The Sunday Mail
We continue to narrate the political journey of Cde Joshua Madzudzu (JM) whose nom de guerre was Cde Captain Fantastic. This week, the former liberation fighter chronicles to our reporter Norman Muchemwa (NM) his journey to Mozambique for military training to fight in the guerrilla war.
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NM: You mentioned the comrades did not give you a conclusive answer on your request to join the liberation struggle, how then did you end up fighting in the war?
JM: When I returned home, after my brief stay with the comrades, I was determined to cross into Mozambique for training and join vanamukoma.
Taiwanzoenda pamagirosa kunotandara and as a person who had just returned home, I went to the shops to catch up with my homeboys.
While seated in front of our shop with other colleagues from the village, a troop of Rhodesian soldiers on horseback suddenly surrounded us.
They demanded we produce identity documents. During those days, we had zvataiti zvitikinyani or juvenile, so we produced the papers as demanded.
The soldiers did not dismount from their horses; they just checked our identity documents and directed that we always keep them on us.
They then left the shopping area.
When I asked my colleagues if it was the routine with these soldiers, they said they were puzzled to see them.
It was actually unusual for the Rhodesian soldiers to patrol the area on horseback.
I had sensed something wrong in the way the soldiers spoke to us.
Most of them seemed unsettled. It appeared they were looking for someone or people who they were not sure of their identities.
I then suggested we leave the place and go to our homestead.
As we walked home, that is myself, younger brother Timothy, a cousin and a friend, we heard helicopter sounds and in no time, they were hovering above us.
We all could not figure out what was going on.
The helicopters continued circling the area and one of the “choppers” landed on a small hill near our village.
As we walked home, there was a homestead before ours where some people were drinking home-made traditional brew.
We joined the imbibers.
As we drank the traditional brew, we were all talking of the helicopters, giving various theories.
In no time, the helicopter that had landed on the small hill took off and we thought the soldiers were leaving.
The other two helicopters were still hovering above the villages when the one that had taken off from the hill landed inside the yard of the homestead where we were drinking.
Area iyoyo yaiva neruware rwakakura, ndipo payakauya ikamhara ipapo.
A group of soldiers disembarked from the helicopter charging towards us while ordering us to remain seated.
When they got to us, they first accused us of being magandanga.
They then started assaulting us demanding that we remove our shirts.
They wanted to see if we did not have injuries or body marks, synonymous during that time with trained comrades.
The soldiers continued beating us, demanding to know where the comrades were hiding.
Most of us knew where the base for the comrades was, but the soldiers could not extract any vital information.
Besides, we all knew the danger of revealing such information.
We later got information that the comrades had destroyed a railway line that was near our home area.
That is why the Rhodesian soldiers were desperate to get the comrades.
NM: How did you feel after the incident?
JM: We were the only people in the area to be beaten. Like in any rural setting where people know each other very well, word quickly spread and people were not amused by how we had been treated.
Obviously, as victims, we were very bitter.
I hated Smith and his soldiers more.
As we left the homestead with my brother to go home, we had revenge in our minds.
The only revenge we could get was after joining the war.
We agreed to come up with a plan to leave the area and go to Mozambique, even without the approval of the comrades.
Two days after the incident and in the midst of gathering information on how to travel to Mozambique, the comrades summoned my brother and myself to their base.
We went to the base rainzi Manyuchi that was near Manyuchi Dam in the Mwenezi area.
Information of our harassment by the white soldiers had reached them.
When we arrived at the base, they told us that our ordeal was part of the unfortunate events of the war.
They then told us there was a group leaving for Mozambique that same evening, if we wished to join.
We never had the chance to return home to see our parents or close relatives.
That night, my brother and I joined other recruits on a journey to Mozambique.
We had joined the liberation struggle.
NM: How was the journey from Manyuchi Base to Mozambique?
JM: We left the base around 7pm on foot.
The comrades preferred that we walked at night to avoid detection by Rhodesian security forces who were seriously hunting for this group.
It was during July or August 1976 when we embarked on the journey to Mozambique.
Pekutanga, takafamba kusvika kwainzi kwaMurove, where there was another base.
We stayed in the area for one week.
As a disguise, ndakasarudzwa kunogara pamba pana Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, who later became Minister of State for Masvingo Province, some years after independence.
I pretended to work for his father as a shop assistant.
His father was a well-known businessperson who supported the liberation struggle through food, clothes and other material to the comrades.
Other families that collaborated with the comrades took the other boys, including my brother.
We then continued with our journey passing through Maranda area nekumwe kwaingova nemapurazi.
We crossed Beitbridge Road and walked for several days until we reached the Gonarezhou National Park before crossing into Mozambique illegally after avoiding Sango Border Post.
When we got into Mozambique. We walked for three or so days until we arrived at a Frelimo base.
NM: Did you meet any local comrades at this base?
JM: We met several comrades at this base. It was a transit base for comrades coming to the war front and recruits going for training.
I remember very well Cde Tichatonga Mabhunu because I stayed with him at this base.
There was Cde Nyika, Cde Muhondo, Cde Styles, among other several comrades at this base.
The overall commander was from Frelimo, I do not remember his name now.
We stayed at this base for three days before walking to another base, Mapai.
The numbers had increased at this base and I still remember Cde Nyuchi Dzinoruma.
There were also Frelimo soldiers at this base.
We stayed at Mapai for some days.
We were then taken by a truck to Shaishai Training Camp, which was formerly a Frelimo training camp.
NM: Is this where you finally received your military training and who were some comrades there?
JM: We stayed at this base for only three weeks and this was now around November or December. It had started raining.
We went through light military training such as road runs and minor drills.
I was still with my brother Timothy at this base where we also had Cde Victor Chimurenga and Cde Machine Gun.
The number of recruits continued to increase. At that time, we were about 150 recruits.
After three weeks, takatorwa nema trucks kuendeswa kuTete for our final training.
NM: What kind of training did you receive and who were your instructors?
JM: We arrived in Tete takambogara for two to three weeks tichizorora and recovering from our long journey.
We started our training in February 1977 and completed in August 1977.
We were training in different individual tactics, handling of various weapons as well as how to use grenades and landmines.
Since our fight was a guerrilla war, we trained on how to embark on hit-and-run as well as how to lay ambushes, among other forms of training.
Road run was the major part of our training because every day before we embarked on anything, we had to run between five to 10 kilometres.
We trained in the use of mortars, bazookas as well as some anti-air guns.
There was strong political orientation on why we were fighting the Smith regime back home.
It was a tough training programme, but I managed to shrug off all the challenges as a person who knew why I was there.
Interestingly, the training and orientation saw me discover that the war was not just about my personal revenges, but a collective agenda that was nationalistic in nature.
During training, we had different challenges like nzara yairova zvakaipa during that time and physical training yatairova yaida chikafu chaicho.
We also faced challenges of diseases mainly caused by malnutrition, as well as kugara vanhu vakaungana panzvimbo imwechete.
One of our senior instructors at Tete training camp was Cde Agrey Chaminuka.
You can never forget this comrade because he was very tough and airova ukangoita zvisina basa.
We also had Cde Kadungure. I have forgotten some names since it has been a long time. We are talking of 44 years comrade.
To be continued next week . . .
