Samora Machel Monument
Encyclopedia
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 was declared a National Heritage Site
in 2006.
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
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.
Mbuzini
Mbuzini is a village in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. Situated near to the borders of Mozambique and Swaziland. This is where Mozambican president, Samora Machel, and 34 other passengers died in a fatal airplane crash in 1986...
, near Komatipoort
Komatipoort
Komatipoort is a town situated at the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati Rivers in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town is 8km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate into the Kruger Park, and just 5km from the Mozambique border and 65km from the Swazi border. It is a small, quiet town with some...
in the Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
province of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, marks the spot where the plane carrying the then-President of Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
crashed in 1986. It was declared a National Heritage Site
National heritage sites (South Africa)
National heritage sites in South Africa are structures or defined areas of land declared to be of historic or cultural importance and granted certain legal protections...
in 2006.
The monument was inaugurated by Joaquim Chissano
Joaquim Chissano
Joaquim Alberto Chissano served as the second President of Mozambique for nineteen years from 6 November 1986 until 2 February 2005. Since stepping down as president, Chissano has become an elder statesman and is called upon by international bodies, such as the United Nations, to be an envoy or...
and Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
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
Open tube
In the field of acoustics, a tone is created by the periodic vibrations of air. There are several ways in music to create such vibrations. One of these is to use a tube and to blow across the end. This creates a note of a given frequency, depending on the length of the tube and the pressure of the...
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.