Chronicle Editor
Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor
“I should think any normal person anywhere in the world would join Rhodesians in hoping for this, and if and when it comes, in expressing satisfaction. But I hasten to add that that these things are easier said than done and it is no use embarking on an operation without ensuring it is going to be successful.”
These were the words of Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith on February 15, 1979 three days after Zipra forces downed the Air Rhodesia Viscount RH827 as it left Kariba for Salisbury, now Harare.
This was the second plane downed by the Zipra fighters after another was blasted out of the sky down in September the previous year.
The Chronicle of February 14, 1979 quoted Zapu leader Dr Joshua Nkomo, the late Vice President in Independent Zimbabwe, saying the Zipra fighters were targeting a plane carrying the commander of Combined Operations, Lieutenant-General Peter Walls.
However, Walls had, at the last minute, opted not to board the plane.
“Now what I must stress here is that our men were aiming at an important target, Lt-Gen Walls, who is the Commander of the Rhodesian Army, who they had assumed was on the same plane that came to Kariba,” said Dr Nkomo then.
In a revenge mission, the Rhodesians carried out a raid at Dr Nkomo’s residence with the main objective of killing him.
In an interview with this paper in 2018, former Zipra Intelligence Supremo Dr Dumiso Dabengwa, who died last year and was declared a National Hero, said they had received intelligence that Walls was going to be on the plane.
“The incident that took place in Lusaka was an incident that took place after the downing of the Viscount plane which was supposed to be transporting Walls back to Harare,” said Dr Dabengwa.
“We had intelligence that Walls was going to be in Kariba with some of his senior officers on a weekend outing and we had all the information about the flight they were going to use and on the day of their return, we decided to down that plane.”
Dr Dabengwa said at the time there had already been bombing of Zipra camps by the Rhodesian Forces and they decided to retaliate in a similar manner.
“There had been attempts to assassinate some of our leaders. (Jason Ziyapapa) JZ Moyo had been assassinated through a letter bomb, (Alfred) Nikita Mangena had been killed in an ambush in the Kalomo area and the bombing of Freedom Camp in Lusaka where a number of recruits were killed and there had been an attempt to kidnap me when they bombed our intelligence NSO headquarters at Roma Township in Lusaka,” said Dr Dabengwa. “When we were informed about this flight we also decided to retaliate and we shot down the plane which we believed, we had all the information, Walls was supposed to board with his senior officers on his way back to Harare.
“In actual fact, this was certified to my comfort by Walls himself after Independence when he told me that he was saved by his wife who kept on saying, ‘Peter wait, I’m about to catch a tiger (fish)’ and he realised that they would delay so he gave instructions to the Airport control that he would take a later plane and that the plane that he was supposed to be in should proceed to Harare.”
Added Dr Dabengwa: “Unfortunately, there were only civilians in that flight who were killed and Zapu regrets this mishap but those are part of the casualties of cross fire during the war. Thereafter, they then decided that they would come and bomb Nkomo’s residence in Lusaka.”
Dr Dabengwa said the Rhodesians drafted their plan very well but their communications were intercepted and word was sent for Dr Nkomo to be evacuated from the residence before the attack.
“It was a well-planned mission, they used their commando unit who used vehicles that were in Zambian military colours and it was easy for them to get to Nkomo’s place because at the time there was still a number of whites in Zambia who were still sympathetic to their kith and kin in Zimbabwe and they gave all the information.”
Reflecting on the assassination attempt the late National Hero Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu in 2017, said when the Smith regime made a firm decision to assassinate Dr Nkomo, the Selous Scouts (Secret Assassination Organ of the regime) assigned 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,” he said.
“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.”
He said the 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.
However, their plot was scuttled when one of the Zipra commanders on the front Retired Colonel Thomas Ngwenya intercepted the Rhodesians’ communications and alerted Lusaka of the raid. “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,” said Dr Ndlovu.
In a later interview Rtd Col Ngwenya said Dr Nkomo thanked him for saving his life at the burial of his chief bodyguard Albert Nxele in 1994.
The time of the attack of Dr Nkomo’s residence coincided with the international conference to support liberation movements in Southern Africa hosted by Zambia.
Zambian leader at the time Dr Kenneth Kaunda said the attack on Dr Nkomo’s residence and some Zipra camps would not weaken his country’s support of efforts to liberate Zimbabwe.
“They can bomb Lusaka 1 000 times. These things happened in Vietnam. Where is Vietnam today? Free. We will fight to the bitter end. Victory is assured,” he said.
After the first assassination attempt failed, the Rhodesians hatched another plot to shoot down a Zambian military plane carrying Dr Nkomo in the same month.
Dr Dabengwa, who was in the same flight with Dr Nkomo, said they were coming from a meeting in Maputo to concretise preparations for the Lancaster House Conference.
“At one time, we had gone to a meeting in Maputo. It was on a Zambian Air Force plane and our meeting had taken longer than we had expected.
“On our way back, the Zambian pilots noticed that our plane was being monitored and they decided to change the route and instead of flying directly from Maputo to Lusaka, they decided to divert and flew via Malawi and this was at night,” said Dr Dabengwa.
“The Rhodesian Air Force meant to intercept our plane and have it shot down; I was in that flight together with Nkomo and others.”
Twice, the Rhodesians were left with egg on the face as Dr Nkomo survived their spirited assassination attempts designed to destabilise the liberation struggle. He lived to see Independent Zimbabwe and lived further to the ripe age of 82.
Dr Nkomo died on July 1, 1999 and is buried at the National Heroes Acre.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu