese exporter story.

https://furtherafrica.com/2017/03/16/illegal-chinese-exporter-of-prawns-in-mozambique/

Follow the story above to all sorts of Chinese horror stories. It’s not just shark fins, seahorses and sea cucumbers on the menu! Nope. Crabs and prawns also leave the country by the tonne – in completely illegal operations such as the one above.

And then there are the logs. The timber. The hardware. Chinese pillaging of this resource is costing the poor Mozambican people billions of dollars. Yes, billions. About USD 2.5 is the official estimate right now. Per year.

So, the Chinese give the government these huge loans. Big enough to build Africa’s biggest suspension bridge. In fact the biggest in the southern hemisphere. They give loans for building more roads and infrastructure. Hotels. The like…

And then. The contracts go to Chinese companies?! They bring their own labour! Equipment. Everything.

And these guys rape and pillage the resources whilst they are here. Any resources they can get hold of.

By the truck and container.

Here (below) is a really moving production put together by Dave Charley and Chris Scarffe. Narrated by the charismatic waterman from Praia do Tofo, in Southern Mozambique, Carlos Macuacua. After this movie they even took an undercover Chinese smuggling operation full on. They actually really endangered their own lives by doing what they did. Follow the trail of poaching and illegal fishing activities, all the way up the cartel network, to the warehouse in greater Maputo. Raided the place with cops and everything. Had the cartel destroyed. They went on TV in Mozambique! Their warehouse was filled to the maximum, with dried seahorses, sea cucumbers, shark fins and the like…Dave and Chris had to lie low for quite some time after the bust.

The movie highlights many current issues facing Mozambique and relates them to the Chinese influence regards blasting out every resource they can get their hands on.

Produced by Moz Images/Sangue Bom, in Tofo, Mozambique.

I hope you enjoyed the show. I saw the effort that the guys went through, to make it. All paid for by themselves. With no eye on any rewards whatsoever.

Except saving the marine wildlife of the world.

Out-take: Dave and Chris had to get to Pomene, to conduct more interviews with the fishermen of the shark camp down that lomng sandy road. For this movie. They hired a 4WD and headed north. And then North-East. About two thirds to the camp, their car overheated and broke down. Right in the middle of the track. There they sat, not knowing exactly what to do, except setup camp in the middle of the Pomene Reserve, and dig in.

The next morning, no cars came, and no people either. They were kind of hidden behind some bush and in a long valley so not even the locals came to help. They had supplies and some rum. So stayed another night. Eventually, early the next morning, as they were waking up, a car came. South African with GP plates and crew with bright red lips. Pumping sokkie. At 6am in the morning!

Scarpering from their tents, they emerged only to see the GP car go off-road. Right around them! And off to the main road.

Leaving them there for another two days!