Nicodemus Minde
 |
| Machel, Julius Nyerere and Augustino Neto |
It has been 26 years since liberation
hero Samora Machel was assassinated by Apartheid South Africa. Machel struggled
for the liberation of Mozambique throughout his life.
A revolutionary leader,
Machel carried out guerilla warfare to oust the Portuguese from Mozambique. In
1962 Machel joined the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique or FRELIMO, as it
was called by most. FRELIMO was dedicated to creating an independent
Mozambique. In 1963 Samora Machel left Mozambique and traveled to several other
African nations where he received military training. In 1964 he returned to
Mozambique and led FRELIMO's first guerilla attack against the Portuguese in
northern Mozambique. Machel spent most of his time in the field with his men,
leading them in combat and sharing their dangers and hardships. By 1970 Samora
Machel became commander and chief of the Frelimo army. He believed in guerilla
war and Frelimo's army established itself among the poor in Mozambique's.
Upon Mozambique’s independence in 1975 Samora
Machel supported and allowed revolutionaries fighting white minority regimes in
Rhodesia and South Africa to operate within Mozambique. Both of these countries
attacked Mozambique with an anti-Frelimo organization called RENAMO. On October
19, 1986 Samora Machel was on his way back from an international meeting in
Zambia in the presidential Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft when the plane crashed in
the Lebombo Mountains, near Mbuzini.
Initial reports indicated that the
president was alive after the crash and that he was poisoned thereafter. There
is no doubt that the apartheid government led by the foreign ministry in South
Africa. It has been 26 years but there is no official report on the death of
this great African leader. Pik Botha, the apartheid foreign minister for 17
years, is said to be one of the top officials who arrived at the scene of the
crash within 30 minutes, accompanied by a doctor from the "Seventh Medical
Battalion" based in Pretoria. What else could he have gone to do at the
crash site other than to confirm that Machel was no more.
The lies
·
South
African foreign minister Pik Botha suggested that the Russian crew were high on
Vodka. But the alcohol concentration was found to be normal for a decomposing
corpse.
·
Pik
Botha said the plane was obsolete, which was far from the truth.
The Questions
Why was Pik Botha one of the first people
to arrive on the crash site?
Did you know?
·
There
was no weather vagaries contrary to earlier beliefs that that could have forced
the plane to crash?
·
On
that fateful night (October 19 1986), there was a significant concentration of
South African Special Forces in the area. And there was a full military alert?
Bio of Samora Machel
Names: Machel, Samora
Born: 29 September 1933,
village of Chilembene, Mozambique
Died: 20 October 1986,
Border of Mozambique and South Africa
In summary: Politician and
Freedom Fighter. Revolutionary leader of the Mozambican liberation movement
FRELIMO and Mozambique's first President, killed in a controversial plane crash
in 1986.
'South Africa has lost its greatest son' those were the words of South African President Jacob Zuma while announcing the passing of Nelson Mandela. Mandela lived and changed the world. A great man and icon of freedom. He served humanity, influenced humanity and taught us the essence of struggle for humanity. His passing reminds us of his enduring legacy of struggle for justice for all, service and dedication. As a young man, Mandela was a great inspiration of our time. His selfless character and enviable reputation of simplicity has shaped and will continue to shape me. As a Tanzanian, he together with Mwalimu Julius Nyerere remain my political role models. 
