The ManicaPost
Freedom Mutanda Post Correspondent
There are times when the death of a person elicits pain but for Cde Mavhundu aka Henry Hanyani Hlahla, his children, relatives, colleagues and friends celebrate the passing on of a legend whose forthright attitude and frankness endeared him to friends and foes alike. Born in 1932 at Tuzuka in Chief Musikavanhu area, Henry Hlahla went to school when he was in his teens but his dogged determination saw him enrol at Mount Selinda Central Primary School where he went on to pass Standard 6 and became a student teacher at a local teachers’ college.
He excelled in boxing as well as other co-curricular sports. It was when he was at Mount Selinda that his interest in politics began; he would always be at the forefront of activism for a good part of his adult life. Henry Hanyani Hlahla joined Chibuwe School in 1959 after graduating from Mount Selinda Teachers’ College; his militancy made him join a group of young men and women who carried out sabotage activities in the Musikavanhu area. He participated in the destroying of bridges during the ZAPU days.
A close friend of his, Mr Frank Chimbanje, said Cde Mavhundu was unassuming notwithstanding his high intellect. His down-to-earth behaviour made the boys and girls wish to go and join the liberation struggle with his feel free to approach on a journey to the unknown.
‘’Mavhundu did not fear the white man. He interacted with everyone in the community although we knew he was very smart upstairs, ‘’ he said.
As his political extremism reached a crescendo, Cde Mavhundu had to skip the border into Zambia as the Special Branch was in hot pursuit. As an active collaborator and recruiter, Mavhundu knew his days as a free man were numbered; thus, he fled as his activities at Chironga Mission near Ruya River had given the Rhodies sleepless nights. Matters came to a head after guerrillas burnt down the Mission and Mavhundu was chief suspect. His family suffered emotional pain from the frequent transfers that he had to undergo.
Samson Masango, Cde Mavhundu’s nephew, said: “My uncle was a hero in our family. This constant changing of teaching places never dampened his resolve although he admitted that the transfers had taken their toll on his wife and children.’’
During an interview with this writer, Cde Mavhundu, who acted as one of the recruiters in the Save Valley area said his son, Maxwell, joined the war because of the ideology of his father. Unfortunately, the young man, Maxwell, did not live to witness the dawn of Independence. One of the major points of his life was being incarcerated at Hwahwa where he rubbed shoulders with struggle stalwarts. Cde Mavhundu escaped the hangman’s noose by a stroke of luck.
In his own words, Cde Henry Hanyani Hlahla said: ‘’The magistrate called out my name in a funny manner-Halahala and I did not stand up for that was not my name at all.’’
Thus, the man we are celebrating his life today, escaped the capital punishment which was about to be meted on him. After Independence, he taught at Sheni Primary School; he retired in 1997. He died in early November at SASU in Mutare after a short illness. He lives behind children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Cde Mavhundu is a father to former Manica Post columnist, Sithokozile Hlahla. Indeed, for the hundreds of mourners who thronged the Hlahla homestead for the burial was a time to reflect on a life well lived.
