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| 21:08 | On Thursday President Nelson Mandela visited the site where Samora Machel died ten years ago. He declared it a national monument and announced that his government would reopen the investigation into the causes of the plane crash. Of course, as far as the previous government was concerned there was no mystery. They appointed a Commission of Inquiry under Judge Cecil Margo who found that errors by the Russian crew caused the crash. But the Margo findings were never fully accepted by most South Africans. The people in government of Mozambique have totally rejected the findings and still believe it was an elaborate South African plot. Perhaps this is paranoia, but I investigated the crash as a journalist ten years ago and while I found many of the arguments of the Margo findings persuasive I could never quite shake off the feeling that there was something else they didn’t tell me. Now ten years later I looked at the circumstances and evidence again and I talk to people who had an ...more | Full Transcript and References |
| 22:22 | On Sunday morning, October 19, 1986 Samora Machel met with the Presidents of Angola, Zambia and Zaire in the northern Zambian town of Kabasabay Kasama?. At 18 minutes to 5 that afternoon his Russian made Tupolev jet took off from the Mbala airstrip heading for Maputo. On board flight Charlie 9 Charlie Alpha Alpha were nine crew members and 35 passengers, among them ambassadors and senior Mozambique ministers and officials. The estimated time of arrival was 25 minutes past 7. At 2 minutes past 7 air traffic control at Maputo told the pilot to report when down to 3000 feet or when the Maputo runway lights were visible. The plane started its descent. Eight minutes later it turned 37 degrees to the right. At 17 minutes past 7 Maputo air control cleared them for landing. The pilot said, there is no Maputo, electrical power is off. These are the last moments of Charlie 9 Charlie AA. The visuals are simulated, but the voices come from the actual recording on the plane’s black box. | Full Transcript |
| 23:42 | Capt: … So no, surely it is indeed cloudy to descend … // ‘Terrain Proximity Warning’ // Capt: … Damn it! // Radio Op: … Charlie Nine Charlie lights out of service? // Capt: … No it is cloudy cloudy cloudy … // ATC: … Firm runway light out of service? // Radio Op: … Affirmative lights not in sight … // ATC: … Affirmative and join right downwind runway Zero Five … // Radio Op: … Roger Roger // Nav: … No no there’s nowhere to go no NDB’s there’s nothing | Full Transcript |
| 24:49 | Now for some of the nagging questions. South African radar kept track of Machel’s plane until it disappeared. The radar records make it pretty clear that here was a foreign aircraft coming from the north and heading for South African air space. It disappeared off the radar screen as it crossed the border. Why was no alert sound or report made? The first record of official knowledge of the crash was when a local villager phoned the police at 11 that night. The first medical attention was given when the Komatipoort district surgeon arrived around one o’clock in the morning. Another question, right from the start all media matters regarding the crash were handled by South African Military Intelligence and not by Foreign Affairs as would normally be the case. In fact Military Intelligence ran an intensive international propaganda campaign to discredit the Russian crew and technology and to squash all accusations at South Africa. Military Intelligence actively participated in the ...more | Full Transcript |
| 26:10 | ‘An Armour of Lies’ // ‘Informed examination of the regional political and military dynamics before and after President Machel’s death defines Moscow’s strategic thinking. This dictated the terms of their decision to mount one of the boldest and most defective strategic deceptions yet to be documented in the sub-Saharan region.’ | Full Transcript |
| 26:46 | All statements and news conferences were handled by MI and in January 1987 MI flew in a number of western journalists, took them to the site and gave them briefings. All press kits handed out before Judge Margo’s press conference were prepared by Military Intelligence front and cleared by Military Intelligence. This is all very unusual. But the most serious suspicion is that the South African authorities had lured the Machel aircraft off course with a mobile decoy beacon. The Margo Commission considered this allegation and found it impossible, but not altogether convincingly. To the Mozambicans and the Russians this is the only reasonable explanation why the very experienced pilot, co-pilot and navigator of the Machel plane flew the aircraft way off course and into the mountains. It is not disputed that South Africa had the technology to influence an aircrew to fly off course. A mobile beacon like this could be erected and removed in a very short period of time. If it had been ...more | Full Transcript |
| 28:12 | The theory was developed that there was a rogue beacon, a decoy beacon established by the South African Defence Force somewhere along the border which had influenced the aircraft to make this 37 degree turn to … The most thorough investigation has taken place and it’s not only a matter of opinion it’s a matter of common sense. There is not a title of proof, not a doubt of evidence to prove that there was a decoy beacon. | Full Transcript |
| 28:42 | Margo is right; there is no proof of the decoy beacon. But on the other hand there is no real proof that there wasn’t one. There is one odd aspect, local people reported that a big army tent was pitched near the crash site on the day of the crash but it wasn’t there the next day. It might not be significant, but there has not been an acceptable explanation for it. | Full Transcript |
| 29:09 | Let’s assume for the sake of argument there was a decoy beacon, what could have been the South African military’s motivation to kill Machel? Well, they could have thought it would destabilize Mozambique, more than actually happened, that would have benefitted their friends in RENAMO. And as they tried to do in any case, it would have been excellent propaganda against the Russians that their men and machines were second rate. | Full Transcript |
| 29:35 | But what if, and this has never been considered properly, what if it had been mere mischief, what if they did not actually bargain on killing Machel but merely wanted his plane to violate South African air space and be forced to land in Durban, the only airport it could have reached with its limited fuel. In fact, if the pilot had not ignored the ground proximity warning system that went off shortly before they crashed, that is what would have happened, and he only ignored it because the warning system in that aircraft had played up before. Did the military have knowledge of the discussions between the four presidents in northern Zambia that day? We know now they talked about isolating the South African military’s other friend, UNITA in Angola and planned action against yet another ally, Malawi’s Hastings Banda, who was supporting RENAMO. In fact, documents to this effect were according to then Foreign Affairs Mr. Pik Botha found in the Machel wreck. | Full Transcript |
| 30:38 | There is not the slightest question as to its authenticity. There are even notes pasted by themselves at the back of this document in the handwriting of members of the delegation or members who attended the meeting. These are obviously notes as it’s only normally done at meetings of this nature reminding President Machel of some point or the other. But for the rest of it we do not possess this stationery, we do not bind documents in this way. The style, the language is theirs and I say to you this document was found on the site. | Full Transcript |
| 31:28 | What a cruel twist it would be if Samora Machel had died while the South African Defence Force wanted merely to embarrass him and the Russians. But clearly, only a proper new investigation would lay this ghost to rest. | Full Transcript |
