President Emmerson Mnangagwa has called on African countries to pursue lasting peace, economic sovereignty and industrialisation in honour of Mozambique’s founding president, Samora Moises Machel, whose death in a plane crash 40 years ago continues to resonate across Southern Africa.
In a statement, marking the 40th anniversary of Machel’s death October 19, 1986, President Mnangagwa said the liberation icon’s commitment to justice, equality and African independence remained relevant as the continent confronted the enduring effects of colonialism and apartheid.
“Forty years later, the impact of that devastating loss remains fresh in our minds here in Zimbabwe, indeed painfully felt and defying any healing,” President Mnangagwa said.
The President said Machel’s legacy as a freedom fighter, internationalist and advocate for social justice should inspire current and future generations to advance the ideals for which he sacrificed his life.
“His rich legacy as a militant freedom fighter, a leader, an internationalist and an uncompromising proponent for social justice and equity both at home and abroad, continues to inspire our Southern African Region,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said the most meaningful tribute to Machel would be to build societies founded on equality and inclusive development, ensuring that the benefits of economic progress reached all communities.
“The guns must fall silent on our Continent, as the late Machel would have wished, to release Africa’s collective energy towards greater peace and development under a just social order,” President Mnangagwa said.
He further called for African countries to strengthen economic independence by processing their natural resources locally and expanding industrial production.
“Our Region and our Continent’s quest to claim greater share in our God-given finite resources through deliberate value addition and industrialisation at their African source, can only resonate with the dear departed,” he said.
President Mnangagwa recalled his personal friendship with Machel and his family, extending Zimbabwe’s respect and goodwill to Mozambique and the late leader’s relatives. Machel was Mozambique’s first president after independence in 1975 and a prominent figure in the regional struggle against colonialism and apartheid.
