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30 September 2011

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Maputo — Mozambican President Armando Guebuza on Thursday in the southern village of Chilembene unveiled a statue of the country's first president, Samora Machel.

The ceremony was witnessed by President Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville, President Ian Khama of Botswana, and former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano.

Also attending the ceremony were Samora's widow, Graca Machel, family members, dignitaries, and thousands of people.

The ceremony took place on the day 78 years after the birth of Samora Machel in Chilembene.

Machel tragically died on 19 October 1986 when his airplane crashed into a hillside at Mbuzini, just inside South Africa. It is widely believed that Machel's plane was lured off course by a false navigational beacon operated by the apartheid military.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Guebuza stated, "by unveiling this statue we place Samora Machel at the level he deserves, and recognise his enlightened, charismatic and strong leadership in the struggle for national liberation which led to Mozambique's independence".

President Guebuza called on Mozambicans to emulate the virtues of Machel, pointing out "we stand before the statue of a man who rose from an ordinary beginning. The dimensions of these virtues can only be properly understood if we are able to remember the political, social and economic context in which he struggled, reaching greatness along the way'.

President Guebuza also visited on Thursday the Samora Machel Museum in Chilembene.

The government has decreed 2011 as "Samora Machel Year", to mark the 25th anniversary of Machel's death.

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