The statue depicts Samora Machel (1933-1986), military, revolutionary, and the first President of Mozambique.

The statue sits on a marble slab 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) high at the head of Samora Machel Avenue, and is illuminated at night.

The statue was inaugurated on October 19, 2011, the 25th anniversary of Machel's death in an aircraft crash on the convergence of the borders of Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa.

Armando Guebuza, the President of Mozambique, led the construction of the statue and its inauguration ceremony, which was attended by numerous foreign dignitaries.

A smaller statue of Samora Machel sits at the entrance of the Tunduru Gardens.