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Peter Matika
Bulawayo Bureau
VETERAN freedom fighter Colonel (Rtd) Tshinga Judge Dube has said that despite all the glory, medals and admiration he receives from fellow countrymen, he feels lonely after losing 10 close cadres during the liberation struggle.
In an interview, Col (Rtd) Dube, one of the gallant sons of the soil, said he felt lonely as he reminisces about his close friends who died during the war. The Zanu PF Politburo member said as much as he has friends and family, he has fond memories of his cadres with whom he shared the painful experiences during the struggle for independence.
“Sometimes I ponder about what life would have been had my 10 cadres been alive. Our friendship was galvanised by the ideas we shared, the strong bond of where we came from and what we were fighting for. All I have are memories of my friends,” said Col (Rtd) Dube.
He said the solace he got was seeing the multitude of Zimbabweans living in an independent country.
“I am happy to have been part of the struggle. I really cannot go much into detail about how the war was fought as that would turn into a very long memoir. All the freedoms we are enjoying now were a result of the sacrifices by our brothers and sisters,” said Col (Rtd) Dube.
He said despite the pain he suffers inwardly, he is proud to see Zimbabwe making great strides in terms of attaining sustainable economic goals under the Second Republic.
“The independence we fought for was not just for our liberation from the painful physical clutches of the colonisers but also economic freedom to enable us to develop our country,” said Col (Rtd) Dube.
“Look at the great strides the Second Republic under the guidance of President Mnangagwa has made in just a few years. This would have not been possible at all had our brothers and sisters not sacrificed themselves for this.”
Col (Rtd) Dube said most of his thoughts were in his book, titled “Quiet Flows the Zambezi”, which he penned in 2019.
He said the book contains accounts of his early life while also laying bare an account of his participation in the armed struggle up to ceasefire.
“The book contains untold stories about tensions that characterised the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) in its formative years because of great suspicions between the Zipra, Zanla and Rhodesian Army forces. There are also accounts of the Gukurahundi period and many more,” said Col (Rtd) Dube.
He said the book climaxes with an account of the historical political events in Zimbabwe where he gives an insight into the ushering of the Second Republic through Operation Restore Legacy in November 2017 when President Mnangagwa took over from his predecessor, the late former President Robert Mugabe,
“Basically, the book is a story of a former Zipra cadre who, like most of the boys, grew up in a village in Matopo. He began to experience the cruelty of the colonial regime when they were flushed out of their land to a desolate area far away,” said Col (Rtd) Dube.
“He proceeded to study in a missionary school and was influenced by the nationalist movement. He later joined and trained as a guerilla fighter and met all the hazards that go with the war.”
Col (Rtd) Dube was born on July 3, 1941, at Fort Usher in Matobo District, Matabeleland South.
The war veteran whose pseudo name was Cde Embassy, was deployed in the Tsholotsho area in Matabeleland North in a unit that included the famous David Mongwa Moyo (Sharpshoot) and John Ntemba.
The unit laid the groundwork for the joint Zipra and Umkhonto WeSizwe Wankie Battle of 1967 and also carried out massive recruitment and politicisation of the masses.
Col (Rtd) Dube holds a MSc Degree in Electrotech from MADI Institute of Engineering in Moscow, Russia.
An expert in military communications, Colonel (Rtd) Dube also holds a Higher Diploma in Chemical Weapons Convention from The Hague.
He once served on the board of the United Nations Disarmament under the Secretary-General Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali and Dr Kofi Annan.
A chief executive of the Zimbabwe Defence Industries for 22 years, Col (Rtd) Dube served on many parastatals boards.
He was a Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) board member for eight years and deputy board chairman of TelOne for seven years.
In 2012, Rtd Colonel Dube was the chairperson of Marange Resources Board. He was elected a Member of Parliament for Makokoba in June 2015.
In September 2015 he was sworn in as Minister of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators and Former Political Detainees.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter