Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will represent South Africa at the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the death of late Mozambican president Samora Machel on Monday.

He and 34 others died while travelling back from a summit in Zambia when the plane he was in crashed into a hillside near the borders of Mozambique‚ Swaziland and South Africa.

There have been conspiracies over the years that the South African government was behind bringing down the plane‚ but the official cause of the accident was given as “pilot error”.

Machel’s widow Graça married the late former SA president Nelson Mandela 12 years after his death.

The Presidency said this year’s anniversary is organised under the theme “Commemorating life-long dedication to the people of Southern African people‚ We remember them!”.

Its intention is to:

- “Commemorate the lives of President Samora Machel and the 34 others who died during the plane crash at Mbuzini;

- Highlight the role played by the people of Mozambique towards the liberation of South Africa and other countries in the subcontinent‚” and

- “Promote Liberation Heritage as a vehicle to foster social cohesion‚ nation building‚ economic development and inclusive citizenship.”

“As a consequence of the sacrifices made by the people of Mozambique including the late president Samora Machel in the struggle against apartheid and towards the creation of a non-racial‚ democratic and non-sexist society‚ our two countries today enjoy strategic bilateral political‚ economic‚ trade and cultural relations‚” the Presidency said. – TMG Digital