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Ruth Butaumocho
African Agenda
As the country approaches Heroes Day on August 14, it is important to pay attention to the heroics of women during the liberation struggle.
These women fought and contributed in different ways to the liberation war, side by side with men as they moved forward in common purpose.
The heroines, those buried at the National Heroes Acre and various heroes acres across the country and those whose places of burial are still unknown, deserve the ultimate recognition by Zimbabweans.
Where the history of the liberation struggle of Zimbabwe describes the exploits, trials and tribulations of male combatants, it should always take into consideration their female counterparts.
This makes the history of the struggle complete.
Some narratives have been good at highlighting the women’s contribution to the struggle, while others have been found wanting on this aspect.
But this does not mean women contributed less to the liberation struggle – they actually played a very big role.
The liberation struggle was a torturous journey, which resulted in the death of thousands of people in Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries, while trying to free the country from the shackles of colonialists.
“Nyika ino yakauya neropa”, (this country was won as a result of bloodshed), sums up the agonising journey walked by thousands of people, who sacrificed their lives so that Zimbabwe could become an independent, sovereign country.
Women were not mere bystanders during the liberation struggle, but played a crucial role, many of them being left dead, injured and scarred for life.
Among the lot were wives of nationalists, who fought alongside their husbands, through motivating supporters back home, mobilising food for those at the war front, in detention keeps and even mobilising other women to demonstrate against colonialists over their suppressive policies.
It was no easy task for these wives of nationalists who had to forgo the comfort of family and married life to up the roles of their husbands, who were never at home and would only sneak in for a few hours in the dead of the night, and disappear before dawn for fear of arrest. This brings to mind people like late Cde Ruth Lottie Nomonde Chinamano, a former Zanu PF Central Committee member and a widow of the late veteran nationalist Cde Josiah Chinamano, who died in 2005 and was declared a national heroine.
She was a dedicated, unwavering and selfless party cadre who was committed to the liberation of the country and its development.
Cde Chinamano distinguished herself as a dedicated fighter for national unity, social justice, national development and gender equality. She participated in the Unity Accord negotiations until unity was achieved.
As a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament in 1991, she advocated for the abolition of local authority by-laws that were put in place by colonial governments and were not in conformity with African culture.
She called upon the Government to abolish all beerhalls situated near schools and turn them into domestic science centres where women could learn to look after their homes.
Cde Chinamano fought against all forms of social evils, especially rape and prostitution. In this respect, she passionately urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to employ more policewomen in top positions to enhance women’s participation in formulating policies designed to address social problems that beset women.
Her memorable contributions in Parliament include her candid advocacy for the castration of rapists and imposition of stiffer sentences for people that wilfully spread the deadly AIDS virus.
In one of her many motions that she moved in Parliament, Cde Chinamano asked Government to tackle the deadly AIDS pandemic by awarding tax rebates to companies and organizations that promoted awareness programmes.
As early as 1991, concerned for a healthy nation, Cde Chinamano fervently urged Government to adequately remunerate qualified personnel, especially medical staff, in order to curb brain-drain which was beginning to contribute towards deterioration in services in major hospitals. Her fight for social justice was not confined to women and Zimbabwe alone, but was pan-African in scope. Cde Chinamano castigated the West for what she believed were deliberate attempts to wipe out blacks in Africa through the supply of contraceptives and legalising of abortion.
Hence, she also dismissed the popular belief that Africa is over-populated asserting that it is a premise used by the West to justify the scale and use of contraceptives in Africa.
Cde Chinamano argued that contraceptives are meant to “reduce, if not eliminate the black population so that they [the West] can takeover Africa.” On the basis of these persuasions, she urged Africans to adopt a critical outlook when considering foreign prescriptions.
As a fighter for women’s progress, Cde Chinamano urged all women to aim for higher positions. She is on record as saying, “Women can aspire to any position of leadership and we, the women, should support ourselves to gain such positions”.
Cognisant of the vanguard role that women could play in the development of the country, she urged them to be united for them to contribute successfully to national development.
“Women should not fear to develop the society in any form; they should unite and support each other to work against nepotism, regionalism and tribalism.”
Another woman who lived her life through the life of the struggle was the late Johanna Mafuyana Nkomo, known by many as Mama Mafuyana, who was married to the late hero, Cde Joshua Nkomo, known to many as Father Zimbabwe. Mama Mafuyana, died in 2003 and was declared a national heroine.
In one of the many interviews she had, Mama Mafuyana said because she was married to a nationalist, she knew that her motherly love was national as “it went beyond her immediate family to embrace young cadres to and from various training camps and refugee centres”.
Her relationship with, and commitment to Father Zimbabwe remains a poignant mark of the sacrifices of the wives of nationalists.
Because of the liberating choice of her husband, which meant continuous stints in colonial jails, Mama Mafuyana was left with little choice but to marry the struggle itself.
And she suffered for it too. Another heroine Cde Suuny Ntombiyelanga Takawira was former Senator for Midlands and widow of the late veteran nationalist Cde Leopold Takawira. She died in 2010 and was buried at the national shrine.
Zimbabwe will forever remember her as a generous, humble, kind and caring mother who sacrificed a lot for the liberation of the country.
She also suffered physically and mentally at the hands of the brutal and torturous oppressive racist regime because of her role in the liberation struggle and being married to the veteran, Cde Leopold Takawira.
Young Sunny married the late first vice president of ZANU, Cde Takawira, on 2 September 1955 in Gokwe and this marked the beginning of her involvement in nationalist politics.
Amai Takawira hosted early nationalists when they held secret meetings at her home at number 3851 (Y8), Jabavu Drive in Highfield, Harare.
The worst came for Amai Takawira following the banning of ZANU in 1964 and the incarceration of its leadership including Cde Leopold Takawira.
She endured the challenges of fending for her family as a single parent and the constant harassment by the white oppressive regime.
After the arrest of Cde Leopold Takawira in 1964, she smuggled letters and information into and out of prison at Hwahwa, Gonakudzingwa and Sikombela Detention Centres as well as Salisbury Central Prison.
Cde Leopold Takwira died in 1970 and Cde Sunny only learnt about the death of her husband from her husband’s colleagues in the struggles such as Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe, who was his very close associate.
The death of her husband did not take away the resolve in Cde Sunny to work for the liberation of Zimbabwe.
During her stint as a nursing sister at a clinic in Highfield near Mbizi Police Station, she contributed much to the liberation struggle through treating both civilians and those who were injured in the armed struggle.
She was also involved in the demonstrations organised by nationalists’ wives whose spouses were languishing in detention.
They often demonstrated against discrimination of the colonial regime with women such as Cde Ruth Chinamano which resulted in them being detained at Harare Central Police Station, only to be released after paying fines.
Amai Takawira also suffered heavily at the hands of the colonial government when she was betrayed by some sell-outs for her involvement in the liberation struggle.
She was beaten, tortured and her home searched against her will.
Her home was also attacked in 1979 resulting in her two children, Gertrude and Leopold Jnr being injured. Her house in Highfield was a constant target of surveillance by the Rhodesian police and was stoned many times.
Despite all this, she never gave up her support for the liberation struggle.
Her two sons Sam (Cde Skidrow) and Tafi (Cde Santana) joined the liberation struggle, a testimony of how the family through her guidance remained committed to the liberation struggle even after the death of her husband.
Women, both educated and uneducated, were pivotal to the liberation struggle as they took different roles — some which were beyond their physiology and scope, to unshackle the country from the yoke of the colonisers.
Hundreds of women of different ages joined national liberation movements in unprecedented numbers as supporters who provided food and other necessities to travelling nationalist guerrillas, as well as being combatants in the armed wings of the liberation struggle, in nationalist organisations, and as political activists.
During the struggle for liberation from colonial rule, women worked alongside men to overthrow their oppressors.
Many strikes were led by the women, and many will remember how in 1961 thousands of women demonstrated in the then Salisbury against a constitution which promoted racism.
During that year, women concluded that enough was enough, and the only way they could resist the contents of the racially-pregnant Constitution was to take to the streets to protest against such tart provisions.
In no time, hundreds of women took to the streets, resulting in the arrest of 2 000 women who refused to pay fines and opted to go to jail.
It took the intervention of their husbands who eventually opted to pay fines for them, demanding that their wives return home.
Beyond the barrel of the gun, thousands of women relentless took up odd jobs, some which could not match their physique, and even beyond their scope and comprehension so that they could assist on the home front, while their husbands, brothers and cousins confronted the enemy on the battle field.
Some of these tasks included walking for long distances in rugged terrain, carrying food and other accessories needed by freedom fighters to be used during the battles.
Who can forget about the midnight vigils, where hundreds of women in different parts of the country, mainly in rural areas, would spend the nights singing to motivate and encourage the fighters when they were weary, fatigued and almost losing hope of winning the battle?
Speaking at the premier of a documentary titled ‘Whispers” in Harare last year, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Cde Monica Mutsvangwa, herself an ex-combatant, said there were many women who contributed to taking Zimbabwe to where it is, but their stories had not been told.
“Stories of women need to be told,” she said. “Stories of women before us, those who were in the struggle, even the younger generation; young women who are doing wonderful things in this country, their stories need to be told.
“These stories help to instil confidence in our young women, to let them know that they can do it.”
Minister Mutsvangwa encouraged women to voluntarily take up positions of leadership to be part of the development of their communities and the country at large.
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