The Sunday Mail
THIS week, we continue our discussion with Cde Baraka Toughguy, whose real name is Morgan Maondo (MM). We concluded last week’s discussion as he was about to take us through the Grand Reef Airbase attack. Located near Odzi, just outside Mutare, the airbase was used by the Rhodesian army to conduct ground and air attacks on bases and refugee camps in Mozambique.
In this edition, Cde Baraka also narrates to our Senior Reporter TENDAI CHARA (MM) how his group fell into an ambush in which he was seriously injured and subsequently relegated to the rear, where he spent the better part of the last days of the war of liberation recuperating.
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TC: If you can kindly narrate to us the part you played during the Grand Reef attack.
MM: I took part in many battles and cannot narrate all of them to you. I will, however, narrate the attack on the Grand Reef Airbase, which I think was important in the history of the liberation struggle. I remember the day very well.
The attack took place on December 19, 1978. We had gathered from our intelligence that the Rhodesian army had made an announcement during parade at the airbase to the effect that a Christmas party was going to be held on December 19. The party was going to be held earlier than the 25th, which is Christmas Day.
I think the Rhodesian army was suspecting or had gathered information to the effect that the airbase was going to be attacked on Christmas Day. This is just speculation; we didn’t know why they decided to have the party earlier. Reports of the goings-on at the airbase were sent to Cde Tonderai Nyika (The late national hero Cde Paradzai Zimondi).
Cde Nyika was the Manicaland provincial commander. We also had the likes of Cde Simbi Chinembiri (Cde Aaron Nhepera), who was one of the leading commanders in Manicaland. I worked closely with Cde Nhepera; if you get to meet him, you can remind him about Baraka Toughguy. I am sure he will tell you that I was a handful (laughs).
TC: How did you get this name, Baraka?
MM: I was given this name when I was still in high school. I was a very tough defender. So that name stuck on me until this day. From what I know, the Grand Reef attack was a brainchild of our senior commanders who wanted to avenge the Chimoio bombings.
We were told that we were going to attack the Grand Reef Airbase, but we were not told about the actual date. I think the day was kept a secret to minimise chances of being sold out. So on December 18, we gathered at a place called Dora, Pa Gopito.
Then late national hero Cde Josiah Tungamirai, who was a member of the High Command, led the attack.
I remember we had about 43 female combatants and some recently trained cadres. The majority of the guerrillas were coming straight from military training in Chingweya, East Africa.
We had our artillery and the attack was meticulously planned. The female combatants were given light, small arms and we were put into groups. Each group was given specific targets to hit. Some were tasked with hitting the airplanes while others were tasked with neutralising tanks. The attack then started. We had a group which was tasked with setting landmines on the road that linked the airbase with the main road to Mutare.
The landmines were laid to specifically deal with any reinforcements that the Rhodesian forces might have wanted to bring when the airbase came under attack.
I enjoyed that battle. It was one of the best organised attacks that I took part in. During the night, gunfire illuminated the sky. It was a rare spectacle. We had artillery that was overlapping to the Rhodesians’ positions. In my case, I was operating heavy artillery which was mounted on bi-pods.
I felt sorry for the Rhodesian soldiers. They were clearly taken by surprise and overrun.
Fear and confusion was clearly written on their faces. I do not know the number of people that were killed during the battle. Such information was usually a privilege of the commanders.
TC: Which other areas did you operate in?
MM: I operated in Zimunya, Marange, Buhera, Zviyambe, Zvipiripiri and many other places. In Chiadzwa during the war, I once asked villagers about the fresh vehicle tyre marks that criss-crossed the area.
I was told that some white people often came in the area to paint geographical beacons. I suspect that these white people were already looting diamonds.
I suspect that the local villagers, who were often paid to bring in the smooth, shiny stones, were being tricked into collecting diamonds for the whites.
The masses were being fooled. It is funny to note that we often hid our war materials in these diamond fields without us knowing that we were in diamond fields.
TC: How did your active involvement with the war end?
MM: My active involvement in the war ended when I was seriously injured during an ambush by the Rhodesians on our base, which was on the banks of the Nyahowa River in an area called Bwizi.
Bwizi Village is under Chief Marange.
Our base was located near a hillock called Chiringautsi, which is located at the confluence of the Odzi and Nyahowa rivers. We were coming from some patrols when we were told that two white men had been spotted in the area.
We didn’t intend to spend time at the base since we were on a mission to go to Mozambique to collect war materials. After getting wind of the presence of the white soldiers, we instructed the masses that were present to quickly disperse. Little did we know that all the while, the Rhodesians soldiers had been monitoring our movements from their viewing points up in the nearby mountain.
As soon as the povo dispersed, we started to take our positions as we readied for battle. The Rhodesian soldiers were lying in ambush. We had been sold out and as we were moving around scouting for positions, we were already in the Rhodesian killing bag.
The Rhodesians were waiting for the sell-outs to move away from the killing bag so that they could fire at us.
Two ladies whom we knew very well passed by and when we asked them if everything was well, they lied to us that we were safe.
The two ladies were the ones that had sold us out. As soon as the sell-outs left, bullets started to rain on us. We scrambled for cover. When the first shots rang, I was busy mounting the mortar bi-pods.
We were cornered. I dived and positioned myself against a log. Within seconds, blood began to ooze out of my body. I had been hit on the shoulder and chin.
I thought my neck had been cut off and I was waiting for death. I concluded that since I was going to succumb to the injuries, I was going to shoot as many enemy soldiers as possible before I passed on. Like a possessed man, I stood up and began to fire aimlessly towards the direction of the Rhodesian soldiers.
Cde Baraka will next week tell us how he survived the ambush that cut short his active involvement in the war.
