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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Samora Machel Monument

The Samora Machel Monument in Mbuzini, near Komatipoort in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, marks the spot where the plane carrying the then-President of Mozambique crashed in 1986. It resulted in the death of President Machel and several Mozambican ministers. It was declared a National Heritage Site in 2006.

Art installation at the Samora Machel Monument

The monument was inaugurated by Joaquim Chissano and Nelson Mandela on 19 January 1999. It was constructed at a cost of $240,000 and incorporates some of the wreckage of the plane. Its central feature is 35 tubes of steel, symbolising the number of lives lost in the air crash, that create a wailing sound in the wind.

A planned R11.2 million upgrade was to add access roads, an amphitheater, a helipad and buildings. In 2006 a nearby library with a collection of books in English and Portuguese was opened. A statue of Machel, donated by Norwegian anti-apartheid artists, was also erected at the site.

References

  1. ^ "South Africans, Mozambicans urged to follow Machel's footsteps". BuaNews. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  2. ^ "Samora Machel monument inaugurated". SADC Today. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  3. ^ "Moz monument to cost SA R11.2m". News24. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  4. ^ "Remembering Samora Machel". SouthAfrica.info. Retrieved 24 March 2009.