PRESIDENT'S DEATH HEIGHTENS TENSION
The death of President Samora Moises Machel of Mozambique, in an air crash just inside the South African border, took place at a time of escalating South African aggression against Mozambique. South African troops had been massed along the border and placed on a 48-hour emergency mobilisation the day before the crash on 19 October.
South Africa adopted a threatening attitude towards Mozambique, and towards President Machel personally, after a land mine explosion near the border on 6 October which injured six South African soldiers. 'He [President Machel] will clash head on with South Africa', warned the South African Minister of Defence, General Malan. Two days later the South African government banned the recruitment of workers from Mozambique. (AIM 7/8/9/12.10.86)
On 11 October the Mozambican government stated that a South African commando unit had infiltrated Maputo and that South Africa was planning 'direct aggression' against the capital. The government communique pointed out that during previous months South African aircraft had been supplying the Mozambique National Resistance surrogate force in Manica Province, so it could attack the Beira transport links with Zimbabwe. During September, it stated, the South African regime had 'organised the massive introduction of armed bandits into Tete and Zambezia provinces from Malawi territory'. (AIM 12.10.86)
Leaders of the Front Line States and their security advisors met in Maputo on 12 October to assess the situation. They accused Pretoria of massing its troops along the Mozambique border and 'grossly and systematically' violating its 1984 undertakings to cease violence against Mozambique and Angola. (AIM 12.10.86; FT 14.10.86)
It was on the return from another Front Line States meeting in Lusaka on 19 October that President Machel's plane crashed. Apart from Machel, 30 others were killed, including the Mozambican Minister of Transport and Communications, Luis Maria de Alcantara Santos. The circumstances of the crash will be investigated by an international commission of inquiry, but there have been widespread accusations of South African responsibility. President Kaunda of Zambia and President Mugabe of Zimbabwe have accused Pretoria of deliberately killing Machel. (MS 22.10.86)
South African military forces in the northern and eastern Transvaal were put on full alert for a 48-hour period the day before the crash. In the weeks prior to the incident the airports at the nearby towns of Nelspruit and Komatipoort had been strengthened by the transfer of squadrons of helicopters and Impala ground-attack jet aircraft. Units of the Reconnaissance Commandos, used for covert operations in neighbouring states, were also moved into Komatipoort. (AIM 5/7/11.86)
There are a number of unexplained aspects to the South African response to the crash which have fuelled speculation that the presidential aircraft was deliberately brought down or lured off course by South Africa. Mozambican press sources stated that a few days before his death President Machel had disclosed that South African agents had attempted to assassinate him during 1985. In previous years, attempts have been made to kill both Prime Minister Jonathan of Lesotho and President Mugabe in bomb explosions believed to be the work of South Africa. (MS 25.10.86; GN 13.11.86)
South African police who arrived at the crash site reportedly ignored the injured and set about collecting documents. South African Foreign Minister, R F Botha said, that the confidentiality of the documents would be respected. Three weeks later he distributed to the press copies of what he said were the minutes of a meeting held between President Machel and Zimbabwean authorities to plan an invasion of Malawi. The document was dismissed as a forgery by the Mozambican and Zimbabwean governments, part of a South African campaign to prepare the conditions for military action against Zimbabwe. (Star 7.11.86; NS 8.11.86)
The Zimbabwean government, which has stationed five thousand troops in Mozambique to help defend the rail, road and pipeline facilities from Beira to Zimbabwe, has promised to assist Mozambique against further South African aggression. The government has alleged that South Africans have been infiltrated into Zimbabwe to assassinate President Mugabe - a number of alleged South African spies and agents have been arrested. (Star 11.9.86, 8.10.86; DD 13.10.86; GN 27.10.86)
Two alleged South African agents, who were carrying a bomb, were detained in Zambia at the end of October, and President Kaunda warned that further South African operations were likely. On 15 October the South African Minister of Defence General Malan issued a blunt warning to President Kaunda that if he continued to allow the ANC in Zambia he could expect South African attacks. In the west, South African-supported UNITA forces have been killing and kidnapping local people and there have been reports that hundreds of Zambian youths who have illegally crossed into the Caprivi area of Namibia have been recruited into South African military units there. (FOCUS 67 p.12; T 16.10.86; Star 30.10.86; BBC 31.10.86)
The government of Botswana has also been preparing for further South African aggression. In a speech in November President Masire talked of the 'danger of full-scale war'. Three separate South African border violations were detected by the Botswana authorities in October. On 19 October, the day of President Machel's death, South African aircraft reconnaissance patrols probed 60 kilometres into Botswana territory and South African soldiers were seen near the border at Talana Far in the east. On the morning of 20 October, four South African helicopters landed troops inside Botswana about 20 kilometres from the border. (Star 14.8.86, 22.10.86; S 19.11.86)
The build-up of South African forces along its northern borders to threaten Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, was accompanied by continued aggression against Angola. South African troops followed up a failed four-day attempt in August to take the strategic town of Cuito Cuanavale with another offensive at the end of September. The Angolan government reported that it drove back the South African forces, composed mainly of units of 32 Battalion, and captured 'considerable quantities of war material'. The South African action was carried out in support of UNITA, which continued to suffer heavy losses at the hands of Angolan forces. According to an Angolan press release, 617 UNITA fighters were killed in the provinces of Moxico, Kuando Kubango, Bie and Huambo in October. (FOCUS 67 p.12; WA 4.9.86; Angop 31.10.86)
In the first week of November, the Angolan authorities stated that further units of South African troops had crossed into Angola and advanced 200 miles into the country, possibly in preparation for a larger invasion. The South Africans denied that any of their troops were operating in Angola but admitted some days later that two South African soldiers had been killed in operations in Cunene Province. The South Africans claimed they were attacking SWAPO guerillas in the region. (GN 6.11.86; T 15.11.86)
