South African History Online

Speech by President Nelson Mandela at the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the death of President Samora Machel

Mbuzini, 17 October 1996

Your excellency, President Joaquim Chissano;
Premier Matthews
Phosa;
Cabinet Ministers;
Mrs. Graca Machel and members of the Machel
family;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen,

We are gathered here on the soil of a liberated South Africa to pay homage to
a universal hero, a son of Mozambique and indeed a son of Africa, who dedicated
his life to the freedom of us all.

Ten years ago today, Samora Machel drenched the soil of our land with his
blood. A tragedy had befallen Mozambique, South Africa, Africa and beyond.

Yet as we shed the tears of grief and disbelief, we knew that Samora had
cemented a bond between our two peoples that no force could sever. He had made a
final statement which fired us all with anew determination to free the
sub-continent from the scourge of war and human suffering.

Certainty about the precise chain of events which robbed Africa of one of her
greatest leaders, still eludes us.

We do now, though, that at that time savage wounds were being inflicted on
our beloved Southern Africa by the apartheid war machine. No corner of the
region was spared the cruelty and scorched earth barbarity of the defenders of
this crime against humanity. No country that identified with the yearning of the
South African people, no leader who expressed practical solidarity with them,
was spared.

Today we recall Samora Machel's words that "solidarity is not charity, but
mutual aid in pursuit of shared objectives". Thus, in acknowledging the terrible
sacrifice of Mozambicans in our long walk to freedom, we do so proud of the fact
that today, South Africans and Mozambicans, as free peoples, can together build
a prosperous future.

The scale of Southern Africa's suffering through destablisation still has the
capacity to shock us today - over a million lives lost; four million uprooted:
and untold destruction of infrastructure and sabotage of development programmes.

In Samora Moises Machel the peoples of Mozambique and all of Southern Africa,
had a leader of great intellect and courage, a general with strategic grasp and
unwavering commitment to freedom and justice; a visionary for whom the
interdependence of the countries and peoples of our region meant that none could
enjoy freedom while some remained oppressed.

The shock and pain of his loss was deep and lasting.

There are unanswered questions along the journey that led to the loss of more
than thirty lives on this hillside. And we shall leave no stone unturned to
ensure that, in the fullness of time, nothing but the whole truth is known about
these events.

What we do know with certainty, ten years later, is that apartheid has been
destroyed; that South Africa has its freedom; and that the shadow of
destablisation has been lifted. Within the framework of SADC, which Samora
helped to create, a powerful engine for regional development is gathering pace.
We are beginning to realise the vast potential which he insisted was there, to
bring prosperity to our region and help fuel the African renaissance.

South Africa and Mozambique can now pursue shared objectives as partners for
peace and prosperity. In the Maputo Corridor that runs through this area the
benefits of co-operation are taking concrete shape.

Samora Machel's life was taken as the new society was struggling to life
amidst the dying convulsions of the old. Our deepest regret is that he is not
with us to give wise counsel and leadership in this our new challenge, to
harness the creative potential and energies of our peoples.

We have gathered here at Mbuzini, close to the border between our two
countries, to pay tribute to one whose life expressed the highest ideals of
internationalism and universality.

As a tribute to a founding visionary of the new reality taking shape in our
region, as a pledge of commitment to the ideals for which he stood, and so that
future generations will learn of the sacrifices which opened the way, this site
is now declared a National Monument.

That we are able to do this, in this manner today, owes much to the concerted
efforts of government officials in partnership with cultural institutions and
Inkosi Mlambo II: our congratulations to them a:-

A memorial will be erected at this site by our two Governments, to mourn our
loss and to celebrate the life and vision of Samora Machel. This heralds a new
era in which the pioneers of our new society are honoured as they should be.

It is our intention also to bestow on him posthumously, in Maputo on
Saturday, the highest award with which our country honours citizens of other
countries for their contribution to the people of South Africa.

These humble offerings are but a token of the esteem and the love which the
people of South Africa cherish in their hearts for Samora Machel. They are also
a symbol of the solidarity and partnership that he helped forge between our
peoples.

But we know that, when all is said and done, the best tribute that we can pay
Samora Machel and those who perished on that fateful day, is to eradicate
poverty, illiteracy and disease, and to create prosperous societies whose ethos
of justice and equity were the passion of Samora's life.

Together let us build a better Southern Africa!

Issued by: Office of the President