Daviz Simango
{{Short description|Mayor of Beira, Mozambique, from 2003 to 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Daviz Simango
| image = Daviz Simango.jpg
| order =
| office = Mayor of Beira
| term_start = 2003
| term_end = 2021
| predecessor = Chivavice Muchangage
| successor =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1964|2|7|df=y}}
| birth_place = Tanganyika
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|2|22|1964|2|7|df=y}}
| nationality = Mozambican
| spouse =
| party = MDM {{small|(2009–2021)}}
RENAMO {{small|(1997–2009)}}
| children =
| relations = Lutero Simango
(brother)
| residence =
| alma_mater = Eduardo Mondlane University
| profession = Civil Engineer
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| website = {{URL|www.davizsimango.org}}
| footnotes =
| parents = Uria Simango
(father)
}}
Daviz Mbepo Simango (7 February 1964 – 22 February 2021) was a Mozambican politician who was Mayor of Beira from 2003 to the day of his death in February 2021. He was also the President of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM). He was son of Uria Timoteo Simango the first Vice-President of FRELIMO and Celina Tapua Simango. He joined the main opposition party RENAMO in 1997 and became Mayor of Beira in 2003 as its candidate.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8328788.stm#daviz|title=Daviz Mbepo Simango|last=Tembe|first=Jose|date=27 October 2009|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2009-11-03}} On March 6, 2009, he founded a new party, the Movimento Democrático de Moçambique, or MDM.
Early life
Daviz Simango was born in 1964 to parents Uria Timoteo Simango and Celina Tapua Simango, and grew up in Beira, Mozambique. His brother is politician Lutero Simango.{{Cite web |last=Fauvet |first=Paul |title=MDM elects Lutero Simango as its presidential candidate |url=https://aimnews.org/2024/05/05/mdm-elects-lutero-simango-as-its-presidential-candidate/ |access-date=2024-11-12 |language=pt-PT}} He was raised by relatives after his parents were executed in a reeducation camp in northern Mozambique for their status as dissidents within the Mozambican ruling party.{{cite book |last1=Gerety |first1=Rowan Moore |title=Go Tell the Crocodiles |date=2018 |publisher=The New Press |isbn=978-1620972762}}
Mayor of Beira
Daviz Simango ran for and was elected mayor of Beira, a major Mozambican city on the Indian Ocean, in 2003. At the time he was a member of Mozambique's primary opposition party, RENAMO.
Simango was reelected mayor of Beira in 2009 as a member of his own political party, Movimento Democrático de Moçambique. He was re-elected as mayor every election cycle and served continually until his death in 2021.{{cite news |last1=Meldrum |first1=Andrew |title=Influential mayor of Mozambique city dies of COVID-19 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/influential-mayor-mozambique-city-dies-covid-19-76047575 |access-date=25 February 2021 |agency=ABC News |date=22 February 2021}}
After his first election, Simango faced obstruction from national ruling party FRELIMO, who refused to grant Simango's administration access to government buildings.
During his time as mayor, Simango oversaw a $120 million USD climate adaptation project, involving a system of drainage canals and retaining basins to protect urban neighborhoods from rising sea levels.{{cite news |last1=Anna |first1=Cara |title=Mozambique city fought climate change, but cyclone roared in |url=https://apnews.com/article/b95c3aa3521e45f196574d949b585931 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=AP News |publisher=The Associated Press |date=27 March 2019}} Simango was also mayor during Cyclone Idai, an Indian Ocean cyclone that made landfall near Beira, killing hundreds and destroying a majority of the city's infrastructure.{{cite news |last1=Yee |first1=Amy |title=Mozambique Looks Beyond Cyclone Idai to Better Protection in the Future |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/12/climate/mozambique-climate-change-protection.html |access-date=25 February 2021 |agency=New York Times |work=New York Times |date=12 May 2019}} In the wake of the storm, Simango worked on the streets to establish emergency services in the city, and spoke out internationally against climate change.{{cite news |last1=Shapiro |first1=Ari |title=Mayor Of Beira, Mozambique, Wants Trump To See The Damage From Cyclone Idai |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/04/09/711536582/mayor-of-beira-mozambique-wants-trump-to-see-the-damage-from-cyclone-idai |access-date=25 February 2021 |agency=NPR |publisher=NPR |date=9 April 2019}}
Founding of MDM
In 2009, Simango left RENAMO after party leaders did not nominate him as the party's candidate for mayor.{{cite news |last1=Lopes |first1=Marina |title=Mozambique mayor puts fear in Frelimo |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mozambique-politics/mozambique-mayor-puts-fear-in-frelimo-idUSBRE88J0ST20120920 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=Reuters |publisher=Reuters |date=20 September 2012}} At this time, Daviz Simango founded a new political party, the Movimento Democrático de Moçambique (Democratic Movement of Mozambique), popularly known as MDM. MDM is now the third major political party in Mozambique after the long term duopoly of ruling party FRELIMO and opposition party RENAMO.{{cite news |last1=Allison |first1=Simon |title=Mozambique: The little opposition party that could |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2014-10-08-mozambique-the-little-opposition-party-that-could/ |access-date=25 February 2021 |agency=The Daily Maverick |date=8 October 2014}}
2009 presidential election
Simango was the MDM candidate in the 28 October 2009 presidential election.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/28/world/AP-AF-Mozambique-Elections.html|title=Mozambique's President Expected to Win Re-election |date=October 28, 2009|work=The New York Times|accessdate=2009-11-03}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot|fix-attempted=yes}} He placed third with 8.6% of the total vote in the election.[https://web.archive.org/web/20140221091028/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gJnl5eLxKFFLqk1nty_T8qfPgW_g "Mozambique's Guebuza re-elected in landslide"], AFP, 11 November 2009.
2014 presidential election
Simango was the MDM candidate in the 15 October 2014 Mozambican presidential election. He placed third, with 6.4% of the vote.{{cite news |last1=Mucari |first1=Manuel |title=Frelimo's Nyusi wins Mozambique elections: provisional results |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mozambique-election/frelimos-nyusi-wins-mozambique-elections-provisional-results-idUSKCN0ID1GC20141024 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=Reuters |publisher=Reuters |date=24 October 2014}}
2019 presidential election
Simango was the MDM candidate in the 15 October 2019 Mozambican presidential election. During the campaign period, ruling party supporters blocked Simango from campaigning in Chokwe District in southern Mozambique.{{cite web |title=Mozambique: Police Linked to Killing of Election Observer |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/10/09/mozambique-police-linked-killing-election-observer |website=Hrw.org |date=9 October 2019 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |access-date=25 February 2021}} The election results were marred by accusations of widespread corruption and Simango placed third.{{cite news |title=Nyusi wins Mozambique presidential poll in landslide |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/27/nyusi-wins-mozambique-presidential-poll-in-landslide |access-date=25 February 2021 |agency=Al Jazeera |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=27 October 2019}}
Death
Daviz Simango died on 22 February 2021, fifteen days after his birthday. He was 57 years old.{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210222-mozambican-opposition-mayor-climate-fighter-dies-aged-57-family|title=Mozambican opposition mayor, climate fighter dies aged 57: family|date=February 22, 2021|website=France 24}} He flew to Johannesburg for medical care on 13 February 2021 and died nine days later of complications of COVID-19 and diabetes.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simango, Daviz}}
Category:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
Category:Mayors of places in Mozambique
Category:Democratic Movement of Mozambique politicians
Category:Mozambican Protestants