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Tafadzwa Chibukwa, [email protected]
The kitchen, society decided, was their place and all they had to do was bear children and tend to the needs of the men in their lives.
Women were deemed weak and emotional; they were treated as second class citizens who could not own property, have a bank account or vote.
Their education was not prioritised and only a handful dared to dream beyond the home.
Although patriarchy had decided the country’s liberation struggle was no place for the female species, as in every other sphere of life, some women stood firm and proved their worth till the bitter end.
Scores of women volunteered and put their lives on the line to fight the enemy and liberate the country from white minority rule.
While a significant number of the guerillas found on the frontline were men, that did not mean women folded their arms and hid.
They not only fought alongside their male counterparts on the frontline but also helped in other ways such as feeding the guerillas and providing them with ammunition.
In separate interviews, female war veterans shared their experiences and the roles they played during this period.
Some shared incidents where they almost lost their lives at the account of the enemy.
National War Veterans League Bulawayo Province Secretary for Information and Publicity Cde Metelia Matunha joined the armed forces in 1976 at the age of 14.
She said the guerillas moved from place to place recruiting new members, and they landed at her home town in Plumtree where she joined in the company of her friends.
“We had always been told by the elders in the community that the guerillas were moving from place to place recruiting new members for training. We were eagerly waiting for them to arrive so that we could join the forces and help liberate our country,” said Cde Matunha.
She said although she was young, she could see the unfair conditions that her parents were being exposed to.
This is what fuelled and inspired many of her age mates to join the liberation struggle in order to free the country from the shackles of the oppressor.
“Many people asked us why we had decided to join the liberation struggle at such a tender age and we would always give the same response; that we felt compelled to help our nation. Never was there a day when we felt out of place or belittled when we joined the armed forces even during training because we had great support and motivation from the older women and girls who had already been recruited. Our training camps felt like home,” said Cde Matunha.
She said although the army training was hard for them considering their age, they managed to finish because of their determination and encouragement from their female instructors who pushed them to their full potential.After undergoing training however, not all women were deployed to the frontline.
Some were given tasks to see to it that the soldiers on the battlefield were supplied with ammunition, food and clothing.
“We were not necessarily deployed to the battlefield but some of us played a huge role behind the frontline. For example, we were deployed to be undercover agents to help infiltrate the enemy and get information on their every movement and relay the message to our higher officers,” said Cde Matunha.
National Secretary for the Welfare of the Disabled and Disadvantaged in the National War Veterans League, Cde Sehlule Jele said she joined the liberation struggle in 1977 at the age of 17.
Cde Jele said she trained at Mkushi Training Camp in Zambia.
Mkushi was a Zipra camp for female guerillas that came under a horrific Rhodesian forces attack under Operation Gatling.
On 19 October 1978, the camp was bombed killing some of the bravest women who were fighting to liberate Zimbabwe.
Cde Jele said training as a soldier was not easy, especially for women.
The training was so intense that some women stopped menstruating as a result of the exercises and drills they had to do.
“Our training was not easy; we lost some of our members to training alone which gave us an insight of what to expect once we were on the battlefield. Survival was hard during the liberation struggle as there was not enough food and we lost some of our comrades to hunger. Some lost their lives trying out bush crops.
“I’ll never forget the major bombardment that took place at Mkushi camp which took us by surprise and we were forced to retreat into Mkushi River where we hid for almost 15 hours waiting for the enemy to draw back their forces. I remember we ran into the river without considering that the river was infested with crocodiles. But by God’s grace, some managed to come out of the river alive after the enemy had drawn back but seeing many of our comrades lying all over the camp lifeless is what terrified us most,” said Cde Jele.
She said having fought side by side with her comrades, she vowed that even after the liberation struggle, she would dedicate her life towards serving the country.
Cde Jele joined the national army after the country attained its independence on 18 April 1980 as a Private, rose through the ranks and retired in 2018 as a Major.
“I have always told myself that being female is not a barrier or obstacle but a chance to prove society wrong and be whoever one can be. I have seen that many of our girls have fallen victim to society’s beliefs and are drawn back in chasing their dreams. A woman should fight for what she believes and always believe in herself,” she said.
Another female war veteran, Cde Rossie Kandiero said women faced many difficulties during colonial Zimbabwe which pushed them more to fight towards the liberation of the country.
Rhodesia was established under the sponsorship of Cecil John Rhodes and his British South Africa Company.
He firmly believed in the White Man’s Burden idea of the duty of the Anglo-Saxon race to help “civilise” the “darker” corners of the world and regarded British imperialism as a positive force for that purpose.
Other settlers shared this view of the world and treated the indigenous black population as children who needed their guidance, protection and civilisation.
Racial segregation permeated the entire colonial project at every level, whether it was in sports, hotel facilities, or the use of public conveniences and amenities.
White racism in colonial Zimbabwe was also informed by a sense of fear, given the fact that whites were grossly outnumbered in the country throughout the colonial period and were always afraid of being overwhelmed by the black majority. This contributed to their determination to control the blacks and “keep them in their place”.
“We went through a lot during the liberation war and its heart breaking to find the young generation getting lost and not being patriotic towards their country. We fought for the country and strongly uphold the revolution and will continue to defend it against all circumstances,” said Cde Kandiero. — @Sagepapie14Em voloriatur, ipsunte res et
Online Reporter