Mozambique’s Prime Minister is certain that Samora Machel was killed

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Mozambique’s Prime Minister is certain that Samora Machel was killed

2:21 CAT | 18 Oct 2016

Antonio Silva / Lusa / Mozambican Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario, during the ceremony of the 30th anniversary of the death of former President of Mozambique, Samora Machel at Mbuzini, South Africa

Samora Machel, the first Mozambican president, died in a plane crash on October 19, 1986 in Mbuzini, South Africa, while traveling from Zambia and Maputo

Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario of Mozambique, said on Monday that his government is convinced that Samora Machel was killed, and that the truth would come out.

“It is our conviction that Samora Machel was killed by the enemy of self-determination, peace, equality among men, harmony and peaceful coexistence in Mozambique and the Southern Africa region,” said Agostinho do Rosario, speaking at the ceremonies commemorating the 30th anniversary of the death of the first Mozambican president.

Speaking in the village of Mbuzini, in South Africa, where on October 19, 1986, the plane carrying Machel crashed, the Mozambican prime minister said that the outcome of investigations into the accident continued to be a national priority and a patriotic imperative.

“We Mozambicans express our conviction that the truth about the barbaric murder of Samora Machel will one day be known by the people of the region, the world in general and, in particular, by the Mozambican people,” said Carlos Agostinho do Rosario, in the presence of the South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, Machel’s widow Graca, his sons and daughters and other relatives of the deceased head of state, members of the South African Mozambican government, local, religious and traditional leaders, as well as hundreds of guests, many of which from the African National Congress (ANC) and the Mozambique Liberation front (Frelimo), both parties in power.

The Mozambican government, he continued, appreciated and encouraged the ongoing efforts by the government of South Africa to clarify the circumstances of the tragic accident that killed President Samora Machel.

“We reiterate that our Government will continue to engage in efforts so that the circumstances are clarified in the accident that took the life of our late President and the delegation accompanying him,” he added, referring to the 34 members of the delegation who also died in the disaster.

For Carlos Agostinho do Rosario, the good outcome was that the Mozambican and South African people drew together in the common struggle against apartheid and colonial domination, and guided the two countries towards harmonious coexistence and sustainable development.

Rosario welcomed the decision taken by the South African government to declare the Samora Machel Monument of Mbuzini a South Africa national heritage site.

“This act will be the grounds for the historical immortalization of good relations between the Mozambican and South African peoples in the fight against all forms of racial, social and economic discrimination,” said the prime minister.

Agostinho do Rosário announced that the Mozambican government would likewise declare the monument and Interpretation Centre of Matola, dedicated to solidarity among the peoples of the two countries in the fight against apartheid, a Mozambique national cultural heritage site.

Rosario urged the Mozambican and South African peoples to continue to be guided by solidarity and friendship with other people towards a harmonious relationship based on friendship and cooperation, in order to keep alive the flame of Samora Machel.

The first Mozambican president died in a plane crash on October 19, 1986 in Mbuzini, in South Africa, while traveling between Zambia and Maputo.

The Mozambican authorities have always maintained that the plane was brought down intentionally by the in South African apartheid regime.

Source: Lusa