A wedding and an assassination

WE concluded last week’s instalment with Cde JOHN DZINORUMA MUBAKO (JDM), who apparently grew up in Cde Joshua Nkomo’s neighbourhood in Bulawayo, recounting his days at the University of Zambia (UNZA), where he was one of six special cadres recruited to acquire military training to fight in the war for liberation. In this second part, our Political Editor, KUDA BWITITI (KB), continues his tête-à-tête with Cde Mubako, who recounts some momentous episodes of Zimbabwe’s history.

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KB: Cde Mubako, please, continue the narration of your days at UNZA.

JDM: I was supposed to study for three years, but I could not complete that programme because the political atmosphere was heating up.

Even, as I say this to you today, I am still devastated; I am traumatised because our dear chairman of ZANU, Cde Herbert Chitepo, was assassinated on March 18, 1975. He was killed there in Zambia, when a bomb placed in his car exploded.

He was murdered alongside his bodyguard, Silas Shamiso, whom I also knew very well. This had a huge personal impact on me.

I was a young student at UNZA, who was now politically mature because of the secret military training that we had received in that group of six.

So, to hear that our revered chairman had died was truly a crushing blow. Personally, I cried after receiving the news. I was filled with rage and I craved for revenge.

KB: Please, tell us more about this crucial moment in history.

JDM: What many people do not know is that not long before Chitepo died, we had travelled to an area called Mumbwa, in Zambia, for Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa’s wedding with his first wife.

Two buses came to pick us up at UNZA, so that we could attend that wedding. I vividly recall that special day.

One of the special guests was Cde Josiah Tongogara (an in-law of Cde Mnangagwa).

As university students, we were obviously young and full of life. So, we drank a lot of alcohol on that day, as we danced in celebration of our leader’s wedding. It is a day I will never forget.

Even those who had two left feet managed to somehow display some fine dance moves. This was because, at UNZA, Cde Mnangagwa was one of our leaders.

He was studying in the Department of Law, while I was in the field of medical studies. Cde Mnangagwa was one of our inspirational figures because of his history as part of the Crocodile Gang.

That he was an in-law of General Tongogara made the occasion all the more special.

KB: What happened next after Chairman Chitepo’s assassination?

JDM: I attended Chairman Chitepo’s funeral, when he was buried in Zambia on March 22, 1975. Soon after the funeral, they (Rhodesian forces) rubbed salt into our wounds.

A massive persecution of all those who were connected to the liberation struggle commenced.

As I have stated, we could not continue with our studies at UNZA, but even worse was to follow.

Many Zimbabweans who were in Zambia were arrested. Even our leaders, such as Cde Tongogara were detained. The Rhodesians feared that we would retaliate, so they went all out in that crackdown.

In Zambia, in addition to my studies at UNZA, I had also been working part-time at the publicity centre, where we produced the Zimbabwe News, led by Cde Rugare Gumbo. Our work at that centre was disrupted following Chairman Chitepo’s death.

As such, it was no longer safe for me to remain in Zambia and I held a meeting with the late former Vice President, Cde Simon Muzenda. He advised me to travel to Botswana because a lot of the comrades were being sent out of Zambia to avoid arrest.

So, I went to Botswana after the party bought me an air ticket. Going to Botswana was a timely move, because Cde Muzenda had informed me that one of our party representatives in Botswana had passed away and I had to stand in for him.

In Botswana, I was welcomed by Cde Ben Pesanai, who was a teacher at Gaborone High School. So, I stayed with him for a while, then I processed my refugee status and started earning some money.

I got a job as a temporary teacher, teaching science subjects. In Botswana, I also worked in Molepolole, which was about 50 kilometres from Gaborone, in 1976. There had been some confusion because the UANC party was making inroads in terms of forging relations with the enemy.

The Rhodesian government wanted to create confusion by warming up to Muzorewa. Because I was against Muzorewa’s leadership, I was arrested after some people informed the Botswana authorities that I was a freedom fighter. So, I was detained at Gaborone Maximum Security Prison for two months.

I only managed to come out after I fell ill. I was lucky that prison wardens sympathised with my situation and helped with my release.

At that time, some recruits then came from South Africa, where they were ex-Wenela workers, to Botswana with the intention to fight in the war.

I communicated this to the Lusaka office and I was advised to lead these people to Lusaka.  I then returned to Zambia with the recruits who had come from South Africa. ZANU facilitated our return to Zambia.

While in Zambia, we were joined by many other comrades and we proceeded to Tanzania for further military training. We did full training at Mgagao for about six months.

After that training at Mgagao, we then went to Mozambique.

Next week, the story gets even more intriguing as Cde Mubako, who was now a specially trained cadre, recounts some of the memorable battles he fought in the liberation struggle. Do not miss it.