André Matsangaissa
Encyclopedia
André Matade Matsangaissa (also spelled Matsangaiza) (1950-17 October 1979) was a Mozambican
anti-communist rebel and the first leader of the Rhodesia
n-backed Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO).
Matsangaissa joined FRELIMO in 1972, and after FRELIMO's victory in 1975 he became a quartermaster stationed at Dondo
, near Beira
. He was punished for theft by being expelled from the Mozambican Army (Forças Armadas de Moçambique, FAM) and was placed in a re-education camp at Gorongosa
. He was freed during an attack on the camp by Rhodesian forces, and was taken to Rhodesia
. In 1977 Matsangaissa was appointed by the Rhodesians as leader of the Mozambican National Resistance
, later called RENAMO, in an effort to indigenize the rebel group.
Matsangaissa died in a 1979 raid against FRELIMO in Sofala Province
, Mozambique. His lieutenant, Afonso Dhlakama
, then took nominal control of RENAMO in accordance with the wishes of Rhodesian and South African security forces.
In 2007, a municipal square in the city of Beira, Mozambique was renamed after Matsangaissa by the Beira Municipal Assembly (source: Beira Square Receives Rhodesian Agent's Name). Beira remains a stronghold of the RENAMO party, and many Beira residents consider Matsangaissa a national hero.
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
anti-communist rebel and the first leader of the Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
n-backed Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO).
Matsangaissa joined FRELIMO in 1972, and after FRELIMO's victory in 1975 he became a quartermaster stationed at Dondo
Dondo
Dondo is a city and seat of Dondo District of Sofala Province in Mozambique.According to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme following decentralization of political structure in Mozambique in the 1990s, a study in 1998 revealed that elected leaders in the city for Sofala Province lacked...
, near Beira
Beira, Mozambique
Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique. It lies in the central region of the country in Sofala Province, where the Pungue River meets the Indian Ocean. Beira had a population of 412,588 in 1997, which grew to an estimated 546,000 in 2006...
. He was punished for theft by being expelled from the Mozambican Army (Forças Armadas de Moçambique, FAM) and was placed in a re-education camp at Gorongosa
Gorongosa
Gorongosa is a town in the Gorongosa District of Mozambique, situated on the country's main north-south highway . Gorongosa National Park is a few kilometers east of the town....
. He was freed during an attack on the camp by Rhodesian forces, and was taken to Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
. In 1977 Matsangaissa was appointed by the Rhodesians as leader of the Mozambican National Resistance
Mozambican National Resistance
The Mozambican National Resistance is a conservative political party in Mozambique led by Afonso Dhlakama. It fought against the FRELIMO in the Mozambican Civil War and against the ZANU movement led by Robert Mugabe from 1975 to 1992....
, later called RENAMO, in an effort to indigenize the rebel group.
Matsangaissa died in a 1979 raid against FRELIMO in Sofala Province
Sofala Province
Sofala is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 68,018 km² and a population of 1.676.131 . Beira is the capital of the province. The province is named for the ruined port of Sofala.- Districts :Districts of Sofala Province include:...
, Mozambique. His lieutenant, Afonso Dhlakama
Afonso Dhlakama
Afonso Marceta Macacho Dhlakama is a Mozambican politician and the leader of RENAMO, an anti-communist guerrilla organization that fought the FRELIMO government in the Mozambican Civil War before signing a peace agreement and becoming an opposition political party in the early 1990s.Dhlakama was...
, then took nominal control of RENAMO in accordance with the wishes of Rhodesian and South African security forces.
In 2007, a municipal square in the city of Beira, Mozambique was renamed after Matsangaissa by the Beira Municipal Assembly (source: Beira Square Receives Rhodesian Agent's Name). Beira remains a stronghold of the RENAMO party, and many Beira residents consider Matsangaissa a national hero.