Southern Africa remembers Samora Machel

Mozambique’s first President, Samora Machel has been remembered in Southern Africa on the 30th anniversary of his death.

The revolutionary leader is a symbol of freedom in Mozambique and in the Southern African region where he supported the liberation struggle even after his country gained independence in 1975.

He famously accommodated liberation fighters from across the region.

‘‘From him (Samora) we learned that the task of the African Revolution is to invent a new society whose cornerstone is the welfare of all, not the exploitation of one by another’‘, said South African Vice President, Cyril Ramaphosa.

His widow, Graca Machel, leaders from the region and government officials gathered at the site of the crash that killed him in Mbuzini in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Mozambican Prime Minister, Carlos Augusto De Rosario told the gathering,
“For Mozambique, the handover of the dossier about the death of Samora Machel, continues to be a national priority, and a patriotic imperative. We appreciate and encourage the efforts underway that the South African Government owes us with regards to the clandestine circumstances in the tragic accident that took the life of Samora Machel.”

Samora Machel was killed with 33 others when his presidential aircraft crashed in the mountainous countryside en route to Mozambique from Zambia.

Investigations into the cause of the plane crash were inconclusive.

Reuters