How I survived and continued to fight

Last week, CDE GIFT KAGWEDA told us about the unexpected raid at Nyadzonya Camp, which saw Rhodesia’s Selous Scouts that had disguised themselves as Frelimo cadres besiege the camp to kill hundreds of comrades. This week, he narrates to our Political Editor KUDA BWITITI how he survived and then continued his quest to fight for the country’s liberation.

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Q: You saw many comrades being shot and killed during the raid on Nyadzonya. How did you survive?

A: One of the tactics that we were taught during training was to take cover once there was a threat from the enemy. I managed to make use of the cover-and-crawl tactics. I covered a distance of several hundred metres whilst crawling. But, as I was crawling, many comrades were being shot. The gunfire was becoming even more intense, and I was lucky to be alive because any of the bullets could have been aimed at me.

I continued to crawl until I got to a section of the camp used by Frelimo soldiers. I was now close to Nyadzonya River. When I reached the river, I had an opportunity to look back at the camp and the site was horrific. The whole camp was filled with dead bodies and the sound of gunfire. I believe some of the bombs used during this attack were chemical bombs.

Q: Why do you believe so?

A: One of the bombs they used was called the “propaganda bomb”. When it was fired, it emitted gas. This gas would weaken your joints and you would not be able to run. Many comrades spoke about how these chemical bombs affected them. I was lucky to escape from this type of bomb. At one point, Morrison Nyathi even advised the Selous Scouts to lower their guns to shoot at us. Some of the armoured cars even ran over some comrades. This shows you the sheer brutality of the attack.

Q: What happened to you once you got to the river?

A: I faced a new challenge. Nyadzonya River was infested with crocodiles. However, luck was on my side. I managed to cross while holding onto my jacket. However, many comrades, especially ladies, did not make it to the other side of the river. Some drowned and others were attacked by crocodiles. After I had crossed the river, the Rhodesian soldiers continued to come after us. I met Cde Boniface, one of my friends with whom I had joined the war when I left Hartzell School. He had been shot and there were bullet holes all over his body. Because of his condition, he could not walk, so I made the painful decision to leave him behind.

Q: Did Cde Boniface survive?

A: Unfortunately, he died. He had little chances of making it because the Rhodesian forces had destroyed the Pungwe River Bridge. They did this so that we would not be able to go back to the camp to look for survivors.

Q: What followed after the massacre at Nyadzonya?

A: We walked for five days to Gorongoza. This was a particularly painful period because we walked in the forest with little to eat. Sometimes, we would eat leaves or tree bark. On the third day of that journey to Gorongoza, we got to a place called Vanduzi. There was a sunflower field. In the situation we were in, this was a delicacy. So, we ate the sunflowers to survive.

After we finally arrived at Gorongoza, we were taken to Masengere Camp and stayed there for about three to four weeks. We then moved to Doroi Camp. Doroi was a new camp, so we also faced hardships due to a shortage of food and supplies.

There were no proper structures at Doroi. We lived in pigsties. I then decided to escape from Doroi to go to Chimoio Camp.

Q: How were you received at Chimoio?

A: I was well-received. I explained my story; that I needed to continue fighting in the liberation struggle, and Doroi was not providing the right conditions for me. I was accepted and stayed at Mudzingadzi Camp. I was put in the production department, which was involved in farming.

Next week, Cde Kagweda tells us about his experiences at Chimoio.