The Sunday Mail
CDE PAUL NHAU (PN), whose nom de guerre was MATUDA REVOLUTION, joined the liberation war after suffering severe brutality at the hands of the colonial regime. This week, he narrates to our Features and Arts Editor PRINCE MUSHAWEVATO (PM) how securing his first weapon opened a fresh chapter in his life.
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PM: Can you start by briefly introducing yourself?
PN: My name is Paul Nhau. I was a war collaborator until 1976, when I met ZANLA combatants. They knew my exploits in the Mutoko/Murehwa districts. Therefore, after meeting and discussing a number of issues, the leaders decided to give me a gun.
Cde Paul Nhau
PM: Did you have prior military training then?
PN: No. But I indicated to them that I was willing to join the struggle to help stop the colonial regime’s atrocities, and that I needed a gun to do so. I got the weapon, which marked the beginning of my involvement in the actual battlefield. The comrades christened me Cde Matuda Revolution. My detachment commander was Cde George Tichatonga, and the detachment political commissar (PC) was Cde Beans Kanyemba. We patrolled the Murehwa/Mutoko area but I belonged to the C Detachment. Initially, I did not have concrete plans to join the liberation struggle. However, I was forced to take up arms by Ian Smith’s brutal regime.
PM: Can you take us through some of your experiences after you became a guerrilla?
PN: The instruction from our leaders was simple — victory! That is the only news they wanted each time we got into a battle. But the golden rule was never to use force on civilians, never to abuse the privilege of carrying a gun. If we wanted anything — food, clothes et cetera — we had to politely ask for those things. The air raids in Murehwa/Mutoko and creation of protected reserves, popularly known as keeps, were a nightmare but did not deter us.
In one incident that took place at Mavhurazi, an area in Mutoko, we had a prolonged battle with the Rhodesian soldiers. Bullets rained as we fiercely exchanged fire. Missiles were thrown like confetti. Fortunately, we managed to defend our position but, sadly, lost some of our colleagues, among them Cde Nora and Cde Jazzman. The sight of dead bodies and the injured was so unsettling. However, the loss of fellow freedom fighters did not dampen our spirits nor extinguish the revolutionary flame; it actually became an inferno. We upped the ante against the white man.
PM: What happened after the attack?
PN: I survived, together with other comrades, and moved to the A Detachment that was in Vhombozi. I stayed there for some time. Along the way, the colonial security forces became suspicious of my movements and subsequently started monitoring me. One day, I nearly got arrested, but I swiftly hatched a survival plan. I was moving around with some ladies when I was accosted by the Rhodesian officials.
Noticing that I was now in trouble, I quickly instructed one of the ladies to carry me on her back as I pretended to be sick. We were stopped and the ladies told them that they were taking me for medical assistance. The enemy suspected that I was a freedom fighter but struggled to link me to them since I was dressed like an ordinary member of society (povo). They suggested that I should be taken to a hospital but the ladies argued that my situation required assistance from a traditional healer. After a lengthy inquisition, we were grudgingly allowed to proceed. We met an elderly woman, who was said to be a traditional healer. There were some little children at her place.
The ladies who assisted me to get there pretended they were going to fetch some water and vanished. I was left alone with the elderly lady. Meanwhile, little did I know that the homestead had been under surveillance. I was tired and wanted to sleep, which the lady encouraged me to do. Surprisingly, she started sifting some grain facing the direction I was. The chaff falling on me made it impossible to sleep. I did not understand why she was doing so. But within a short space of time, Rhodesian soldiers walked into the room and asked the lady what I was doing there. She replied that I was her patient. The chaff had left me white, giving me a look of being washed up and very sick. The Rhodies did not argue with the old lady and believed her.
PM: You can carry on.
PN: The bloodthirsty enemy “left” the compound. I was instructed to stay put for a while as the lady monitored their movements. Had they decided to search me, all hell would have broken loose. I am sure a bullet would have found its way straight to my head. I had close to $1 600 on me, which was a lot of money then. Our leaders had tasked me to take the money to a local businessman, who was supposed to purchase new clothes and combat shoes for the freedom fighters. They trusted me with the task since I knew the area better.
After noticing that the coast was clear, I swiftly left the old lady’s homestead, heading towards Makosa Shopping Centre (Mutoko). When I got there, I waited for Mai Mugomo, who had not yet submitted her contributions for the noble cause. When she finally arrived, I borrowed a bicycle from a local war collaborator and discreetly left the shopping centre.
I cycled towards Chibanda Village. But just as I left, I heard several gunshots. I quickly realised the enemy was still trailing me. Moments later, I saw a vehicle with a white man moving towards the direction I took. Fortunately, I had diverted and started going towards Makaha. Resultantly, the enemy failed to track me down.
PM: Did you not suspect that someone was selling you out considering how the enemy managed to trail you, even when you covered your tracks?
PN: I would not know. But every time, I survived by a whisker. When I got to Makaha, I was welcomed by an agricultural extension officer by the name of Mutesva. I stopped there briefly, secured my bicycle and groceries that included soap, bread and alcohol.
Just as I settled, a woman came in a rush and told me to hide in a ditch. I complied without asking questions. A few minutes later, at least nine trucks invaded the village, ostensibly on their way to Tsawaya protected village. They searched around and could not find me. When they left, I was alerted and promptly left. I could not use the road as I feared being waylaid. Thus, I used the mountain area, which had a dense forest. After travelling a very long distance, for hours, I linked up with other freedom fighters around 7pm. I was warmly welcomed at the base after successfully completing my mission.
PM: Were you immediately involved in other missions afterwards?
PN: Yes. I was part of the team that was deployed to strike the enemy who had set base at Chikukwa Secondary School the following day. We attacked the camp early in the morning. Some of the Rhodesian soldiers were coming from Chikwizo. This was a fierce battle and it claimed a lot of lives. The white man became desperate and indiscriminately attacked even the general public.
