Online Reporter
CDE SAMUEL MAKUREYA, whose Chimurenga name was Knox Zvichapera, continues chronicling his experiences during the liberation struggle. This week, he provides a first-hand account of the brutal Chimoio attack to our Society Editor PRINCE MUSHAWEVATO, describing how they responded to the unexpected enemy attack.
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Q: So, before you even joined the struggle back home, you experienced a series of attacks, including at Nyadzonya, which could have prematurely ended your life during the struggle. What kept you going?
A: Losing fellow comrades, especially on such a large scale, was not easy. It was very painful; I cannot even fully describe the pain. However, the more the Rhodesians killed our colleagues, the more we felt the need to fight back and eventually defeat them. As I indicated, when we left Nyadzonya, we ended up settling at Chimoio. At the centre of one of the camps was a place called kumaBinoculars, where anti-aircraft guns were positioned to cover the entire area.
Field telephones, linked through a dialling system, connected all the camps. These were the ones we were operating. Chimoio was located on the southern side, so when an aircraft flew past, the commanders would rush to our centre to enquire about the plane. The binocular-monitoring team, located at the anti-aircraft gun position, had a clear view of the entire southern side, allowing them to track and clearly see the plane. They also communicated with the camaradas (Mozambican soldiers) through two-way radio systems to find out if the plane was known and scheduled to pass in their direction. They would gather all the necessary information before the aircraft reached the camps.
Q: Can you tell us what happened on the fateful day of the Chimoio attack?
A: On the day of the Chimoio attack, I was at Chaminuka (a camp in Chimoio). It was around 8am, during the usual parade time. We did not attend parades then because we were constantly manning the phones and radios. That morning, a small plane, flying high up in the sky, flew past. As usual, the commanders came to find out what was happening and who it belonged to. We called the Binoculars team and they told us they could not locate the plane. The FRELIMO team had no information about any of their aircraft being in the air at that time.
The plane was probably flying above the clouds, which is why we could not see it. When it crossed, now on the northern side, it was followed by a fleet of planes that came from the southern direction in a single line. You could not tell where the line or rows of planes ended. There were helicopters, jet fighters, and so on. People started running for cover just before the planes began bombing. That was a nasty war. The planes bombed all the camps. I ran towards a slope and took cover. Dakotas were dropping paratroopers, surrounding the camps. We returned fire and some planes were downed. In our case, our guns were stored in an armoury, so we escaped without ammunition.
Q: What was the plan here?
A: Only a few comrades had guns, so for every comrade with a gun, he or she would escape with three or four other comrades, providing cover as they vacated the area. But the enemy fighters that were dropped were the major casualties; we hit them hard. While the planes were still circulating, I got into a ditch and, surprisingly, fell asleep despite the guns that were blazing. I do not know how that happened. When I eventually woke up, time had passed. I came out, met other comrades and left the area.
Later on, they had an exercise to come and identify victims and arrange for burials. Reinforcement had arrived from Tanzania — comrades who had been ferried from Doroi to Tanzania, where they had completed their training. These were the guys who helped us carry out the task of identifying and burying our fallen comrades. We went to a place called kumuMango with a Land Rover. When we got there, we were told that a team was supposed to go back and clear the deceased comrades’ bodies. We stayed behind with Comrade Tonderai Nyika (Paradzai Zimondi), who was our commander. The area at kumuMango was where we were being deployed back home. There was reinforcement that had come from East Africa. We met the other comrades and were then grouped.
Q: What happened next?
A: I was told my group, consisting of about 60 or more comrades, was going to Hwedza. We travelled back home and passed through Ruda and Mavonde, where Comrade Kufa was in charge of the base. I remember we would go there to get ammunition when we came to the front, as it was a base close to the border. By then, I was around 14 years old, one of the youngest in the group. Our leaders were aged between 19 and 20. They were coordinating with the teams already at the front and knew more personnel were coming. So, when we arrived at the front, we gathered on a mountain. But that same day, the team operating in that particular area had already decided to attack Ruda.
Q: Why was there a plan to attack Ruda?
A: Ruda was a troublesome base in the area. It was attacked several times. Each time reinforcements arrived, they were given the target to attack Ruda because it was a well-known base for Rhodesian soldiers and their spies, mapuruvheya. They terrorised the Honde region and surrounding areas. We successfully hit it and proceeded with our journey to Hwedza. After that attack, we never encountered any ambushes or skirmishes on our way to Hwedza. However, we were told the Rhodesian soldiers sometimes tried to track us with dogs, but they would eventually lose our trail.
Q: After arriving in Hwedza, how were you received? Did you engage with the traditional leadership or spirit mediums in the area?
A: Yes, we met a good number of them, including Sekuru Sakureba. Every comrade who came into the area was supposed to pass through his shrine. That is where we were told what we were to encounter in the area and what we were not supposed to do, such as sleeping with women or eating okra and nyimo (roundnuts). We were also instructed that our guns were not supposed to rest on trees, among other things. Our leaders would meet with the traditional leaders or spiritualists, then brief us on the dos and don’ts during parade.
In Hwedza, we were organised into sections. I was placed in Chinyonga, in the Makurumure area, Mukamba. That is where I operated from. In my group was Comrade Blackson, who was the first section commander before being promoted. We also had Comrades Collins and Mapepa. We were initially 12, but the figure later rose. We also worked closely with war collaborators.
We would move around, staying at each base for two to three days before moving to the next base. During this time, we carried out several operations. In the process, we were attacked by the enemy, and we would also attack back. We experienced several ambushes at Mukamba; this place (Chisasike) was also attacked. While at St John’s, where we used to base, we were attacked by the white forces and ended up dispersing.
We escaped in different directions and did not know where the others were. It took us close to a day to regroup. It was a surprise attack. Fortunately, we did not lose any comrade, though we thought we had lost Comrade Tsono, who vanished for five days after the attack.
Cde Tsono was a courageous man. Each time we were attacked, he was often the last man to abandon his post after everyone else had retreated. He did the same at Mukamba. When we were attacked, he was the last man standing, firing alone. This is one of the many things that surprised us during the war. We had some people whose individual heroism saved a lot of people.
Next week, Comrade Makureya will provide details about the famous Mukamba battle, which took place soon after their arrival in Hwedza.
