The Sunday Mail
THE Nyadzonya and Chimoio massacres during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle claimed thousands of lives. Remarkably, one fighter reportedly defied the odds and survived both attacks. CDE GIFT KAGWEDA, who is currently chairperson of the Manicaland chapter of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, sat down with our Political Editor KUDA BWITITI to recount the role he played in Zimbabwe’s fight to attain freedom and independence.
************************
Q: Thanks for agreeing to contribute to our Chronicles of the Second Chimurenga series, comrade. Please give us details of your early life.
A: My name is Cde Gift Kagweda. I was born in 1961 in Mutasa district, here in Manicaland. I did my primary school education from Grades One to Five at Zambe Primary School and completed Grades Six and Seven at Bethania Primary School. I then went to Hartzell High School for my secondary education, starting Form One in 1975.
Q: When did you join the liberation struggle?
A: I left Hartzell to join the liberation struggle in November 1975 . . .
Q: So, you joined the war to liberate the country when you were in Form One?
A: Yes, I was 14 and was still a Form One learner. We left for Mozambique whilst we were at school.
Q: What pushed you to join the liberation struggle?
A: Living in Manicaland made me politically conscious at a young age. We knew that comrades from around the country were leaving for Mozambique, passing through our province, to join the war. Also, as black people, we were segregated and racially abused by white people. My parents suffered constant harassment and were underpaid.
I had to do menial work at the Methodist Rural and Industrial Development institution, which is now Africa University, owned by the Methodist Church, to get money to contribute to my fees.
Another significant factor was that Hartzell was located not far from Mozambique.
We would hear the sound of gunfire from Frelimo fighters even whilst we were in class.
Q: Describe what happened on that life-changing day when you left school to join the war.
A: There were five of us; all learners from Hartzell. I think we were one of the first groups — of Hartzell learners — to join the struggle. I was the youngest, as the others were in Form Two and Form Three. I recall some of their names. There was Joseph Kasuza, whose homestead was very close to Imbezi; Boniface and Akim Chikunguru.
Related Stories:
Kasuza knew the route very well, as we navigated to Mozambique via Imbezi. As we got to a point to cross the border, some members of the povo reached out to us.
They advised us that we were very lucky because Rhodesian soldiers usually manned the area. However, on that day, they had left that crossing point unguarded.
We had to quickly cross into Mozambique just in case they appeared.
So, we ran for some kilometres as we were crossing into Mozambique, mindful that the Rhodesian soldiers could catch up with us.
After some time, we realised that we had successfully crossed into Mozambique, as we met Mozambican nationals. They advised us that the right place to go was a nearby base, where the comrades from Frelimo were camped.
Q: How were you received by the Frelimo comrades?
A: They received us very well. We stayed at that base for about three weeks. They asked us about our intentions and whether we were determined to join the war because it was not an easy task. After three weeks, the Frelimo cadres transported us to an area called DAF. There was a grinding mill and this area was also used as a gathering point to vet those who wanted to join the war. We undertook the three-check-up vetting.
Q: What did the three-check-up vetting entail?
A: It involved checking your background, your intentions and your commitment to join the war. After the vetting, you then received basic orientation about what it meant to be a liberation fighter.
Q: For how long did you stay at DAF Camp?
A: We stayed for about a month and moved to a base called Zhunda, which was also known as Masengere. After some time at Zhunda, there were concerns from the leadership that the area was too close to Manica town, thus posing serious hazards that favoured enemy forces. A decision was then made to move to Nyadzonya Camp, which was located much deeper into the villages.
Next week, Cde Kagweda tells us about his experiences at Nyadzonya.
