The Sunday Mail
CDE JOSEPH SERIMA (JS), whose Chimurenga name was Vavengi Muchapera, ended last week’s discussion with our Senior Reporter TENDAI CHARA (tc) as he was about to get into details of his group’s week-long stay at Nyafaru Farm, where they interacted with the late national hero, Chief Rekayi Tangwena. In this week’s edition, he will take us through the journey from Nyafaru Farm to Frelimo bases in Mozambique and finally Nyadzonia.
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TC: Cde, we ended our discussion as you were narrating your group’s interaction with Chief Tangwena. Kindly take us through your journey into Mozambique.
JS: After we were welcomed by the chief’s wife, we were then led to Chief Tangwena. He warmly welcomed us.
TC: Before you proceed, kindly tell us about your stay at Nyafaru?
JS: I remember there was a big homestead at the farm. However, we did not spend much time there. We would wake up and then proceed to the hideouts in the gumtree plantation. There was an underground bunker where we also spent time. We were also on the look-out for the Rhodesians. Each time when the Rhodesians were spotted in the area, a drum would be sounded, signalling impending danger. We would then get into the underground bunkers.
TC: How can you describe Chief Tangwena? What type of person was he?
JS: He was old, but still very fit. He was tall and spotted a white beard. He is the one who helped us cross Kaerezi River into Mozambique. He gave us the strength to proceed to Mozambique. Before we left for Mozambique, Chief Tangwena slaughtered a beast for us. The beast was roasted and we were given portions for us to eat when we were on our journey to Mozambique. Later on during the night, our group of 61 was accompanied by Chief Tangwena to Kaerezi River. When we got to the river, he addressed us and instructed those that might have been carrying things such as lucky charms to leave them or else they would drown in the river. We crossed safely to Mozambique. He had assigned people who led us to a Frelimo base. It was called the Seguranza base.
That was in 1975 and Mozambique had just gotten its independence. At the base, we were welcomed by the Frelimo fighters and we stayed with them for a month. One day, we were advised that our top leaders were passing through the base. The late former president Robert Mugabe and Cde Edgar Tekere later arrived. They were accompanied by Mr Makotsi, whom I gathered was from Mutare. We stayed with them from June 1 to June 25, the day Frelimo was celebrating Mozambique’s independence.
The base was moved from Seguranza to Katandika and we were moved to the new base together with Cde Mugabe and Tekere.
Katandika was then known as Villa Gouveia.
It was another Frelimo base. The late Mozambican leader Cde Samora Machel organised transport for Cde Mugabe to be taken to Beira. From Katandika, we were taken to Chimoio, then known as Villa Perry.
We did not stay for long in Chimoio as we proceeded to a base called Masengere, commonly known as Zhunda.
The numbers had swelled and we were overcrowded at the base. Zhunda was a transit and not a training camp. I was among the last people to leave Zhunda base. When some of my fellow cadres were taken to Nyadzonia for training, the base commander instructed me to stay behind and look after the children. I had been entrusted to look after the children since I was a very good singer and entertainer. The conditions at Zhunda were very tough. There was a general lack of food.
From Zhunda, I then went to Nyadzonia in July. There were thousands of untrained youngsters at Nyadzonia.
The base commander was Cde Makasha. Cde Teurai Ropa was also there, and so was Cde Felix Taguta and Dzamatsama, among other trained cadres. At the camp, our food was prepared in drums. One day, a Rhodesian spy administered poison in some of the drums. We ate the poisoned food.
Fortunately for us, as the food was being dished out, one of the comrades noticed a goat’s horn in his plate. The base commanders made their investigations and gathered that the horn was laced with poison. An emergency meeting was promptly convened. Pandemonium ensued as we started vomiting. We were given milk to mitigate the effects of the poison. In my case, I was vomiting and passing bloodstained stool. Cde Gutura, in a fit of rage, summoned all of us to a parade where he fired several shots into the air. The Rhodesian spy who had administered the poison panicked and handed himself over before making a confession.
The Rhodesian spy addressed the parade and introduced himself as Kanengoni. We wanted to mete instant justice but we were restrained by trained comrades. Kanengoni was jailed in the underground bunkers that we called chipidigu or chikaraboso. When we went for training, we left him there. I am certain that the spy was eventually killed.
Some people died because of the poison but the majority of us just vomited and passed blood-stained stool. I was very happy when all of the children in my care recovered.
Like I said earlier, I was in charge of the children at Nyadzonia even before I received my military training. We had more than 2 000 kids at the camp. Hunger stalked us, resulting in some of the children returning to their homes in Rhodesia. On their way back home, some of them passed through the Ruda Camp in Nyanga, where they were detained by the Rhodesians.
When they were interrogated, they told the Rhodesians everything and my real name was mentioned. I listened to the radio as my name was being mentioned. I feared that my family was going to be attacked. Later on in 1976, we left Nyadzonia and headed for training at Tembwe, which is further north in Tete province.
I was trained for six months. As was the case with Nyadzonia, the living conditions at Tembwe were not that good. We were always hungry since food was always in short supply. We often ate boiled maize and one could get as little as five grains of maize for supper. We were, however, determined to stay and soldiered on since we were determined to be trained and then deployed to the war zone.
After basic military training, I then specialised in military engineering. I was moved to Sabondo base for specialist training. Cde Chapewa Masante was in charge of military engineering at this base. After the specialist training, I was instructed to return to Nyadzonia where I was supposed to be in charge of the children once again. I was devastated. I wanted action and I could not imagine myself playing with the kids whilst others were fighting the enemy.
TC: Why were the leaders so keen to have you in charge of the children?
JS: Before joining the war, I was an active member of our church choir. I could sing, act in dramas and was generally good at entertaining. Also, I loved children and the children also loved me. I did not go to Chimoio as planned.
When we were approaching Chimoio, from Tembwe, we received the sad news that Nyadzonia had been bombed. If I had gone to Nyadzonia earlier as had been planned, I would have been caught up in the merciless attack.
We were then taken to a farm in Chimoio where we were kept as we awaited deployment to the war zone. This base, which was called Pesinding, housed injured comrades. My first experience with a loaded gun was not very pleasing. On the very first day that we were being allocated guns as we were set to head for the war zone, we were instructed to clean our guns. Sadly, the person I was seated next to accidentally discharged his gun and shot himself in the face. He died there and then . . .
Don’t miss next week’s edition, as Cde Serima continues his gripping narration.
