Samora Moisés Machel (September 29th 1933, Chilembene, Mozambique - October 19th 1986, Mbuzini, South Africa) is a Mozambican Politician, member of the FreLiMo and first president of independent Mozambique between 1975 and 1986.

Formation

Of religion Protesting E, Samora Machel is the son of a small chief Shangaan of the province of Gaza.

It is provided education for with the Mission Catholique nearest where it gains the nickname of " rebelle" but following the death of his/her brother in a mine in South Africa, Samora Machel is obliged to cease its studies, for lack of appropriations. He manages nevertheless to begin a formation from male nurse and is engaged at the hospital of Lourenço-Marks. He becomes then the personal male nurse attached to a Portuguese lady doctor.

In 1961, Machel meets Eduardo Mondlane, a Mozambican intellectual fights about it against the Colonialisme Portuguese in Mozambique, of return to the country with the head of a mission on behalf of UNO.

In 1963, Samora Machel leaves his wife and chooses to join the independence fight against the colonial power portuguaise. Machel integrates the FreLiMo (Face of release of Mozambique) and joined its chief, Mondlane, with Dar Es Salaam. It then follows a formation military in Algérie and formed part the September 25th 1964 of the 250 guerillas of Frelimo who start the Armed struggle against Portugal.

In 1966, he becomes secretary with the defense of Frelimo, succeeding Felipe Magaia, died in the combat. In 1968, Machel becomes commander-in-chief of the armed forces and enters to the central committee of Frelimo.

After the assassination of Eduardo Mondlane in 1969, it reaches the direction of the party within a Triumvirat with Marcelino Dos Santos and the reverend Uria Simango. Samora Machel represents then the wing Marxiste and multiracial vis-a-vis holding of the current Africanist. As of 1970, it is imposed upon its two rivals and takes only the direction of the Marxist liberation movement .

It privileges the effort of war then. His second wife, Josina, are then killed during an offensive. It will become a martyr of the liberation movement. In 1973, it remakes its life with Graça Simbine.

With the capacity

Following the Revolution of the eyelets in 1974 in Portugal, the successor of the dictator Salazar, Caetano, is reversed by the army. The new leaders wish to put an end to the colonial wars which the Portuguese army carries out in Africa by granting independence to its possessions (Mozambique, Angola and Cape Verde). Frelimo is then the privileged interlocutor of Portugal. an agreement of cease-fire is signed in Lusaka and a fixed calendar envisaging a provisional government, the independence of Mozambique and elections pluralist.

Mozambique becomes independent the June 25th 1975. FreLiMo is then with the head of a government of national union but the competitors or opponents are quickly isolated.

Samora Machel is elected president of the republic and pushes with the development of a company Socialiste and joined the Soviet Bloc.

The regional situation is complicated: Mozambique shelters the base camps of the armed liberation movements South-African, ANC and rhodésien, ZANU. Their sides, South Africa, always under the mode of Apartheid and the white government of Rhodesia support financially and logistiquement the ReNaMo, an armed movement, which attacks the Mozambican infrastructure. Economically, the Soviet assistance is not enough and the economic relations and policies with the two neighbors of the South are tended. Nevertheless, Machel succeeds in remaining popular among the population.

In 1979, Renamo is weakened when its leader is killed. In 1980, the support of Rhodesia ceases with the advent in its place of the Zimbabwe. But the Civil war continues, dividing the country in two.

As of 1980, Samora Machel also realizes of the inefficiency of its economic policy and in 1983 is diverted Socialisme to require the assistance of the the IMF. The country then knows a dryness without precedent and the famine coupled with the civil war contributes to do of Mozambique one of the poorest countries of the world. Following the exactions of Renamo, Samora Machel makes restore the whiplashes in public and the Capital punishment.

In 1984, the economic difficulties forces it to approach South Africa. It signs the Accords of Nkomati with the president Pieter Botha expect that the South-African ones cease supporting Renamo against the withdrawal of the Mozambican support for ANC and with the movements anti Apartheid established on its ground. The agreement is not finally respected of share and others in spite of the serene relations established on the level of the respective ministries of the two countries.

The October 19th 1986, Samora Machel flies away then for the Zambia to discuss the sitation with the Zambian, Angolan and Zairean presidents. The top proceeds in the calm one in spite of a tended environment. Mobutu is shown to support as much Unita in Angola that Renamo in Mozambique. The Malawi, not represented at the top, is also suspected by Machel of giving asylum to the rebels of Renamo. Machel had threatened a few months before economic Malawi of Blocus and rocket fires whereas the Ambassade of Malawi was put at bag with Maputo in September.

The death of Samora Machel

The October 19th 1986 in the afternoon, Machel returned by plane of this top of Lusaka when its Tupolev 134 is crushed on the sides of the mountains Lebombo with 300 meters of the border between South Africa and Mozambique, close to Mbuzini. Machel and 24 other occupants die, nine survive. After one short period of interim, Joaquim Chissano becomes president of Mozambique the November 6th 1986. In December, it signed a treaty of friendship and co-operation with fine Malawi putting at the tensions between the two countries.

Investigations

The commission of international survey, joined together in vertue the convention of Chicago on the crash landing air, including in particular the Astronaut Frank Borman and directed by South-African judge Cecil Margo, returned his report/ratio in January 1987. Although Soviet (as manufacturers of the plane) and the Mozambicans (owners) declined officially the invitation of right which had been made to them take part in work of the international commission, the teams of investigations of the three countries implied exchanged information and conclusions. The Commission Report Margo proposed an error of the Russian pilot which would not have asked for the checks of use after it is saw, as the block boxes confirmed it, that it had been diverted. The Mozambicans refused very blamed of the tower of control of Maputo whereas the Soviet board of inquiry accused a mobile beacon (VOR) which would have deluded the apparatus towards the hills wooded with Transvaal. Some then accused the South-African secret services which would have used a technology obtained of the Israeli Mossad . The apparatuses of navigation, and in particular the altimeter, showing false measurements, the pilot believed himself above the mountains by looking at his altimeter whereas it slipped by inside.

In 1996, a report/ratio of the Commission truth and reconciliation recommended a complement of investigations to clear up certaints litigious points.

The February 9th 2006, Charles Nqakula - South-African Minister for safety - ordered that a complement of investigation is carried out.

Mrs. Machel

The woman of Machel, Graça Machel, old Minister for education, will remariera herself later on (in July 1998) with the South African president Nelson Mandela. She devotes herself to discover the persons in charge for death of its first husband.

External bonds

• Speech of Nelson Mandela to the inauguration of the Memorial Samora Machel
• Report/ratio on the death of Machel by the Commission Truth and South-African Reconciliation.
• New investigation