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THIS week, CDE JUSTIN SHAWARIRA, whose nom de guerre was Advance K.K. Chimurenga, continues chronicling his journey during the liberation struggle. He recounts to our Features and Arts Editor PRINCE MUSHAWEVATO his experiences after finally joining camp in Mozambique.
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Q: Last week, our discussion ended when you were transferred to Chibawawa. How was the situation there and was it what you expected?
A: It was my first time at such an institution. Everything happened fast and I had to quickly adapt. But when I left the country, I knew the situation would not be easy.
At Chibawawa, we woke up and trained every day. However, this was basic training to keep us fit and give us basic knowledge about the war.
When food was available, we would get it, but most of the time, it was scarce.
Hunger often got the better of us. Getting three meals per week was a major achievement. Some people would eat once a week or even go for days without food.
In some instances, we would get rations of salt when it was available.
One would get at least three grains of coarse salt to enable them to drink some water. Salt also helps keep the body strong.
Faced with such difficult circumstances, we devised a system we often called chirenje.
This system entailed looking for food in nearby villages.
We would exchange clothes or any other valuable items for anything edible.
Q: You can carry on.
A: We survived under the most difficult of conditions and it pains me to hear some people say “ngavanosungirira nyika kwayanga iri tiisungunure tega”.
Real-life events were more like horror movie scenes.
Comrades fell sick and some died due to malnutrition.
Also, because we were very young, some were bitten by snakes and did not notice; maizongoona munhu afa.
We also had several cases of people being affected by lice and matekenya.
The wounds caused by matekenya did not heal quickly.
Some had to have their limbs amputated because of matekenya.
They even affected genital areas.
I was affected by matekenya while at that camp and only realised it when some female comrades saw me struggling to walk.
They called me and helped me remove them from my feet.
That was the first time I saw those little creatures.
I had a lot of smelly pus in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, we had a team of very learned comrades at the camp, such as Cde Maynard Muzariri, Cde Machokoto and Cde Mayor Urimbo, who taught us about the struggle and politics in general.
Q: What exactly did they teach you?
A: They were good tutors. The lessons we got from them were similar to, or even better than, what people learn in universities or colleges.
Learning is not only about certificates; comrades learnt practical and useful things.
That is why we were able to defeat Ian Smith.
We also learnt about war situations and recommended reactions when attacked — crawling techniques, etcetera.
We would get logs that we simulated as guns for training and drills.
We had classes where we did political science and administration, then physical training.
Additionally, we received training in discipline. We were taught how to properly communicate with each other, how to engage the public and how to behave on the battlefield.
ZANLA and ZIPRA fighters won the battle against Rhodesian forces because of discipline. Through the trainings, we knew that if we wronged each other, even when in possession of our guns, no one was supposed to open fire.
We could engage in fist fights but under no circumstances would one open fire against a fellow comrade.
Through discipline, several countries, among them China, Romania, Egypt, Korea, Russia, Syria and Ghana, became keen to train our comrades.
No one wants to associate with undisciplined people. Besides, we had comrades who were well-educated, who helped in creating good relationships with foreign countries.
Q: In that regard, discipline is indeed essential, but how did your weapons compare to those of the enemy?
A: We liberated the country with not-so-sophisticated weapons.
Even the Rhodesians knew we did not have the best of weapons and often mocked us about it. However, because of discipline, unity of purpose and correct use of the basic weapons, we went on to win the war.
We did not have things like helicopters, but Smith had some of the best in the region, including some modified aircraft that at some point became difficult for us to shoot down.
He secured armoured helicopters and the only way to shoot them down was through hitting the rotor system.
Q: What were some of your major highlights or achievements at Chibawawa?
A: As we went through our daily routines at the camp, some of the leaders, among them Cde Bhowas Mataruse, Cde Chandikafamba, Cde Thomas Regedzai Tsuro and Lieutenant-Colonel (Retd) Joseph Khumalo, who is still alive, who were senior members of the General Staff, sat down and discussed my fate.
One day, when we were on parade, I saw some security officers walking towards me.
This was not a good thing during the war.
They usually approached people who would have been engaged in some sort of mischief, which included being a spy.
They approached me and told me that I had been summoned by members of the High Command.
I was not afraid but just worried what I had done wrong.
I complied and went to see them.
The meeting was graced by senior leaders.
I saluted them and only relaxed when I realised some of them were smiling.
I was offered a seat before being told that I had been promoted to detachment level, responsible for logistics.
I was promoted because of bravery and dedication.
The development meant I was now able to mingle, eat and sleep in the same places/rooms as the commanders.
Part of my duties involved monitoring the supply, preparation and distribution of food.
I had to make sure that all food and clothes/uniforms received were fairly distributed among the comrades.
Most of the clothes we got from donors were second-hand; those that you now call mabhero.
However, we had to clearly screen the clothes because we lost a number of comrades through poisoned clothes and shoes, especially new pairs.
Some of our comrades were killed because we were poor and did not have resources.
Even some of the food we received from donors was poisoned, particularly some butterscotch chocolates; they were very delicious but poisonous.
There was also an easy-to-prepare yellowish porridge that affected comrades because it was poisoned.
Comrades who consumed the food developed stomach problems, including diarrhoea, and the next thing was that they would lose weight and eventually die.
To be honest, in most instances, we ate the poisoned food because we had no option due to hunger, but many perished.
Q: How were the camps structured with regard to age?
A: ZIPRA and ZANLA were made up of young soldiers; we could say only 10 percent of the fighters were grown-ups.
The rest were boy and girl soldiers.
Most of the senior guys were in school and we understood that we needed educated leaders to lead us during the war and after independence.
However, during the war, we had incidents in which we would get weapons that were inferior to those of the enemy, and we were still expected to go into battle and win.
The white man used weapons like the Fabrique Nationale (FN), a very powerful weapon.
Imagine going into battle with them using an ordinary rifle?
Complaining about the situation would sometimes attract punishment, but some understanding leaders would sit down with us, hear our concerns and we would then come up with a win-win solution.
Have you ever heard about the Nhari Rebellion?
It was a revolt that took place around 1974 within ZANLA.
Thomas Nhari and his crew were not sellouts.
They only advocated proper ammunition and support for freedom fighters.
They were not just rear commanders; they operated in both the rear and the front, thus, they knew the challenges and our shortcomings against the enemy on the battlefield.
However, by advocating proper distribution of ammunition and other resources, especially those received from powerful nations, they ended up being considered rebels.
Leaders back then needed to just take into consideration their thinking and eventually come up with a better solution.
During the war, we would only call someone a sellout if he passed information to or assisted the enemy, people like Morrison Nyathi.
Otherwise, having a different view with a fellow comrade is not reason for one to be called a sellout.
Tribalism was another issue that threatened to derail our revolution, but it was promptly addressed by our leaders.
Without unity of purpose, it could have taken us longer to win the war.
Next week, Cde Justin Shawarira will narrate how he was eventually tasked with escorting leaders, including Cde Rex Nhongo, on the battlefield and how they once lost and dramatically recovered important strategy documents.
Online Reporter