Theodorico de Sacadura Botte | |
|---|---|
| Administrator of Marracuene, Administrator of Magude | |
| Full name | Theodorico César de Sande Pacheco de Sacadura Botte |
| Born | 31 October 1902 Quinta da Bica, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | 18 November 1987 Maputo, Mozambique |
| Buried | Maputo, Mozambique |
| Noble family | Sacadura Botte |
| Issue | João Pacheco de Sacadura Botte |
| Father | João Pacheco de Sacadura Botte |
| Mother | Maria da Ascenção Mendes de Oliva |
| Occupation | Colonial Administrator, Entrepreneur, Businessman |
Theodorico César de Sande Pacheco de Sacadura Botte (Quinta da Bica, Portugal, 31 October 1902 - Maputo, Mozambique, 18 November 1987), commonly known as Theodorico de Sacadura Botte,[1] was a Portuguese colonial administrator and entrepreneur.[2]
Born into a Portuguese rural aristocratic family, Sacadura Botte left Lisbon and moved to the Portuguese African Overseas in the wave of State takeover of the colonial administration from the British-owned private companies it was formerly commissioned to. After many years as a colonial administrator, and having been Administrator of two different districts, as well as Chief of Cabinet of the Governor of Mozambique, he became an entrepreneur and businessman, with strong interests in international trade, real estate, horticulture and agriculture.
After the fall of the Portuguese authoritarian regime known as Estado Novo, all Portuguese overseas territories in Africa were granted independence. Most of the political factions that took over these new countries were marxist guerilla movements, which started a wave of nationalization of properties and businesses, as well as, in many cases, persecution of Portuguese nationals. Although Sacadura Botte saw most of his property taken or destroyed and most of his family and friends exiled, he remained in Mozambique and acknowledged the new regime, thus earning the respect of the new leaders and of the Mozambican people, who mostly left him in peace. This was also, in all likeliness, fueled by the fact that he was considered a just and kind governor by the people under his rule in both his jurisdictions.[3]
In his final years, he wrote a memoir, titled "Memórias e Autobiografia: 24 anos em Portugal e 60 em Africa" (Memoirs and Autobiography: 24 years in Portugal and 60 in Africa), which told his life story and is considered by many to be a great instrument of insight into the final years of the Portuguese Overseas Empire, as well as an interesting account of most of the 20th century through the eyes of a member of the last generation of Portuguese colonialists.
Theodorico de Sacadura Botte died in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, on 18 November 1987, aged 85.