Chronicle Editor
Brigadier-General Abel Mazinyane (Retired)
ZAMBIA under the leadership of now departed Kenneth Kaunda (KK) hosted most liberation movements from the African continent.
Among them Zimbabwe’s ZAPU and ZANU, MPLA and UNITA both from Angola, SWAPO and SWANU (Namibia), ANC and PAC (South Africa), FRELIMO (Mozambique). Under KK Zambia gave support to the liberation movements without trying to exert any political influence and treated them all equally.
There was no favourite liberation movement, everyone had to live by the laid down rules. All liberation movements were offered office space at the Liberation Centre when it was established in Lusaka. Some installations were passed from one liberation movement to another. For example, Nampundwe was passed from ZANLA to ZPRA, Freedom Camp (FC) from FRELIMO to ZPRA and later Victory Camp (VC) from MPLA to ZPRA.
KK was a man of his word. He stood by what he would have agreed with his neighbour, his fellow Frontline States Presidents under the then Organization of African Union (OAU) resolutions. At the end of 1971 ZPRA smuggled fighters from Tanzania into Zambia to conduct operations against Rhodesia. Movement of cadres between Zambia and Tanzania had been stopped during ZAPU’s political upheavals that led to the formation of FROLIZ.
After crossing into Zambia, we lay low until we crossed into Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) to carry out military operations.
After our operations inside Rhodesia, KK summoned Jason Ziyapapa Moyo (JZ from ZPRA) demanding an explanation. JZ’s explanation was that the operations were carried out by fighters who crossed into Rhodesia before the restrictions.
When ZPRA started trickling back to Zambia from Mozambique after the failure of ZIPA, Zambia could not accept us as the ZIPA agreement had no Zambia in its plans. ZIPA was to train in Tanzania and operate from Mozambique. KK and Zambia did not want to violate that agreement. Luckily or not my group was the first to cross into the Zambiaan territory.
The Zambian police told us that as Zimbabwean freedom fighters they would send us back to Mozambique. KK and the Zambian Government wanted ZIPA to succeed. It was only after our group wrote a comprehensive report detailing the happenings in ZIPA that ZPRA was allowed back to operate from Zambia. Even the Commission of Inquiry on Chitepo’s death was chaired by a lawyer from Sierra Leone, a demonstration that Zambia wanted the truth to come out.
KK spared no Zambian resources and services to assist liberation movements. Vehicles belonging to liberation movements were not subjected to tax and were even exempted from traffic regulations. I do not think all of our drivers were licensed to drive let alone the class of vehicles they were driving. Myself I started driving in Zambia during the war.
When there was a drought KK issued a directive ordering millers to give liberation movements priority in the sale of mealie-meal. The Zambian people were amazingly sympathetic that I found it embarrassing when our monster trucks emptied the shops when Zambians were queuing outside. They quietly returned home empty handed.
Unbelievable.
KK used to visit our refugee camps with Mdala Josh (Joshua Nkomo), he would stand aside while Josh took a salute from ZPRA commander, Nikita Mangena. How humble one can be? He was an extra-ordinary person.
He would be shown children who escaped Rhodesian massacres. I recall him being shown a girl who survived by hiding in a drum when all her people were shot by Rhodesian soldiers in the village. He broke down.
All members of the liberation movements used to get free jabs for cholera, typhoid, malaria and other diseases. The Zambian Government footed the bill. Comrades going for further training outside Zambia were obliged to take jabs against tropical diseases.
Travelling in and out of Zambia needed travelling documents. Zambia provided those for free to the cadres from the liberation movements. I was issued a Zambian passport so that I could move in and out of Zambia without any problems. KK gave JZ and Chitepo State funerals, meaning they were at the Zambian Government’s expense. What can you call that?
Also, KK seemed to be closely following activities at the front with Rhodesian forces. For instance, sometime in 1977, ZPRA forces overran a Rhodesian Army base that had been situated on the banks of the Zambezi River. Our forces burnt down the structures and then established their own base on the opposite bank overlooking what used to be the enemy base they had destroyed. One morning the Rhodesians attacked the camp and we had losses. KK was not amused. He wanted the commander of the area brought to State House.
Our area commander had to remain in Rhodesia until things had cooled down. KK was not happy that our forces had dared the Rhodesian forces to that extent and felt that was being reckless, hence he was upset by the Rhodesian incursion.
In some instances, the Zambian Army was ordered to deliver weapons from Tanzania to our bases along the Zambezi River. KK’s leadership tolerated or turned a blind eye to freedom fighters’ violations of Zambian laws. We got away with a lot of just a slap on the wrist for violations.
The Zambian people under the leadership of KK uncompromisingly dedicated themselves to the liberation of Africa.
When Zimbabwean nationalists were released from prison, they were flown to Zambia. I recall there was a period when they were all accommodated at a huge Government guest house. By all I mean ANC (Muzorewa), ZAPU, ZANU and FROLIZ. All on the Zambian Government’s expense.
It is very unfortunate that KK has passed on without a joint delegation of freedom fighters of former liberation movements paying him a visit. In 2011 the surviving members of the ZPRA High Command planned a visit which they wanted to invite traditional chiefs’ representatives from each province of the rural provinces, Harare and Bulawayo also being represented and a few parents whose children participated in the armed struggle.
However, due to logistical challenges the move was shelved. When we were in the process of selling it to comrades in the Diaspora as a way of sourcing funding, Covid-19 struck. Here we are….
But that was not in vain as former ZPRA women visited Zambia although they did not pay a curtesy call on KK. I understand the reception they got from the police in Kabwe and the population around Mkushi was really touching.
To me the greatest gift KK gave to the people of Zambia is UNITY. Tiyende pamodzi ndi mtima umodzi (We move together with one heart). GO WELL KK. THANK YOU
Brigadier-General Abel Mazinyane (Retired) is the former ZPRA Chief of Intelligence and a member of the War Veterans Board.
Bongani Ndlovu