Governmental relations began in 1928, during the colonial era, when theUnion of South Africa entered into formal agreements with thePortuguese Empire for the colony ofPortuguese East Africa (Mozambique) in regard to labour, transport and commercial matters.[1]Graça Machel, the inaugural First Lady of Mozambique from 1975 to 1986, later married the first post-Apartheid-era President of South Africa,Nelson Mandela, on July 18, 1998, Mandela's 80th birthday. They remained married until Mandela's death on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95. She was previously married to Mozambique's first president,Samora Machel, who died in a plane crash on October 19, 1986, aged 53. Although South Africa is preponderant in the region in terms of economic resources and military might, Mozambique is considered a second-tier state in Southern Africa and a crucial partner for Pretoria.[2]
