The 1980s are seen as one of the most important periods in the fight against apartheid, with violence and activities by anti-apartheid movements reaching boiling point.
In what proved to be a futile effort to control anti-apartheid activists in neighbouring countries, then-president of South Africa, PW Botha signed a no-violence treaty with Mozambican president Samora Machel.
The treaty was known as the Nkomati Accord, and was signed in Komatipoort. It entailed that Mozambique would not house South African anti-apartheid activists, provided that South Africa ended its assistance to the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), Resistência Nacional Moçambicana in Portuguese.
Renamo was opposing the leading Mozambican party, Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), Frente de Libertação de Moçambique in Portuguese.
Botha and his government were struggling to contain the violence in South Africa and were trying their utmost best to remain in control of a country on which it was slowly losing its grip.
Despite signing the accord, South Africa seemingly ignored its provisions and continued to arm, supply and support Renamo while Mozambique (for the most part) stopped housing anti-apartheid activists.
Many felt that Mozambique had been forced into signing the Nkomati Accord due to its economic dependence on South Africa, but once it became clear that South Africa wasn’t holding up its end of the bargain, the accord collapsed.
On 19 October 1986, Machel was killed when the Mozambican presidential plane crashed in the Lebombo Mountains near Mbuzini and Komatipoort.
He was returning from a summit in Mbala, Zambia, and it is speculated by some that the South African government assassinated Machel.
On 26 May 1988 the Nkomati Accord was revived by PW Botha and the new Mozambican president, Joaquim Chissano.
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