African History Series: Samora Machel and the Struggle for Mozambique

Samora Machel was the first President of Mozambique, serving from the country's independence in 1975 until his untimely death in 1986. A leading figure in the struggle for Mozambique’s independence from Portuguese colonial rule, Machel played a significant role in FRELIMO’s struggle for power in Mozambique. As president, he embarked on socialist reforms and efforts to modernize Mozambique. However, his tenure was marked by economic difficulty, owing mostly to external interventions from the neighboring apartheid regime in South Africa, and a devastating civil war fueled by a western-backed insurgency led by RENAMO. In 1986, Machel died in a mysterious plane crash in South Africa while returning to Mozambique from Zambia. Many accused South Africa’s apartheid government for the plane crash, although apartheid leaders continuously denied any involvement or knowledge of the fatal incident. This episode features an exclusive report and testimony of a former South African Special Forces operative who allegedly participated in planning the assassination of Samora Machel. Material for this episode was adapted from the 2011 Journeyman Pictures documentary, “Was Samora Machel Assassinated by a Conspiracy?”