Prabowo Subianto’s “Military Leadership 2: Notes from the Experience of Lieutenant General TNI (Ret.) Prabowo Subianto” includes the following passage by Prabowo: “Samora Machel is one of the leaders who have different political views from me, but I respect him for his leadership.” In the mid to late 20th century, several leaders of anti-colonial guerrilla resistance in Africa emerged. Prabowo respects Machel because he was a brilliant military leader – a leader with charisma, courage, and the ability to master the various skills required in guerrilla warfare. Prabowo also respects his ability to provide basic education for the people he led.
Machel was born in 1933 to a farming family in rural Mozambique. In the caste system that prevailed in the colony, his father experienced severe discrimination. Despite his family’s discrimination, his father managed to build a relatively successful farming business.
Machel only completed the fourth grade of primary school before moving to the capital. There, he continued his education as a nurse. Machel worked as an assistant in a hospital. It was his experience working in the hospital that sparked his anti-colonial movement spirit. Young Machel was angry because black nurses received only a small portion of the wages given to white nurses who did the same work.
As a teenager, Machel decided to leave the capital and join the anti-colonial struggle. Taking a roundabout route through three countries, he arrived in Tanzania. In Tanzania, he joined the Mozambique Liberation Front – known by its Portuguese acronym “Frelimo.”
To the leadership of Frelimo, Machel volunteered for military service. This led him to fly to Algeria and undergo paramilitary training. When he returned to Tanzania, he was assigned as the head of Frelimo’s military training camp.
When Frelimo began open military confrontation in 1964, Machel crossed back into Mozambique. He became a skilled guerrilla commander. His war experience in Mozambique led to his promotion, and he was appointed as the head of the liberation army in 1966.
In 1969, the leader and founder of Frelimo was killed by a parcel bomb. When the Frelimo Executive Council met to choose his successor, they chose a tripartite leadership, including Machel. The following year, Machel was inaugurated as the sole leader/President of Frelimo.
Machel spent most of his time managing Frelimo from Tanzania and proved to be a clever tactical strategist. He organized Frelimo’s movements in the field, maintained the fighting spirit of its members, and continuously frustrated the Portuguese army. By conducting guerrilla tactics, Machel drained the energy of the Portuguese army with years of contact.
In April 1974, a group of young Portuguese officers tired of prolonged colonial conflicts in Africa overthrew the government in Lisbon. This event later became known as the Carnation Revolution.
Returning to Mozambique, due to the political chaos, most of the Portuguese forces chose to stay in their barracks. This allowed Frelimo to expand its control to the entire rural area of Mozambique. Finally, in September 1974, the Portuguese government agreed to hand over control by mid-1975.
The Portuguese kept this promise. In June 1975, Machel returned and declared full independence for the People’s Republic of Mozambique.
As the first President of Mozambique, Machel faced challenging economic and political conditions. He also faced the tribal hatred of many African leaders. “For the nation to live,” Machel said, “the tribe must die.”
After winning Mozambique’s struggle against colonialism, Machel felt obligated to help other African liberation movements. Machel’s support was key to Zimbabwe’s independence and even South Africa’s independence.
In October 1986, the plane carrying Machel crashed on his return from a meeting of African leaders in Zambia. He was 53. Machel’s widow, Graca, later married Nelson Mandela in 1998. This made Graca the only woman in the world to be the First Lady of two countries.
Samora Machel is one of the leaders who have different political views from me, but I respect him for his leadership. In the mid to late 20th century, several leaders of anti-colonial guerrilla resistance in Africa emerged. I respect Machel because he was a brilliant military leader – a leader with charisma, courage, and the ability to master the various skills required in guerrilla warfare. I also respect his ability to provide basic education for the people he led.
