Rhodesian soldiers force-marched villagers

10 Feb, 2017 - 00:02 0 Views
Rhodesian soldiers  force-marched villagers

The ManicaPost

Freedom Mutanda and Sifelani Tonje
As I went about co-ordinating food in the afternoon, I was unaware that the Rhodies had an eagle eye trained at me. Unbeknown to us, they were close to Mwanema homestead; they used binoculars and they advanced towards the comrades.

Guerrillas saw the soldiers and quietly crawled and slipped away. There were too many people around to initiate a contact; more people were going to die. When we got to the village, a good number of regime soldiers were there; they interrogated the villagers on the whereabouts of the guerrillas. A Grade 6 teacher, Mr Saizi, was clobbered and after that incident, the regime closed the school.

I have a scar sustained when a soldier used the butt of his gun to hit my head. He wanted me to accept that I knew where the comrades had gone

On 7 March 1977, soldiers force-marched Museye villagers to go to Ngaone Protected Village. It rained that day; army trucks ferried people and their belongings and Mbuya Nera went to Matende Township while I went to the ‘keep’ on foot as I herded cattle.

We built huts but that meant my days as a school boy had ended; in June 1977, I went to work at Rockwood Estate where I looked after cattle. I renewed my contacts with the comrades and fellow mujibhas. My fellow herd boy was Manyanga

We held pungwes every Friday at Mukorange bhachi (nickname given to a white man). I lied to the white man that the number of cattle was all right yet at times we went with two or so cattle for relish during the pungwe meetings. Changazi base was the recipient of those cattle. In November 1977, things came to a head; the white man realized I was giving comrades beef and the cattle belonged to him.

He beat me up severely alongside Caleb Chichaya, Lincoln Chichaya, Elijah Manyanga, Gibson Chiutanyi and another mujibha who has escaped my memory.

Soon after recovering, I went to Ngaone Protected Village. My uncle, Peter Nera, who had been at Mount Selinda Teacher Training Institute, had started teaching at Ngaone School in 1977 and he offered to pay fees for me; thus, I returned to school but I continued to be a mujibha.

1978 saw me going to school as a Grade 6 pupil. I witnessed teachers contributing money for the comrades’ upkeep. Some of the teachers who actively supported the guerrillas are Mr Nera, Moyo, Magure, Vuyenxaba, Mtisi, Ziko, J.C. Sithole and Ms Muzulu.

Ian Smith thought putting people in ‘keeps’ was a master stroke; he was sure that guerrillas won’t be able to receive support from the masses; he had a rude awakening. We contrived ways of beating the system. We put sadza where there was manure and the guard force would rummage through the manure and allow us to pass through. We had fields outside the protected village. As we went with that manure, we had rendezvous with comrades. Some chimbwidos and mujibhas would carry the food and other provisions to the guerrillas. We made sure to come back early before the gates were closed. Our usual rendezvous was at a place close to Nyamunhombo River.

When guerrillas entered an area, their first port of call was the headman, village head or Sadunhu and they would be given the do’s and don’ts of Ngaone and Museye area. After that, the village head would introduce the comrades to the spirit medium; Makopa is the mhondoro of the Mutema chieftainship. During that period (1977) Zvaakuru was the spirit medium, homwe ya Makopa.

Guerrillas could never ever fire shots before they had a talk with the spirit mediums. That was done in order to provide spiritual protection to guerrillas from natural deaths caused by lightning and attacks by wild animals.

In 1977, Rhodesian soldiers saw a group of guerrillas as they entered the sacred Ngaone forest T Rundowa.

They followed the guerrillas and got lost; the comrades came out but the soldiers were never seen again. It is believed that the regime soldiers were captured by spooks (dzimudzangara) or the royal spirits of the forest were angered by the disdain showed by the soldiers. The spirits are called marombo enyika.

In the same year, soldiers spent the whole night firing at spooks with the mistaken belief that they were firing at guerrillas; the guardian spirit of the Mutema chieftainship was at play in defending the comrades. The following morning, they realized they were shooting at no one.

Zvaakuru, the spirit medium, went into a trance and rushed to the protected village’a gate where she harassed a group of guard force members. Her son had been thrashed by the militia and her spirit told her so. It was unbelievable.

Very few guerrillas died in the Ngaone-Museye area during the war largely because they followed the dictates of the area as they were told by the traditional leaders.

There was a popular show by Lever Brothers called ‘’The Surf Pick a Box’’ show. My uncle Rodrick Nera won a radio and we tuned to Radio Mozambique; we listened to the music of Cde Chinx and later on news from around Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, the guard force and soldiers that were patrolling heard the noise.

They got into the hut and beat the hell out of us. That night, we were taken to the pits and slept underground with our legs tied on the soldiers’ bunk beds.

Soldiers beat us up again the following day when they were on parade.

I completed Grade 7 in 1979 and went to Mount Selinda Secondary School for my Form 1. On the eve of independence, I saw Cde Ndinaani Muhondo campaigning in Hamilton Hall at Mount Selinda Secondary School.

He recognized me and we embraced each other. I went on to help in campaigning and we went to Chako Township where we cast our votes resulting in the independence of Zimbabwe. We voted under a big mahogany tree.

During the war, I worked with a number of guerrillas that included Chapucheka, Tafirenyika, Gogoya, Mabunu Muchapera, Richard, Bazooka and Gabarinocheka among others.

Mr Joseph Machuwaire is a headmaster at Avontuur Secondary School and is the current Head in Charge of football for NASH (National Association of Secondary Schools Heads) Zimbabwe.

Freedom for Zimbabwe through his intelligence work for guerrillas resulted in independent Zimbabwe. He may not have obtained recognition financial or otherwise but the one redeeming feature for him is that his aim was realized.

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