The Maputo Directive

When Vince Kunda flies into Mozambique, the country is facing a double threat of torrential rains moving in from South Africa, and a developing tropical cyclone named ‘Eline’ moving in from the Indian Ocean and threatening to make landfall within a few days. Vince is a former intelligence officer with the secret service in Zambia, but is now on the run, after going at odds with politicians and the police. He flies into Maputo from Portugal on an assignment to negotiate a deal with Major General Matsangaissa, who is leading a violent RENAMO faction in the jungles of northern Mozambique.

Matsangaissa is a staunch Marxist Leninist. He is accusing the RENAMO leadership of being sellouts, and threatens to scuttle the ongoing peace talks with the government. Taking on the role as Vince’ case officer is Selinha. She is a former Mozambican secret service operative. She would be based in nearby Swaziland, because she faces arrest if she dares to step into Mozambique. She too is on the run, from the Mozambican police.

The assignment has been planned to fine detail, but the entrance of Rubio Armando, the head of the criminal police department, and Major General Ernestos Marxine Goncalves, the local security services chief, throws spanners in the works. Vince though finding himself pitted against an ever growing number of enemies, still believes he can complete the assignment. But then, he finds a gun sticking into the small of his back after a visit to a local museum, and things go from bad to worse after that.