South Africa’s police have launched a new investigation into the 1986 plane crash that killed Mozambican leader Samora Machel, a spokesman has said.
It comes after a tip-off that South Africa’s apartheid-era officials engineered the crash, reports say.
Mr Machel’s death plunged the region into crisis, as African governments accused South Africa’s then-white rulers of assassinating him.
But South Africa insisted that it had not killed Mr Machel.
South Africa’s privately owned Times newspaper reports that President Jacob Zuma has sanctioned the inquiry launched by the elite police unit, the Hawks, following a tip-off in January.
His approval came on the strength of evidence obtained by investigators, including documents, photographs and voice recordings, it reports.
Capt Paul Ramaloko of the South African Police Service confirmed to the Associated Press news agency that an investigation had been launched, but gave no further details.
In 1987, South Africa’s Judge Cecil Margo – assisted by US and UK experts – blamed negligence on the part of the plane’s crew for the crash.
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