Maputo, May 25, 2026 (Lusa) – Thera Dai, the first woman elected president of Mozambique's Bar Association, wants to ensure respect for these professionals' rights and guarantee nationwide knowledge and mastery of the statutes, considering this the profession's "greatest difficulty."
“We cannot accept, and we cannot allow, other bodies and entities to ignore a lawyer's prerogatives during their work,” she told Lusa in an interview. “We are taking measures to implement and publicise nationwide to ensure that these lawyers can effectively practice and that others respect their prerogatives.”
The president-elect, who has not yet taken office, wants additional measures to publicise lawyers' prerogatives, including holding individuals accountable whenever an association member's guarantees are violated.
“We intend to implement accountability very incisively because we are talking about a professional who practices based on a statutory provision. If ignorance exists, we will ensure that the country truly knows and masters our statutes and prerogatives,” she said.
The association has a total of 3,373 active registered lawyers, comprising 2,204 men and 1,169 women.
It submitted a complaint to the Attorney General's Office accusing police officers of assaulting a defence lawyer inside a Maputo police station in May.
Thera Dai believes that defending and respecting lawyers' prerogatives remains the biggest challenge professionals face, creating a need for measures that allow the profession to practice with impartiality and freedom.
“We are talking about rights, not privileges. No one or no other organisation can protect its members except the organisation to which they belong, which is Mozambique's Bar Association [OAM],” said the president-elect, who won the vote in late April.
She also pointed out cultural, institutional, and financial challenges in Mozambique's legal profession that lead female lawyers to abandon the practice and choose a “safer and more peaceful” career, a scenario she intends to combat during her mandate, which begins in July.
“Nothing is better than a woman to address and respond to another woman's challenges. One of the effective responses and measures we intend to present is the nationwide application of our gender policy to ensure that female lawyers can practice in an environment that is not only free but also healthy, where people respect their rights. Women do not demand privileges or favours; these are rights. They are constitutionally enshrined rights,” she said.
Thera Dai's candidacy and election, a first in the OAM's 32-year history, paves the way for more women to run for leadership positions in the country, particularly within the bar association.
“There was indeed a need to break this barrier, to break this paradigm, and we broke it. From now on, people should view these processes naturally. Any woman who wishes to run for a leadership position, whether in the association or any other institution, should feel free to do so,” said the president-elect, who takes office in July for a term running until 2029.
Thera Dai won the April election with 783 votes, succeeding Carlos Martins.
The new president outperformed the other candidates, namely Stayleir Marroquim, who obtained 463 votes, Pedro Macarringue, with 414 votes, and Samuel Hlavanguane, who received 108 votes.
“I ran knowing that the purpose was to win. The purpose was always to win. I could not be dishonest and say otherwise,” the 42-year-old president-elect told Lusa, adding that she has the “best team” to meet the needs of Mozambique's lawyers.
Thera Dai holds a law degree from the Higher Institute of Science and Technology of Mozambique and is a senior lawyer with over 17 years of professional experience, focusing primarily on corporate law, investment, foreign exchange control, natural resources, public law, and real estate law.
She developed an active institutional and associative career within Mozambique's Bar Association, participating in initiatives and debates on promoting the legal profession, defending professional prerogatives, and strengthening the rule of law in the country.
LN/LYT // ADB.
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