Remembering our silent heroes

Abel Mazinyane
ON Monday last week Zimbabwe commemorated our 40th anniversary of the Heroes Day, an important day in our calendar as we took time to remember the living and departed heroes and heroines of our struggle against the racist colonial government.

This month of August also gave me time to reflect and remember some of the comrades that I shared the trenches with during our time in the armed struggle. Some of the comrades are “silent” heroes of the armed struggle as they have since departed quietly from this planet.

However, I will just give a short run down as part of honouring and recognising their contribution to the independence of our beloved country.

My group at training at Morogoro Camp in Tanzania was divided into two platoons. There are some comrades whom we trained together in Platoon A that was commanded by Mlefu Dube (Nathaniel Murivo/Gurutsha/Molly). Molly had been to Johannesburg (South Africa) before he joined the armed struggle. He had these unending stories of his during his time Joburg. I never saw him upset, after training he was deployed to the front, I think that was in 1972 and that time I had flown to the Soviet Union for further training. I had been deployed to the front in 1971. I then met Molly in Maputo (Mozambique) when we operated under the Zimbabwe People’s Army (Zipa).

He had just returned from the USSR with other comrades such as Gilbert Khumalo (Nicholas Nkomo). I understand he died in battle in the Lupane area in 1978. Originally he was from the Plumtree area. Section A of Platoon A was commanded by Cde Chauke who was said to be from the Chiredzi area in Masvingo. Cde Chauke also died in battle in 1978. The following were in Section A:
Cde Aaron Gumede, a man born in 1924 but too fit for his age. Gumede had a very short fuse. Cde Gumede died in a free Zimbabwe. He never stopped calling everyone mfana. He came from Matopo area.

David Ndebele — one of the nine who were smuggled out of Morogoro and taken to Zambia to kick-start operations. We were deployed together at DK (military base), later to be part of Northern Front (NF2). That was in 1971. He was one of the first commanders to open Feira Operation Sector. His other names were Cephas Pope and Chibhoyi. He was a hardworking soldier who unfortunately was killed in combat by a landmine in Zambia.

JOSHUA MPOFU — Joshua came from Matabeleland North either Lupane or Nkayi districts. He was deployed to the front in 1972. He was in the thick of things at the front but was later recalled to the rear and sent to Morogoro as an instructor where he died in 1976.
JOWASH (John) — This man was a boat expert. He reinforced the ZPRA boat fleet with boats from Rhodesia. That guy was very daring. In 1972 he was sent to the USSR to train as a specialist in reconnaissance. We were deployed together at DK in 1971. He died in independent Zimbabwe.

Martin/Masamba Debar — He joined the armed struggle from Zambia. He later joined Froliz.
Jackson — Jackson joined from Zambia. The family came from Gokwe. I last saw him in Gweru where he drove a taxi. He went to Froliz at its formation.

BOB — Bob was recruited from Zambia. He was a quiet man. He was a good runner. He always came first in our road runs. He died in Zambia when he was under Froliz. Some ZPRA comrades were dispatched to his funeral, probably buried at Leopards Hill in Lusaka.

Farai Madiro/Phoso — He came from the Matopo area. We travelled together to Moscow in 1972 where we attended the same courses. We returned to Zambia in 1973. He was deployed as a military counter intelligence officer. He was a quiet man with a sensitive temper. I witnessed his “destruction” of a Tanzanian prison officer who had overstretched his patience. In a few minutes the East African man looked like he had picked a quarrel with a monster. Madiro died in independent Zimbabwe.

Toddy Nkomo/Billy Mzamo — He joined the armed struggle from Zambia where his family had settled. We travelled together to the USSR for further training where he did military engineering at Simferopol/Cremia. He was once commander of Chakwenga Transit Camp of recruits.

He was always security alert. When we got news that the Rhodesians had attacked our logistics camp along the Zambezi River, he devised a system in which the camp inmates slept out of the camp, returning in the morning. I am not sure whether he booby trapped the camp overnight. In 1978 he was appointed deputy chief of training. At Independence he did not integrate into any Government service. He is now a villager in Gwanda District.

Alexander Ncube — He was an ex-detainee. He was a very composed character. Except at training I hardly met him throughout the war operations. I met him in Zimbabwe after Independence. He worked for a trade union in Bulawayo. He lived in Luveve 5 and passed on around 2000 and was buried at Luveve Cemetery.

SECTION C
This section was commanded by Kelly Malaba who came from Plumtree area. He had a big body which was not affected by the rigorous training exercises. He was very active despite carrying such a big body. He was one of the first unit commanders when ZPRA relaunched its operations after the Chikerema saga. In 1974 he was sent to the USSR to train as a regional commander. He travelled with Jevan Maseko, Gadafi, Phinda, Kwela and a few others. On his return he was deployed by Zipa in 1976 as Deputy Commander of Gaza Province deputizing Makasha/Chando of Zanla. After Zipa he as later appointed Deputy Chief of Administration deputising Cephas Cele. He died after Independence and is buried at the Plumtree Heroes Acre.

Tshabalala/Gumirendevu — He joined the struggle from Zambia. He must have been settled in the western province of Zambia, he could speak Lozi well. He was killed in a Rhodesian air raid at our logistics camp in Zambia in 1974.

Martin Nleya — He died at Morogoro in 1971. He was a brilliant young man.

Ernest Magutshwa — He came from Mtshikitsha Line in Silobela. We were deployed to Zipa at the same time but really met at Barage in Gaza Province in Mozambique. From Gaza we moved together to Tembwe in Tete Province. He was once sent to an African Cultural Festival in Algeria where he won some accolade for his unique traditional dance “ingquzu”. He was once the only source of meat at our camp in Tanzania through hunting using dogs. Meat supplies had been discontinued. He lies buried at his homestead in Silobela.

Section B-Platoon A
Section B was commanded by Bernard Maphosa. Bernard had been a Zapu activists before joining the armed struggle. He had been detained for political activism at Gonakudzwingwa. We went together to the USSR for further training. Dikiza as he was popularly known was the head of the Military Intelligence Technical section. The section dealt with photography. He came from Matopo and died in Independent Zimbabwe.

John Nkomazana (Bonanza) — He had been a Zapu activist as well before joining the armed struggle. We also went together to the USSR. On our return he was deployed on MI mission. I last saw him in 1973. At Independence I was told he was spotted in Kadoma.

Zulu — He came from Plumtree and was a man of few words. He was a machine gunner of the section. He carried an RPD machine gun come rain come sunshine. I am told he died in Plumtree after Independence.

Tshaloba/Elias Ndlovu — He was the section commissar. He was appointed instructor after our training at Morogoro. We teamed up at Barage in Mozambique in March 1976. We were together at Tembwe north of Tete Town until we decided to return to Zambia. We had been together in what was code named “Operation Old Woman in 1974”. We were opening a route to Mukumbura. The rank he got from the Zimbabwe National Army was that of a Major. He is buried at the Bulawayo Provincial Heroes Acre in Nkulumane. In ZPRA he was the deputy chief of operations and was later moved to chief of administration.