Lamola Tears Into Mashaba Over Deleted Samora Machel Post — Calls It Bare-Faced Politics

Ronald Lamola drew a sharp line in the sand on Tuesday when he publicly challenged ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba over comments Mashaba had posted — then quietly removed — regarding South Africa’s official commemoration of former Mozambican president Samora Machel. The minister of international relations and co-operation did not mince his words, telling journalists the deleted remarks exposed far more about Mashaba’s character than any apology ever could.

Mashaba had allegedly taken to social media to question why South Africa was marking the death anniversary of a foreign head of state, framing the tribute as misplaced governmental energy. He reportedly pulled the comments down within hours, but screenshots had already circulated widely across WhatsApp groups and X timelines, triggering a swift and furious reaction from ruling-party figures across the country.

Lamola told reporters the remarks reflected a troubling indifference toward Africa’s liberation heritage. ‘This is exactly the kind of politics ActionSA advances — narrow, dismissive, and deeply out of touch with where we come from as a continent,’ the minister stated during a briefing in Pretoria. His department confirmed it stands by the annual commemoration as a foreign-policy priority rooted in solidarity agreements dating back decades.

Machel died on 19 October 1986 when his Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft crashed near Mbuzini in what was then the Transvaal, just metres inside South African territory. He had led Mozambique’s Frelimo liberation movement and served as the country’s inaugural post-independence head of state. South Africa and Mozambique have marked the anniversary jointly for years, recognising the close ideological bond between Machel and the ANC during the apartheid resistance era.

What made the episode impossible to ignore was a single screenshot that went viral before the deletion: Mashaba’s original post still carried a red heart emoji beneath it, indicating that at least one account had endorsed the message before he scrubbed the thread entirely — a small, damning timestamp that turned a political gaffe into a documented record.

As of Wednesday evening, Mashaba had issued no fresh public clarification beyond the removal itself, leaving observers to wonder whether ActionSA’s leadership structures would demand an internal reckoning or simply allow the controversy to fade. One outstanding question hangs over everything: if Samora Machel’s legacy requires defending by a sitting cabinet minister in 2025, how fractured has South Africa’s shared liberation memory truly become?

https://x.com/i/status/2113262226790310212

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