Mozambique–South Africa relations government. When Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975, thousands of Mozambique-born Whites moved across the border to South Africa, the descendants of which are today Portuguese South Africans. The Shangaan or Tsonga people live on both sides of the Mozambique–South Africa border. Black movement between the two states existed to a large extent due to the possibility of employment of Mozambicans in the mines of South Africa. The cross-border remissions form an important part of the Mozambican economy. South Africa played an important role in the Mozambican Civil War in supporting RENAMO against the FRELIMO government. South Africa and
Transport in Mozambique total of 30,400 km of highways, of which 5,685 km was paved. There are 3,750 km of navigable waterways. Seaports on the Indian Ocean coast include: the merchant marine fleet consisted of three cargo ships of 1,000 gt or over, totaling 4,125 gt/. Two of these were Belgian-owned ships registered in Mozambique as a flag of convenience. there were 158 airports in total, 22 of them having paved runways. The main airport in the country is Maputo International Airport, which is also the hub of Mozambique's flag carrier, LAM Mozambique Airlines. Transport in Mozambique Modes of transport in Mozambique include