@longwalktales: THE PLANE THAT NEVER REACHED MAPUTO 40 years ago, a flight from Maputo came down at Mbuzini. On 19 October 1986, Mozambican President Samora Machel was travelling back to Maputo when his presidential aircraft crashed in the Lebombo Mountains near Mbuzini, South Africa, close to the borders of Mozambique, South Africa and what was then Swaziland. Samora Machel died. So did 33 other people on board. Machel was not simply the president of Mozambique. He was one of the most important leaders of the southern African liberation era. Mozambique had gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and became one of the region's frontline states. His government supported liberation movements fighting apartheid, including the ANC. That placed Mozambique directly within the regional conflict surrounding apartheid South Africa. Then came the crash. The South African Margo Commission concluded that the aircraft had crashed because of pilot error. A Soviet investigation reached a different conclusion, arguing that a false navigation beacon had caused the aircraft to turn away from its intended route. Years later, South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission examined the circumstances surrounding Machel's death but did not establish conclusive evidence proving either explanation. Four decades later, the site remains a place of remembrance. On 19 October 2026, South Africa and Mozambique will mark 40 years since the Mbuzini tragedy. One president. Thirty-three others. One flight that never reached Maputo. And a crash whose full story remains part of the history of southern Africa. A DAY TO REMEMBER 19 OCTOBER 2026 History & Today Tales Today becomes History. History explains Today.

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Monday 19 October 2026 19:24:41 GMT