adminTanaka Mahanya and Tiller Maringa
Today Zimbabwe marks its 40th birthday, an achievement worth celebrating.
Independence from colonial rule was not granted to blacks on a silver platter, thousands of lives were lost during a protracted liberation war.
Being a teen and staying in rural areas was hard enough for many young Zimbabweans during the liberation struggle.
One Loice Bosha, now 67, was a teenager during the independence struggle and recalls how hard life was in the rural areas of Guruve.
She told The Herald that being in the rural areas did not make the situation any better as Rhodesian soldiers always patrolled the area in a vain attempt to thwart the efforts of the freedom fighters.
“Where did you hide them?” was the most asked question when the Rhodesians came in search of freedom fighters, she said.
“We were intimidated by guns. They always held guns to make sure we were intimidated and they threatened to shoot if we made any mistake.
“I remember in 1977, I had to run for seven kilometres when we saw a helicopter landing on an open space nearby. We slept at a friend’s place for two days.”
In 1978, she witnessed an incident that haunts her till today.
“We were shelling maize outside, and out of nowhere, three soldiers appeared from the bush close by,” said Bosha. “Upon hearing that soldiers were approaching, my brother ran in the house, but they had already spotted him.
“They searched for him until they found him curled up in a blanket in the wardrobe. He was dunked in a drum full of water and beaten hard. When they saw he was running out of breath, they would bring him out of the drum and repeat the process over and over again.”
No one uttered a word, even the head of the family was scared for his own life.
“Right now when I tell my grandchildren these stories, they think they are lies,” she said.
Bosha recalled how the health system was biased towards whites.
“I once went to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare in 1976 (the hospital was called Andrew Fleming then), and one could easily see that we were looked down upon by the whites,” she said.
“I was referred to the then Harare blacks-only hospital.”
The blacks-only hospital was named Harare Central Hospital at independence, but is now known as Sally Mugabe Central Hospital.
Health services offered at the hospital before independence differed from those at Parirenyatwa Hospital as there was no sufficient equipment.
The attainment of independence in 1980 saw improvements, not only in the health sector, but also the land reform.
“We are proud owners of our land, unlike in the colonial era when land was in the hands of the whites,” said Bosha.
Unlike the elders like Bosha who witnessed the liberation struggle, Tawananyasha Chimuti (20) has a totally different relationship with this important phase of Zimbabwe because he was born well after independence.
“Maybe if I had taken part I would have a better appreciation of what the elderly are always talking about,” he said. “I have read about the history, but I feel more can be done to make me have a better understand.
“My grandfather also told me how a bullet missed him by an inch when a battle broke out between freedom fighters and Rhodesians in Mshawasha, Masvingo. This could have happened, but it’s difficult for us to believe because we were born long after the war.”
Chimuti’s views indicate the need for the liberation history of Zimbabwe to be popularised among the youths, starting from a tender age in schools.
Chimuti is, however, grateful that the war brought freedom to Zimbabweans, especially in the education sector.
“The Government has ensured easy access to primary, secondary and tertiary education so that no one is left behind,” she said. “We are told that in Rhodesian very few blacks had access to education.”
But the views of liberation war witnesses and the Facebook generation always conflict.
Mbuya Mathilda Ndewere (90) witnessed the war and atrocities that were perpetuated by the Rhodesian soldiers during the liberation struggle in the Zvimba area of Mashonaland West.
Villagers were brutalised if they refused to sellout and tell Rhodesian forces where liberation fighters were hiding.
“They came in numbers looking for magandanga (liberation war fighters) and they beat us, they believed that we knew everything about the fighters,” said Mbuya Ndewere.
“Magandanga were fierce. If they found out that someone told the white soldiers of their whereabouts, they would punish them severely. Most people refused to tell the white soldiers about the fighters no matter how hard they intimidated them.
“Magandanga usually came at night around 11pm to enquire from us about the whites.”
The fighters met in mountains such as Zvembondo near Mhandu Village and others close to Uzande Village.
Mbuya Ndewere recalled how they were regularly taken to the Makume area in Zvimba where they were addressed by senior liberation war fighters.
Gunshot sounds became common in Zvimba as liberation war fighters clashed with Rhodesians.
Mbuya Ndewere said the struggle was so real and when they heard that the war had ended, they went to Murombedzi Growth Point, celebrating the independence.
“The struggle was real,” she said. “Sadly, our youths today do not understand how the fruits of the independence they are now enjoying came to be.
“I will not forget what was happening during the liberation struggle. The euphoria in 1980 shows us how important it was for whites to let go of our country.”
Tabeth Kapesa (20) knows that independence is a day whereby Zimbabweans commemorate the country’s hard-earned freedom.
She has a lot of respect for those who sacrificed their lives for the nation to have the freedom Zimbabweans enjoy today.
She says: “History is important because you cannot go anywhere if do not know where you are coming from.”
Perspectives on independence are informed by experience and information which varies from one person to the next. Despite all the interpretations, citizens are united by their love for the country.
The underlying fact is that Zimbabwe is an independent country, and at 40 is entering a new phase in its development trajectory.
Online Reporter