South Africa's elite police unit "Hawks"
has reopened the investigation of the crash of Tu-134, resulting in the
death of Mozambican President Samora Machel. Perhaps now, 26 years
later, the good name of the Soviet pilots will be restored.
The news was confirmed by global news agency. A representative of the investigative group Ramoloko told Agence France-Presse that he confirmed that the Hawks would be investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The death of President Samora Machel of
Mozambique in in a plane crash in 1986 caused a great deal of
controversy regarding its causes. An international commission
investigating the tragedy concluded that the cause of the tragedy was a
pilot error. However, the flight engineer Vladimir Novoselov, the only
surviving member of the crew, denied it. "I'm sure that this was not an
accident, but sabotage. South Americans planned it in advance,"
Novoselov told reporters.
Indeed, the relations between
Mozambique and apartheid South Africa were very tense. Samora Machel
(FRELIMO) who came to power in 1975 after the collapse of the Portuguese
colonial system, took course towards leaving the area of influence of
South Africa and rapprochement with the USSR. The apartheid government
strongly resisted it. From the territory of South Africa "the Mozambique
National Resistance" (MNS) attacked local authorities, took hostages,
blew up facilities. Given that these were the years of the "cold war",
and that South Africa had better players behind it - the United States
and Great Britain - Soviet specialists always preferred the theory of
sabotage. However, documented evidence has never been found.
On the night of October 19, the
president's plane Tu-134 was traveling from Lusaka (Zambia) to Maputo.
Suddenly, 96 kilometers away from the airport, it turned at 37 degrees
to the right of the course and 10 minutes later crashed into a mountain
in South Africa, near the border with Mozambique. 39 people were killed.
The plane was operated by Mozambique and manufactured in the Soviet
Union, and in accordance with the regulations of the International Civil
Aviation Organization, the investigation was conducted on a tripartite
basis, that is, with participation of representatives of South Africa,
Mozambique and the Soviet Union. The first theory suggested that the
pilots were drunk, but it was later withdrawn. The Joint Commission has
determined that the aircraft was technically not defective; the crew
strictly followed the chosen course, with a deviation from the axis of
the route at no more than 4-6 km, which is admissible. The weather
conditions were also normal.
As for the actions of the crew, the
investigation confirmed that it was in good working condition, fully in
control of the plane, and had clear communication with the dispatcher in
Maputo airport. In January of 1987, the South African government
unilaterally decided that the final conclusion would be prepared not by
the joint commission but the court that started its hearing on January
20 in the capital of South Africa. As a result, the Soviet pilots were
found the culprits of the accident. The Soviets had their own assessment
of the tragedy and came to the conclusion that the reason for the
deviation of the aircraft from the course was a false radio navigation
beacon located outside the airport in Maputo. Soviet experts believed
that it was a deliberate and well-planned action to destroy Samora
Machel.
South African journalist Jacques Du
Preez who conducted his own investigation shared this opinion. Du Preez
talked to local farmers who were the first ones to come to the crash
site. In their stories they mentioned an army tent they saw on the
mountain where the plane crashed. It was located approximately 150
meters from the remains of the aircraft. According to eyewitnesses, the
tent was deserted the day after the accident.
However, these findings were not
supported by experts from South Africa, the UK and the U.S. who were
involved in the investigation. South African newspaper Times Live
reported that the resumption of the investigation was personally
authorized by South African President Jacob Zuma on newly discovered
evidence. As follows from the above information, the facts were known,
but for obvious reasons hidden. Senior Investigator Dumisa Ntsebeza told
the reporters that the Ministry of Justice was given 43 documents
relating to the catastrophe that they have not been able to fully
explore due to the lack of time. These documents contain detailed
information, including testimony under oath to military intelligence
(apartheid) of witnesses who took part in the creation of false beacons.
Why was the investigation reopened? The
issue was raised at the political level in the framework of the Truth
and Reconciliation Commission between South Africa and Mozambique.
Ntsebeza told Time Live that people were dying, memory was
fading, documents were getting lost, and the time was covering the
tracks. If Samora Machel was lured into a deadly trap on South African
soil, it was a crime, and a proper criminal investigation must be
conducted.
Both Mozambique and Russia want to know the truth and await rehabilitation of the Soviet pilots.
Lyuba Lulko
Pravda.Ru
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