In memory of Samora Machel
ON October 19, 1986, a dark cloud hung over Mozambique, Zimbabwe and the entire Southern African region as the news of the death of the then Mozambique President, Samora Moises Machel, filtered through.
The liberation icon had died in the Transvaal, a province under the apartheid regime of South Africa, in a plane crash.
Cde Machel was an unassuming military commander who had risen through the ranks to become the foremost leader of Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), the guerrilla movement which fought a brutal war against Portuguese colonialism and tyranny which resulted in the independence bell being rung on June 25, 1975.
His works speak for themselves. Born in 1933, Cde Machel died at 53. Sadly his ideals had not yet reached their full potential at the time the Soviet-made Tupolev plane crashed, killing the revered leader alongside his 34 comrades under suspicious circumstances.
To this day, no one has been able to unravel the cause of the mysterious plane crash, although conspiracy theories point an accusing finger on the apartheid rulers.
This man had trained as a nurse but opted to join Frelimo.
Portuguese administration would applyd corporal punishment to anyone who dared oppose them and Cde Machel was against this brutality.
At the time, according to well documented historical sources, the young men and women who joined the war thought it would take a long time, even decades, before Mozambique could enjoy majority rule.
They were judging by the ferocity of the Salazar regime in Lisbon.
It took unimaginable courage to leave one’s home to an unknown destination, yet Cde Machel did that at the age of 20.
Cde Machel was never one to shy away from responsibility. He assumed the chairmanship of Frelimo after Dr Eduardo Mondlane’s demise and pledged to continue the fight until final victory which duly came in 1975.
It was this support for the voiceless and the oppressed which catapulted Cde Samora to become a friend of the Zimbabwean people
during their darkest hours of need.
As a Pan-Africanist, Cde Machel was also a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary who believed that independence for Mozambique was useless if its neighbour was still in chains.
Thus, he allowed Zanla to set up base in Mozambique with the result that Tembwe, Nyadzonia and Chimoio, among other settlements, became refugee and training camps for the liberation movement.
Frelimo fighters were in the thick of things in the Second Chimurenga as they fought tenaciously on the side of Zipa and Zanla.
Mozambique and Zimbabwe are Siamese twins. An attack on one is an attack on the duo.
Accordingly, Zimbabwe has found it worthwhile to remain friendly to the country which has been an all-weather friend since time immemorial.
Historians will tell you that under the Mutapa and the Rozvis, the kingdom extended to Mozambique and that means without doubt, the two countries share a common history.
From this writer’s brief study of history, the Gaza Empire extended to Chipinge and Chimanimani and therefore the people along the border share cultural and linguistic styles with the people of Gaza.
Cde Machel’s wife, Graca Simbine, came from the Gaza Province. In the Mount Selinda area, you come across the Simbines, which proves that we are indeed one people with the people of Mozambique.
As a socialist, Cde Machel envisaged an egalitarian society where the wealth of the nation would be shared without rancor.
Cde Machel was anti-tribalism and would whip liberation movements in line when they were entertaining petty tribal politics.
Upon his death, Zimbabwe’s loss was summed in the song ‘Zvibota’, which was sung by Real Unique Natural Notion, fronted by Peter ‘The Cool Dude’ Mparutsa.
The song became an instant hit.
At the University of Zimbabwe and other tertiary institutions in the region, students voiced their anger at the South African apartheid regime in the aftermath of Cde Machel’s death.
That was solidarity of the highest order. Cde Machel himself was passionate about solidarity and he was once quoted saying: “Solidarity is not a charity act. It is co-operation, mutual support between people striving to reach the same goal.’’
Cde Machel was a leader extraordinaire. He did not crumble under the relentless onslaught of the Rhodesian Army as they tried to stop him from supporting Africa’s liberation movements.
He lost millions of dollars in destroyed infrastructure, but remained resolute to the end.
In recognition of Cde Machel’s invaluable input in the liberation of Zimbabwe, Samora Machel Avenue (formerly Jameson Street) in Harare was named after him.
Cde Machel’s work in the emancipation of Zimbabwe can never be forgotten.
Posterity should appreciate that the man played a pivotal role at the Lancaster House Conference as he argued that peace should be given a chance.
Viva Mozambicn independence! Viva Zimbabwean independence! Abashachikonyoka!