admin
Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu Special Correspondent
IN 1977 when the Smith regime made a firm decision to assassinate Cde Joshua Nkomo in Zambia after the shooting down of the Air Rhodesia plane in Kariba, the Selous Scouts (Secret Assassination Organ of the regime) assigned Selous Scout Chris Gough to survey Cde Nkomo’s house, and draw up the road map from the Zambezi to Lusaka.
Gough was ideal since he was born in Zambia and had a Zambian passport. Gough joined the Lusaka Golf Club which was near Cde Nkomo’s house on Nyerere Drive and President Lane which led to President Kaunda’s State House. He monitored Cde Nkomo and Zipra movements.
Back in Rhodesia at the back of Inkomo Barracks, a make-shift house similar to Cde Nkomo’s Lusaka home was built for invasion practice by the Selous Scouts who would be involved in the actual attack.
The other target was the Zipra Westlands Farm Headquarters and the place we called “Works” where our Zipra fuel was stored.
Gough admits that we had 20,000 Zipra cadres. It is not true that Zimbabwe House was bombed. A spotter plane and helicopter tried and were shot down. I happened to be there arranging to go visit the Zapu schools at Victory Camp and JZ Camp.
On April 14, 1979, the attacking Rhodesian Special Air Service Unit crossed the Zambezi at Kariba by boat under the command of Captain Martin Pearce guided by Antony White who had done reconnaissance of Cde Nkomo’s house with Gough. According to the Selous Scouts report, the equipment included seven sable Land Rovers painted in Zambian colours and one special air service vehicle, heavy weapons and grenades. Our Zipra intelligence spotted them and thought they were Zambian Land Rovers.
The Selous Scouts report says one of its columns was to attack Zimbabwe House that night and another to attack Cde Nkomo’s house. Zimbabwe House was not attacked as the Zipra were on guard. During the night our military-trained switchboard operator whom we called Russia actually phoned me saying he was hearing explosions at Cde Nkomo’s house. I didn’t tell him that Cde Nkomo wasn’t there or that Nxele and I had taken him to Jasmondene hideout which I had secured. He said Zimbabwe House was safe but Zipra forces were on the alert.
The Selous Scouts report quoted in Aeneas Chigwedere’s booklet The Hunt for Cde Nkomo is a blatant lie that Zipra security guarding Cde Nkomo’s house were asleep and the invaders easily moved into the house looking for Cde Nkomo and that they killed most of Cde Nkomo’s security guards. How could they be asleep when information had come that Cde Nkomo’s house would be attacked and when Cde Nkomo’s security chief uBafo Nxele and myself had taken Cde Nkomo away to the hideout.
Nxele’s deputy Joseph Maphosa hid in Cde Nkomo’s bedroom and he was the one who shot one of the invaders in the thigh and testicles and another one in the buttocks and the Selous Scouts invaders cried out saying “Nkomo is armed let’s get out!” Outside Cde Newsreel and other comrades fought a heroic battle until the invaders fled in Land Rovers leaving their fellow invaders dead, as dead as a dodo. One of them had his brains scattered on the ground.
Before the invasion after discussions and arrangements with then Zambian president Cde Kenneth Kaunda, Cde Nkomo moved to a big house near Cde Kaunda’s State House and near the Zambia Air Force and army barracks. Cde Nkomo said he now felt safer than before. In my meeting with Cde Nkomo and his security chiefs I said “don’t trust that you will be safe as Zambia might also be threatened for protecting you”. Cde Albert Nxele Cde Nkomo’s chief security officer agreed with me. Cde Nkomo then gave me an assignment to look for an alternative hideout and an urban camp for women’s urban battalion which was under Magdalene.
I bought premises with a precast wall at Kalundu after Mulungushi Hall and we moved them at 1AM. One day at 5AM my house caretaker and security officer at Olympia Park, Kwacha Road knocked on my bedroom door and said baCde Nkomo varikwino munyumba (Cde Nkomo is here in the house). I got up and found him with his security guards Nxele and Joseph Maphosa and others around the house.
Cde Nkomo said you were right that I should have an alternative hideout Mnakwethu Ndlovu. Dinga indawo masinya.(Get me accommodation immediately) Cde Nkomo at that time was in disguise wearing a big jacket and a big cap. My wife, Dr Rose, and children thought of my days with Cde Nkomo back home in detention at Gonakudzingwa and feared whether Kaunda wanted to detain Cde Nkomo because Cde Nkomo and Zapu always bought properties from leaving Zambians. Word would go around and up to the enemy maybe indirectly or innocently then the premises were bombed. His house near Kaunda’s State House was well known to foreign journalists who had links with Ian Smith and his commander General Walls.
I decided to buy deceased estates, I went to see Kaunda’s Administrator General of Estates. I told him what I wanted — without associating it with Cde Nkomo. He gave me keys and addresses of properties. I got an unusual property at Jasmondene out of Great East Road after the University of Zambia. The property had a double storey house with an underground and an empty swimming pool and a tree with good branches to sit on at night.
Armed guerillas would hide with weapons in the empty swimming pool. Within two days Cde Nkomo’s chief security rushed to me and said “Bafo” meaning Brother sekuyikho lokho. The time has come.
Information had come from the front through Cde Thomas Ngwenya who is now retired Col Ngwenya that Cde Nkomo and all Zapu and Zipra leadership must move out of their premises and go to hideouts. Luckily enough I had paid a deposit to Kaunda’s administrator general and had the keys with me. I drove with uBafo Nxele to Cde Nkomo’s mini State House and hid my Ford Granada in the bush near the road.
Nxele went into the house to convince Umdala to vacate. There were senior party leaders talking with Cde Nkomo one of whom said to Nxele that they were still busy loMdala kanti uSikhanyiso lowo ufunani? Most of them did not know my assignment in Cde Nkomo’s security arrangements. They only knew about the Zapu Camp Schools which I directed at the Victory Camp, JZ Camp and Solwezi under camp commanders Makanyanga at J Z and Cecil at UC.
Cde Nkomo agreed to leave when told by Nxele that I was taking him to the “hideout” — Nxele collected Cde Nkomo’s belongings, packed them in trunks and moved out leaving Joseph Maphosa to hide in Cde Nkomo’s bedroom.
I led the convoy to the Jasmondene house hideout. After inspection Cde Nkomo said to me “uhlakaniphile wena uyithole njani indawo enje?” You are clever how did you find such a strategic place?
Cde Nkomo had to sleep there in the underground. At 2AM we heard the bombing of Cde Nkomo’s house at State House. Maphosa who was in Cde Nkomo’s bedroom fired and shot some Rhodesian soldiers who ran shouting that Cde Nkomo is armed.
They started bombing the house from the roof to raze it to the ground. We removed Maphosa alive from the rubble the following morning. Freedom fighters outside like Newsreel fought the whole night until General Walls’ Selous Scouts escaped in a jeep, one of them with brains scattered everywhere.
General Walls and his commander known as Green Leader had a Sky shout, warning Kaunda and his army at State House that he would hit and destroy Kaunda’s State House if his soldiers intervened.
He said he only wanted Cde Nkomo and his Zipra terrorists. At 5AM I went to Cde Nkomo and his security who already knew what had happened. At 7AM we went to Cde Nkomo’s destroyed “State House”. Oh what a pitiful war zone site that was.
The whole World Press and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation were there thinking that Cde Nkomo was dead in the burning rubble.
Alas, there was Cde Nkomo, myself, Albert Nxele and others, Newsreel and others standing. All cameras turned on Cde Nkomo and reporters asked: Were you in there? Cde Nkomo said yes. How you did you escape?
Cde Nkomo said I turned into “cats” and jumped out of a small little window at the back of the house. Nxele and I were beaming in amusement. That is the famous story of Cde Nkomo turning into a cat to escape the bombing of his house in Lusaka.
Dr Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu is former director of education in Zipra camps in Zambia and is current Zanu-PF Central Committee and Politburo member.
Online Reporter