Matiwaza on the Frolizi factor

During the past few weeks, in our popular Lest We Forget Column we have carried articles on the tough situations that Zapu faced while in Zambia during the struggle to dethrone colonialism. We spoke to Zipra’s Deputy Chief of Operations, Cde Stanley Nleya also known as Gagisa while the former Zipra Chief of Military Intelligence, Retired Brigadier-General Abel Mazinyane actually wrote an article on these problems faced by Zipra.

The force was, however to grow into a formidable force, which saw it becoming a modern military that enjoyed the luxury of having an airforce and mechanised brigades. Today we carry an account of a Zipra cadre Cde Stulo Matiwaza about that period. Read on . . .

DS: Tell me a little about yourself and how you joined the liberation struggle?

SM: As I said, I am Stulo Matiwaza but during the colonial era when I was going to school a teacher decided to call me Stoole after some white man in Plumtree.

DS:Why change your name?

SM: They wanted an English name.

DS: Where were you born and grew up?

SM: I was born in 1949 and went to Ndolwane Primary School in Bulilima District in Matabeleland South up to Standard Six and then later worked as a shopkeeper at one of the Matiwaza stores in Ndolwane. I used to work with my cousin Martha Silundika nee Gumbo, the wife of the late National Hero, Cde George Silundika, she is the one who influenced me to go out of the country to fight colonialism.

DS: So where exactly did you go and take us through your participation in the armed struggle?

SM: I joined the armed struggle in 1970 at Francistown in Botswana and stayed there for some months before proceeding to Zambia. We left Francistown being 56 recruits to Lusaka in Zambia where we were taken to Nkomo Camp about 40 kilometres from Lusaka.

DS: Nkomo Camp after Joshua Nkomo, Father Zimbabwe?

SM: Yes. At Nkomo Camp our commander was Den Ngwenya, the commissar was Enock Sebele, the one responsible for logistics was Donki Dube and Victor Mbambo was in charge of security.

DS: I believe there was a time when there was a crisis in the struggle?

SM: Yes. At Nkomo Camp we were briefed about the situation that was prevailing, that Zapu was having a crisis whereby Vice-President James Dambudzo Chikerema had formed his party Frolizi. After a few months, when we were at Nkomo Camp, Chikerema, ordered his loyal freedom fighters to come and capture us at night.

DS: Capture you, why?

SM: We were recruits and they wanted us to join them but the mission was foiled because the camp commander and his administration did not allow them to do that. We were transferred to another camp at Mumbwa. After two weeks we were taken to DK Camp along the Zambezi River and Siyampondo Camp which were under the command of John Dube and Ackim Ndlovu. Our camp was near the camp of trained personnel which was under the command of Cephas Cele. This is where we met the likes of Jack Mpofu, Mabhuku Mkhwananzi, Mataka Sithole, Leni Nkomo and others. It was now 1971. We started training and after a few months we heard that our leaders had been captured by Mthinkulu’s group who took them to Nkomo Camp. The leaders were: Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo, George Silundika, Edward Ndlovu, Dumiso Dabengwa, Ackim Ndlovu, Aaron Ndlovu, Report Mphoko and Tshinga Dube and many others who were at Zimbabwe House. They were treated badly.

DS: Treated badly. What exactly was the problem?

SM: For resisting moves for the new leadership to take over. The Zambian government ordered all Zapu freedom fighters to go to Mboroma Camp. All of us were disarmed and taken to Mboroma.

DS:That’s how you got to Mboroma?

SM: Yes. The 56 recruits and I must add that most of them were from Luveve High School. When we were at Mboroma, a meeting was held and it was chaired by Zambian Home Affairs Minister Aaron Milner.

DS: Milner?

SM:Milner was a coloured, who had stayed in Zambia but he was a Zimbabwean from Mpopoma in Bulawayo. His mother was MaCele and Cephas Cele was his uncle. You would him swear by his mother MaCele. The meeting took a decision that those who were loyal to the leaders should remain in the camp and those who were loyal to Mthinkulu were taken to another camp at Mkushi and we the 10 remained loyal to Zapu leaders.

DS: Who were the 10?

SM: Myself, Emmanuel Moyo known as Zwafa, Lazarus Ngorima who was also known as Siyamangongo, Godfrey Jubane, Elias Makanyanga, DC Mahango, Raymond Nyathi, Ntabeni Ncube and Skin Sibanda. A month later, we were taken to Recommish Camp in Changwengwa where we had a meeting chaired by the Zambian Police Commissioner that was between Zapu and the formation of Frolizi. Chikerema told us that he was the leader of Frolizi party which was to negotiate a political settlement with Ian Smith. We refused to join Frolizi because the Cold Comfort resolutions which was held in Rhodesia that we were going for an armed struggle and battles were already done such as Sipolilo and Hwange Battles, it has already elaborated in the stories in this column by Retired Brigadier-General Abel Mazinyane.

DS: What happened next?

SM:We parted ways with Frolizi at Recomish Camp and went to Mwembeshi Camp which was based near Umkhonto WeSizwe Camp. At Mwembeshi a meeting was held and it was chaired by JZ Moyo where Zipra was transformed.

DS: When was this?

SM: It was in 1971. A military commander was appointed and that was Alfred Nikita Mangena, Lookout Masuku was the commissar, John Dube also known as Sotsha Ngwenya was appointed to be in charge of operations, Cephas Cele was in charge of personnel, Phelekezela Report Mphoko was in charge of logistics, Jabulani Ncube was in charge of medics and Tapson Sibanda also known as Gordon Munyanyi was in charge of military intelligence and reconnaissance. The other departments were for the directors. Dumiso Dabengwa was in charge of intelligence.

Under Dabengwa were Gorden Butshe, Victor Mlambo, Reuben Dingane, Mayisa, Isidore Dube and Ethan Dube. The directors of other departments were Ackim Ndlovu and Artwell Bokwe, Nkomeni Nleya, Jack Malihwehwe Ngwenya, Thomas Ngwenya nicknamed Menu, Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu and a Mpofu who was in the publicity department, and a Vuma Moyo.

Those who were trained were also taken and organised to go to the front, Jack Mpofu, Mkhwananzi Mabhuku, Dube Donki, and were joined by personnel which was part of the group trained in Tanzania with Retired Brigadier- General Abel Mazinyane.

DS: What happened to your group of 10?

SM: The 10 of us were taken to East Africa for training. We stayed at Umkhonto WeSizwe Camp because we were not allowed to train at our Morogoro Camp due to the crisis we had. After some months, we were taken to Mkonga the other part of Tanzania where we were camped and trained. We were trained by Stanley Nleya also known as Gagisa, Sigoge (Mlotshwa), Elias Ndlovu (Tshaloba), Tshile Nleya (Dubhu), Enock Tshangana ( Jevan Maseko), Enock Sebele who was the commissar of the camp, Jordan Gampu, chief of staff and Sam Fakazi, who was the camp commander. We did our pass-out parade at Morogoro Camp.

DS: When was this?

SM: It was in 1972, after the situation had normalised and other recruits were ready for training, those included Marshall Mpofu, Magwaza, Khwela Chitambo and many others. I proceeded for further training in Moscow,USSR, the group was composed of Sikhwili Moyo.

DS: Sikhwili Moyo, who later became a non-constituency MP in Matabeleland South after independence?.

SM: Yes. He was also known as Madlezibabayo. The other comrade was Luke Mhlanga.

DS: Luke Mhlanga, I thought he went earlier.

SM: He was going for refresher training. There was Donki Dube, Lazarus Ngorima and Raphael Baleni also.

DS: Baleni, who was the Zanu-PF Provincial Commissar for Bulawayo, a few years go ?

SM: That is the one. There was also Raymond Nyathi. We were trained in intelligence and reconnaissance. After our training, we came back to Lusaka, where I stayed at Mtendere with Bernard Maphosa. Our duties were to screen recruits from Rhodesia.

DS: Explain how you would do this ?

SM: We would look at their biographies, see what parties they were involved with, who recruited them and so on. This was meant to avoid infiltration. We would then give them pseudonyms. After some time, I was deployed at Chipepo in Zambia, and also covered Sinazongwe Camp. I took over as regional reconnaissance commander from Matswaha Ndlovu and my camp commander was Lawrence . I did reconnaissance at Bumi Hills Air Strip, deployed three sections at Sengwe River, Matusadona and Sanyati area. The sections were commanded by Carlos and Emmanuel.

When crossing the Quarter-Quarter crossing point one of the sections we were engaged in a fight with both Rhodesian and South African forces who were using a speedboat and two of our comrades were injured but we destroyed the speedboat. Some of the Rhodesian and South African forces were killed. This was in 1974.

My duties, were to allocate crossing points from Chipepo up to Sinazongwe, enemy speedboats were captured at that time.

I was withdrawn from the front to Lusaka, again I stayed at Mtendere and was deployed at Kabwe Township.

My duties were to assist the fighters from second Mboroma, this is when Zipa was formed. At that time, some Zanla forces had a conflict with Zambian police and some of them were shot.

I was also supposed to look at the infiltration of Rhodesian agents and mobilising party members. I was staying with Hassan.

DS: Who was Hassan?

SM: He was a Zapu member and former lecturer at Kwameh Nkrumah College.

I stayed again with Den Ncube, this was in 1975 and Dr Mswelaboya who were Zapu members. In 1976, I joined Zipa which developed problems and came back to Zambia where I was deployed at Detanti Camp in Chiyabi. The camp commander was Den Ngwenya, who was killed at Chiyabi crossing point by the Rhodesian soldiers, who were using a speed boat. The younger brother of Bhubhudla Khumalo was also killed during the fight.

Killion Sibanda became the camp commander of Dentanti. We moved our camp to Nangombe and Lemon Ndolwane became the camp commander. When we at Nangombe Cde Mike who was captured by the Rhodesian forces was forced to locate the Detanti Camp. He was brave and took a gun and shot the enemy and escaped with a rifle. What a brave soldier!

We moved again our camp to Siyazwela after the incident. When I was at Siyazwela, I was assigned to go and arrest John Chironda ?

DS: Why arrest him? Was he not your comrade?

SM: He was causing problems for other comrades in Rhodesia when given a mission to fight. I arrested him and handed him over to the headquarters in Lusaka.

We moved to Sinazongwe Camp in 1978. At Sinazongwe, we were again doing our operations of crossing points and reconnaissance.

I was again assigned by Cde Nikita Mangena and Enock Tshangane (Jevan Maseko), who was then chief of operations to arrest another comrade who was also a problem to others, that was at Mbunu area where Cde Tangwena was the camp commander. I had four men. When we were crossing the road from Mapatiza Mine, I saw some car tyre marks and followed them. I traced the marks to the Zambezi River only to stumble on the Rhodesian forces who had camped on the Zambian side. The marks of the car that we followed belonged to a Zambian army captain who had been captured by the Rhodesian forces. I proceeded to the Leonard Village to ask for the name of the troublesome comrade only to find out that he gone back to Rhodesia.

I concluded that he was working with the enemy. After the mission, I went back to Tangwena’s camp and I told him about the Rhodesians’ camp which was on the Zambian side. There was a group that had been trained in Angola and those comrades were brought in to assist Tangwena by Tshaloba.

After two days, the camp was attacked and there was a serious fight with the Rhodesian forces who had the support of helicopters. Following this battle, a group led by Asaff was brought in and its commander, Asaff, was killed after being ambushed in the area which had landmines.

I fell sick and was transferred to Choma and was told Cde Nikita Mangena had passed through on his way to Tangwena Camp and this where he met his death as he was killed by landmines. This was a sad chapter in the struggle and there was no proper re-burial of our comrades who fell in these battles and my appeal to the Government is that we should have proper re-burials of our comrades.