Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT should complement institutions involved in researching and documenting the history of the country’s liberation war as many pioneers of the armed struggle are dying with critical information.
Retired Brigadier-General Abel Mazinyane said this in an interview yesterday during the burial of liberation hero and Mafela Trust national director Cde Zephaniah Nkomo at the Bulawayo Provincial Heroes Acre in Nkulumane.
Cde Nkomo was heading Mafela Trust, an organisation which was formed in 1992 to document the history of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (Zapu) and its military wing the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (Zipra).
Cde Nkomo was buried alongside another liberation hero Cde Thabani Ncube.
Rtd Brig-Gen Mazinyane said Cde Nkomo had done an important job in researching the history of Zapu/Zipra after the Government confiscated its files during Gukurahundi disturbances.
He said individuals also burnt down some of the personal artefacts as they were not tolerated during the Gukurahundi era.
“Mafela Trust has been doing a lot of work in terms of documenting the history of Zapu/Zipra. Zapu/Zipra had preserved these files so that the country could start somewhere at independence but unfortunately the files were taken away. What is worrying is that some of the people with the critical information on Zapu/Zipra are now dying,” he said.
Rtd Brig-Gen Mazinyane said it was time Government through the department of Museums and Monuments scaled up research on Zapu/Zipra while some of the pioneers of the liberation struggle are still alive.
“We have people like Moffat Hadebe, Phelekezela Mphoko, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube, Abraham Nkiwane who headed the Special Affairs department. They are still alive and we need to tap from their knowledge,” said Rtd Brig-Gen Mazinyane.
He said there were several more people who participated who still have the vital information which can be used now that the country is involved in the construction of the Liberation Museum of Africa.
Addressing mourners during the burial, Rtd Col Dube, took mourners down memory lane narrating to them how Cde Nkomo was handy in researching Zapu/Zipra history.
He said Mafela Trust was a brainchild of the late Father Zimbabwe Dr Joshua Nkomo.
He said the Trust was first led by late national hero Dr Dumiso Dabengwa before he took over its chairmanship.
“When I took over the chairmanship of the Trust I brought in Zwe (Cde Nkomo), I used to call him Kijana (a child) not knowing that he was just small bodied because we are almost the same age. During the war he was part of the National Security Organisation, an intelligent wing which was most like the police force. I think members of the public need to understand that not everyone who participated in the war had to be a soldier. The late Vice-President Nkomo’s vision was that people be trained in various fields so there were others who trained as engineers, doctors and police because we were preparing to take over Government. We needed educated people as opposed to gaining political power and depending on the whites whom we were confident of defeating. So Zwe was one of the people who were supposed to be part of the police force after independence,” said Rtd Col Dube.
He described Cde Nkomo as a dedicated cadre who contributed towards preserving Zapu/Zipra history as the information he was gathering is meant to assist those who lost their loved ones during the war.
Rtd Col Dube said it was worrying that some former Zapu/Zipra cadres were having squabbles which were frustrating efforts being made by the Government towards returning the files that were taken during Gukurahundi.
He called for unity among former Zapu/Zipra members saying that bickering among the former freedom fighters worked against them. —@nqotshili
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