Chin’ono Slams Mashaba Over Samora Machel Remarks

By Staff Reporter
Zimbabwean journalist accuses ActionSA leader of historical ignorance after he questions South Africa’s decision to honour Mozambique’s founding president

Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has launched a scathing attack on South African politician Herman Mashaba after he questioned why South Africa should commemorate former Mozambican president Samora Machel.

Mashaba, the president of ActionSA, sparked controversy in a post on X on October 20, arguing that Machel was Mozambique’s president and should be honoured in his own country rather than in South Africa.

“Africa’s sense of entitlement to South Africa is UNBELIEVABLE! Samora Machel was the President of Mozambique, NOT South Africa,” Mashaba wrote.

He added that South Africa should not be pressured into honouring a leader who did not govern the country.

The remarks drew a sharp response from Chin’ono, who accused Mashaba of displaying historical ignorance and disregarding Mozambique’s contribution to South Africa’s liberation struggle.

“This is grand ignorance, the kind we do not expect from African political leaders,” Chin’ono said.

He pointed out that Machel died on South African soil when his aircraft crashed near Mbuzini in what is now Mpumalanga on October 19, 1986.

Machel and 33 other people were killed in the crash, which occurred as the Mozambican presidential aircraft was returning to Maputo from Zambia.

Chin’ono said Mozambique had supported South Africa’s liberation movements during the struggle against apartheid, arguing that the sacrifice should be recognised rather than dismissed.

“Thirty-four people died in the plane crash that killed Samora Machel at Mbuzini on 19 October 1986. They paid with their lives because Mozambique stood with South Africans in the fight for their freedom,” he said.

The journalist further criticised Mashaba for making the remarks while seeking political office.

“What a shameless man you are, Herman Mashaba. Your ancestors are Mozambican, yet you don’t want the death and crash that killed 34 Mozambicans fighting for your country to be commemorated in South Africa. Surely money doesn’t buy class!” Chin’ono said.

Former South African Broadcasting Corporation journalist Tshepo Ikaneng also criticised Mashaba, describing his comments as reckless and potentially damaging to relations between South Africa and its neighbours.

Ikaneng urged the ActionSA leader to retract the statement, arguing that anyone aspiring to lead South Africa should understand the importance of maintaining diplomatic relations across Southern Africa and the wider continent.

Machel, Mozambique’s first president following independence from Portugal in 1975, was a key figure in regional liberation struggles and maintained links with movements opposing white minority rule.

His death in the October 1986 air disaster remains a subject of historical controversy. A South African-led inquiry blamed the flight crew, while the Mozambican and Soviet governments rejected that conclusion. Suspicions of possible apartheid-era involvement have persisted, although responsibility has never been conclusively established.

A monument was later erected at the crash site near Mbuzini, where commemorations have continued to recognise the lives lost and the historical ties between Mozambique and South Africa.

Mashaba, a businessman and former Johannesburg mayor, founded ActionSA in 2020. His remarks have reignited debate over South Africa’s historical obligations to neighbouring countries that supported the fight against apartheid.