The Sunday Mail
Something told me I was never going to see this great man alive again. It was written in his eyes.
Eyes that said I have done my part and am ready to rest. I knew it was only a matter of time. Old age and ill-health had taken their toll on this great Pan-Africanist – Rtd Brigadier-General Hashim Mbita.
As if I knew that his time on Earth was fast coming to an end, on April 4 2014, I was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania together with photographer Kuda Kunda to interview Brig. General Mbita. I have written this before, but I will repeat. My heart bled as Brig. General Mbita wobbled into the room where we were to conduct the interview at his modest house in Chang’ombe suburb. It pained me to see such an icon of the liberation struggle appearing like some old man from the village. Clearly, Africa was neglecting one of its icons.
Still, like a true African, Brig. General Mbita offered us food after the interview and in true African tradition, he walked us out as he bade us farewell. He threw jokes here and there. We laughed together with Zimbabwean Ambassador to Tanzania Ambassador Edzai Chimonyo who had accompanied us to the house.
As we drove off, Brig. General Mbita starred at us (in fact he did not stare at us since he had lost his eyesight. So he looked in our direction) as if to say Adios Comrades! We meet again on the other side! That picture of him still lingers in my troubled mind.
On 26 April 2015, Brig. General Mbita passed on to the other world. Go well Comrade Mbita! On May 25 its Africa Day. I sincerely hope Africa wont neglect you from your grave. Take solace from the fact that true heroes don’t die!
My interview with Brig. General Mbita was heated, quite revealing and at times he lost his temper but we would soon patch things up and trod on.
Below are some of the excerpts from the interview:
Brig. General Mbita: Its very good to welcome guests from Zimbabwe and to hear from them whether their questioning will revive my memory to some extent and remind me of my Zimbabwe. It was when I was in Zimbabwe when the first Tsunami happened in the Far East. The day it happened I was in Victoria Falls. I remember it was in Japan. (Ambassador Chimonyo assisting him)
I had taken my grand daughter to Victoria Falls to see the falls and it was at night when I heard people shouting around the hotel about the tsunami. I woke up and switched on the television. The pictures were horrifying.
Yeah, so what don’t you want to know? (Laughter)
MH: Before you became Secretary General of the Liberation Committee of the OAU, what were you doing?
Brig. General Mbita: I was living. (Laughter) I was doing party work. I was national executive secretary of TANU. I was a top civil servant.
MH: I understand you also have some journalism background?
Brig. General Mbita: Yes, I was once a journalist. I think from 1964 to around 1972. I was the public relations officer for the government. At that time it was not classified as a journalistic job. I went to America, New York where I managed to do a diploma in journalism. I became press officer for the government and rose up until I was made press officer of the President.
MH: As press secretary of the President you worked very closely with Dr Nyerere. Can you briefly describe to us what kind of a man he was?
Brig. General Mbita: Fantastic fellow! Very humorous. A gentleman. Learned. Politically astute. He was a Pan-Africanist. He was among those who engineered Pan-Africanism.
MH: What was his vision for Africa?
Brig. General Mbita: That Africa should be a continent, a united continent. His politics was guided by what he had learnt in Scotland. He was guided by the politics of people like Jomo Kenyatta, Kwame Nkrumah, George Padmore, Du Boise and so on. As a result he became a very strong pan Africanist.
MH: Tanzania hosted many liberation movements even though it had became independent in 1961. How was this decision to host the liberation movements taken?
Brig. General Mbita: The decision was not taken at a meeting. It was a process.
MH: Tell us of this process?
Brig. General Mbita: No, I can’t tell you. I was not a leader of any movement but I can tell you that each liberation movement came and negotiated with the government of Tanganyika for a place to train its cadres and organise its struggle. This happened from around 1963 when Pan-Africanism developed leading to the formation of the Organisation of African Unity. It was then at OAU level then that a decision was made in 1963 in Addis Ababa. Two decisions were made simultaneously. One was to found the OAU in 1963. Second, realising that there were many African countries that were not yet independent. So what do we do us who are independent to help these other countries? That’s when the organisation decided to form the Liberation Committee of the OAU.
MH: What was exactly the role of this liberation committee?
Brig. General Mbita: Now you want this. You seem to be switching from point to point. (he went on to explain the role. He would give one word answers)
MH: In 1994 South Africa was admitted as a member of the OAU. Is there a specific reason why South Africa was the last country to attain its independence?
Brig. General Mbita: Which country did you want to be last?
MH: Some people say South Africa was the last to attain its independence because the Boers in that country had a stronghold on the economy?
Brig. General Mbita: Let those people give you those interpretations. Don’t come here and ask me that. Let those people give their own interpretations . . . why are you asking me why South Africa was the last? Why? Why indeed? Give me an answer…
MH: Is there something that on reflection you think the Liberation Committee could have done differently?
Brig. General Mbita: It really makes no difference. Are you asking me academic questions or are you being serious.
MH: I am serious?
Brig. General Mbita: I can see now you are not being serious. You are just joking with your thinking. Everything that comes to your mind you just ask for the sake of just asking. (I had to remain cool and in control of the interview. Just one wrong word I was going to spoil the whole interview and I wasn’t going to do that.)
MH: No, I am really serious. Now, there are calls that the fight for economic freedom also need a structure like the Liberation Committee to coordinate the economic struggle. What is your comment?
Brig. General Mbita: Those who started the Liberation Committee were not economists. They were politicians. So let economists sit down and create a committee that can deal with economic matters.
MH: You did a lot for many countries, especially those in Southern Africa during and after the liberation struggle. When you pass on, how would you want to be remembered?
Brig. General Mbita: As a simple African fellow who was given a mandate and tried his best to fulfil it.
MH: What do you think about the future for Africa?
Brig. General Mbita: The future of Africa depends on the future leadership of Africa.
MH: The liberation struggle was spearheaded by youths during that time. Do you think the youths of today in Africa can spearhead the economic struggle?
Brig. General Mbita: I think the youths are pushing for economic dependency . . .
MH: Thank you so much for your time and giving us so much information?
Brig. General Mbita: (laughing) Thank you so much for harassing me . . . . (laughs) Let me tell you something. My eyes are not good. I now can’t see. Don’t take pictures that give the impression that you were talking to a person who can see. I don’t see. . .
After the announcement of Brig. Gen. Mbita’s death, I got in touch with Ambassador Chimonyo who said as far as he could remember, I was the last journalist to interview the Brig. General. I don’t know whether I should be happy or be sad.
Ambassador Chimonyo put everything more clearer when he said:
“Brig. General Mbita’s death was sad, painful and a big blow not only for us as Zimbabweans, but for the whole African continent particularly Southern African countries – the liberation struggle for Zimbabwe, Angola, Zambia, Nambia and South Africa. His contribution will live forever and to fully understand the role of Tanzania in African liberation movements is to understand Brig. General Mbita.”
