The Sunday Mail
WE continue our discussion with CDE STEVE TRINITY CHIDAVANYIKA (STC), who joined the war as a 16-year-old. This week, he narrates to our reporter AARON CHARUNGWA MOYO (ACM) his perilous journey to Mozambique to join the struggle.
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ACM: Tell us how you got involved in nationalist politics.
STC: When I was about 12 or 13 years old, I started doing weightlifting and karate at the Mabvuku Soup Kitchen, which was now a gym. My father was very happy about what I was doing because it kept me busy and away from trouble. He, however, did not show this publicly. Because of that, he started taking me along to attend ZANU meetings under the Chirikuutsi Branch.
The meetings were held in different suburbs, mainly in Mabvuku and Highfield. I was sort of his bodyguard. These meetings were very dangerous because they were teeming with Special Branch agents.
Cde Chidavanyika
Being that young, I had no idea of what was taking place. But my father had achieved his goal of orienting me into nationalist politics.
The Chirikuutsi Branch meetings were attended by prominent nationalists such as my father; Denis Todyanemhandu Makomva; Gwanzura; Quinton Malianga, younger brother of Morton Malianga; and Washington Malianga, who had come back home from the US; and others whom I cannot remember.
What made me more politically conscious at that young age was that my father used to communicate with Herbert Chitepo through letters, and sometimes he made me read them.
My brother, George Chidawanyika, who was known as Cde Charles Hokoyo, had already gone to join the war around 1973 through Botswana. We had been planning to go together, but then he got a chance and left without me.
I do not know how he managed that feat.
After Chitepo’s death in 1975, the political situation in Rhodesia reached boiling point and that was when I decided to go to war.
Mozambique was in its transitional period, meaning it was easier to go to war through there than through Botswana, as my brother had done.
My father continued to encourage me to join the war and fight for my motherland.
This prompted me to go to Mozambique. I then sneaked out of the country to go for training. Little did I know that the journey I had started would take me to places I had never imagined I would visit one day.
ACM: Where did you receive your training?
STC: I went to Mozambique through Nyamaropa into an area called Guru. It was a perilous and punishing journey, but one that would be worth all that trouble in the end.
In Mozambique, I was taken to a base known as Sarachuwa. However, during those days, all those who wanted to join the struggle were first taken to Nyadzonia, which was the first camp to house Zimbabweans.
When I went to war in 1975, I started by operating alongside FRELIMO fighters, whom I served as a point person, helping them with interpreting the Shona language.
I later began my training at Chimoio, before going to Tanzania for further training after some time. I was 16 years old at the time I went there. That was the average age of ZANLA freedom fighters at the time.
If you listen to Paul Hardcastle’s song “Vietnam”, he talks about 40 being the average age of men who fought in the First World War.
He goes on to say that those who fought in the Second World War were of an average age of 35; during the Vietnam war, the men’s average age was 35. But the average age of ZANLA fighters was 16 years.
The training was excruciatingly difficult and rigorous. The instructors would beat us up while we were doing exercises such as crawling to the nearest cover.
During training, your clothes would not last for three days; that’s how difficult things were.
Some were badly injured, while others died.
Remember, there were constant disease outbreaks at the camps because we were overcrowded.
ACM: Who were your instructors during training?
STC: People who were leading us that time include Haginel Kambeu, Major-General Amos Chingombe, Cde Martin Kwainona, Lot Sibanda and Hamunyare. They were our instructors on various levels.
We also had people like Cde Dragon Patiripakashata, now known as Ambassador Mutambara.
ACM: Can you take us through what it was like at the training camps?
STC: Chimoio comprised 16 bases, if I am not mistaken. There was the headquarters, which was at the centre; Takawira 1 and Takawira 2; Percy Ntini 1; Percy Ntini 2 and Matopos security base; among others.
Doroi was just one huge camp, which was later divided into six bases.
They were Base 1 in the middle of the camp; Base 2 to the south-west; Base 3 to the north-east; Base 4 to the south-east; Base 5, which had Chindunduma School, and Parirenyatwa Hospital to the north; and then we had Base 6 further to the south-east. I was assigned to the command of Base 2, which was the security base. I was there along with Cde Darlington Hondo, who was the base commander, and Cde Adios Amigo, who was the base commissar.
ACM: Did you, by any chance, meet your brother, George Chidawanyika (Cde Charles Hokoyo), during the war?
STC: I met my brother Charles Hokoyo only once in 1977 and I was to see him again in 1980 after independence.
During that encounter, he tried to give me a pair of black shoes that he had. The shoes were taken away by one Cde Muchena, who was a member of the General Staff.
During the struggle, we were not supposed to reveal our relations, because that was considered very dangerous. So, my brother could not tell Cde Muchena he was gifting me the shoes because I was his younger brother.
What is quite interesting is that up to now, my brother has adopted his war name, Charles Hokoyo. He never reverted to using his birth name; I think he has all but forgotten about it.
I do not think that even his children know his real name.
ACM: Take us through some of the highlights of your training.
STC: I was later chosen to join a unit that was called the Chinese Commando Group, which was partly made up of some members of the General Staff.
The group was made up of 11 freedom fighters, who were chosen on the grounds of their educational acumen.
Members of the group were supposed to be incorporated into the leadership structure later on. The group was under the leadership of Cde Den Murimo, who was later known as Air Commodore Chamunokara in the Air Force of Zimbabwe after independence.
We were supposed to go to seven countries to train as fighter and commercial pilots, as well as navy soldiers, and for other special military roles, before coming back to take up leadership positions in the war effort.
But that mission failed and we were told that we were going to the front.
Next week, Cde Steve Trinity Chidavanyika will recount some of his wartime exploits, including incredible tales of the battle he fought.
