Remembering Ambasador Cox Sikumba, Zambia’s Ambassador to Mozambique and Samora Machel
By Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba.
Why we have: Samora Machel Zambia Air Force Base in Mbala, Northern Province Zambia
And Samora Machel School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia
And why we remember Ambassador Cox Sikumba.
October 19, 1986.
During the liberation struggle of the sub-region, Zambia was a sanctuary for liberation movements, a haven of peace, a capital for peace treaties, independence and freedom negotiations.
Because of this Zambia also suffered bomb raids and armed attacks from apartheid South Africa Defence Forces and Rhodesia.
The two targeted ANC, ZANU and ZAPU camps in Zambia and its activists.
But the attacks also targeted Zambia’s infrastructure such bridges, safe houses and schools believed to be shelters/camps for liberation movements.
But it is the death of one of the foremost regional liberation hero, and founder President of Mozambique, Samora Machel while coming from Zambia that we remember as it took the life our Zambia’s Ambasaador to Mozambique, His Excellency Amb. Cox Sikumba.
A brief about Samora:
Samora Moisés Machel (born September 29, 1933 – died October 19, 1986) was a Mozambican military commander, politician and fallen Head of State.
A socialist in the tradition of Marxism-Leninism, he served as the first President of Mozambique from the country’s independence in 1975.
Machel died in office in 1986 when his presidential aircraft crashed near the Mozambique-South Africa border coming from Mbala, Zambia.
The fateful day:
On October 19, 1986, Machel attended a summit in Mbala in Zambia, called to put pressure on Zairean (Democratic Republic of Congo now) dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko.
Mobutu and Kamuzu Banda of Malawi were accused of openly supporting the Angolan rebel movement UNITA and RENAMO rebel movement of Mozambique.
The strategy of the Front-Line States were to move against Mobutu and Banda in an attempt to end their support for UNITA and Renamo, who they regarded as aprtheid South Africa’s sponsored destabilising surrogates.
After the meeting, the Zambian authorities invited President Machel to stay in Mbala overnight, but he is reported to have insisted on returning to Maputo.
He had a scheduled meeting for the following morning at which he intended to reshuffle the leadership of the armed forces.
Machel thus overrode the security instruction/advise from the Zambia Ministry of Defence that the President should not travel at night – with fatal consequences.
The plane never reached Maputo.
That night the plane crashed into a hillside at Mbuzini, just inside South Africa.
President Machel and 33 others died(total 34).
Of note were two Ambassadors that died alongside with him.
Zambia’s Ambassador to Mozambique, His Excellency Cox Sikumba and the Zairean Ambassador to Mozambique,Tokivalu Batale Okulakamo.
Nine people sitting at the back of the plane, however survived.The plane crash has spawned conspiracy theories that have never been put to rest since.
South Africa announced in 2006 that it would re-open the crash inquiry to scrutinise with impartiality technical facts to re-look at a report done by the apartheid government but hasn’t done so.
All fingers pointed to the apartheid SADF because such an act would be perfectly consistent with Apartheid South Africa which was renowned for its brutal record of aggression, assassination and destabilization.
Indeed, President Samora Machel’s own country had been one of the principle targets of such Apartheid’s South African activities
Below is the full list of the victims of the fatal crash.
1.Samora Moise’s Machel – President of The Republic & President of Frelimo.
2.Luis Maria de Alcintara Santos – Minister of Transport & Communications
3. Jose Carlos Lobo – Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
4. Aquino de Braganqa – Director of the Centre of African Studies
5. Fernando Honwana – Special Assistant to the President
6. Alberto Cangela de Mendonga – Chief of Protocol
7. Muradali Mamadahusen – Private Secretary to the President
8. Joio Tomis Navesse – Deputy Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
9. Ivete Ams – Secretary to the President
10. Osvaldo de Sousa – English Interpreter to the President
11. Bernardino Chiche – French Interpreter to the President
12. Gulamo Khan – Press Atache in the President’s Office
13. Daniel Maquinasse – Official Photographer
14. Parente Manjate – Staff, President’s Office
15. Nacir Charamadane – Staff, President’s Office
16. Adio Gore Nhoca – Staff, President’s Office
17. Eduardo Viegas – Staff, President’s Office
18. Albino Falteira – Staff, President’s Office
19. Alberto Chafique – Staff, President’s Office
20. Jos4 Quivanhane – Staff, President’s Office
21. Azarias Inguana – Photographer for the newspaper ‘Noticias’
22. Fernando Nhaquila – Flight Engineer
23. Orlanda Garrine – Flight Attendant
24. Esmeralda Luisa- Flight Attendant
25. Sofia Arone – Flight Attendant
26. Ilda Cario – Flight Attendant
27. Henriques Bettencourt – President’s physician
28. Ulisses La Rosa Mesa – President’s physician
29. Iuri Novdran – Captain of the aircraft
30. Igor Kartamychev – Copilot
31. Oleg Kaudrainov – Flight Engineer
32 Anatoli Choulipov – Flight Engineer
33. Cox C. Sikumba – Ambassador of Zambia in Mozambique
34. Tokivalu Batale Okulakamo – Ambassador of Zaire in Mozambique