The Sunday Mail
AFTER five instalments in which Cde Sando Kano shared with us a mixed bag of both exhilarating and depressing Second Chimurenga narrations, we, this week, wind up our discussions with the freedom fighter with an account that takes us from Rombwe Mountain in Rusape to the Dzapasi and the Middle Sabi (Tongogara) assembly points. Cde Sando Kano also speaks about how, after the war, he became one of the active pioneers of the land reform exercise. Read on as he narrates to our Senior Reporter TENDAI CHARA this last leg on a thrilling journey that took him from his home area of Bwizi Village in Marange, to Mozambique, Tanzania, Yugoslavia and the war zones.
Q: Cde Sando in our last episode, you narrated how you moved from Yugoslavia via Mozambique to the vanguard of the war front. In your narration, you also told us how you were traumatised after passing through the death-plagued Mavonde, where a five-day battle had been waged. Kindly take us through your journey from Mavonde to the war zone and ultimately the assembly points.
A: When we arrived at Mavonde, we were joined by other cadres who were coming from training in Syria, Ethiopia and Tanzania. These were reinforcements and among those trained were cadres specialising in intelligence operations and communications. General Tongogara was giving instructions for the war to go on and more reinforcements were coming in.
My group was deployed to Manica Province and we came in through Nyanga, near the Nembudziya Mountain. Our commander was Vice President Chiwenga and we were about 300 to 400 fighters. From Nyanga, we moved to Rusape and camped in the Rombwe Mountain as we wanted to rest before proceeding. We were very tired after having walked a long distance. Since we were travelling in a large group, the Rhodesian Army easily spotted us.
Before we even rested, the bombardment by the Rhodesians started. As the enemy Dakotas and helicopters were hovering above us, identifying their targets, I used the war experience that I had acquired during my time in Gaza province and acted promptly. I knew that if the enemy was to attack us first, the new recruits that were coming straight from training would panic.
I had my 82 mm mortar, which was mounted. Without waiting for orders from the commander, I unleashed the first volley. The Rhodesians were armed to the teeth and were hitting us hard. We lost many fighters and I survived by taking refuge in a cave. Rombwe Mountain is sacred. The battle started early in the morning, around 7 am and ended well in the evening. I then climbed down the mountain and headed to the Mutungagore Mountain. We then had our GP (gathering point) in Wedza where we were going to advised on the way forward.
Q: How many fighters lost their lives in this fierce battle?
A: I don’t know. It was the duty of the commander to compile war reports and as a junior, I did not have access to those reports.
Q: You have said that you fired your weapon without getting the order to do so from the commander, were you not reprimanded?
A: VP Chiwenga asked who had shot first without his command and I came out in the open and explained why I took it upon myself to shoot without getting the order to do so. Ndakaiswa pa proni. I apologised and was beaten up as punishment.
Q: Tell us about the news relating to General Tongogara’s death.
A: Yes, as we were moving towards Rombwe Mountain, the communications team received information that General Tongogara had died. I remember one of the fighters who was operating the signal equipment giving VP Chiwenga the communication radio so that he could hear the news himself. The news of Cde Tongo’s death, to a greater extent, spurred us to fight like lions during the battle. Tanga tine cheek yekufa kwa Cde Tongogara. That was in December 1979.
Q: After the battle, you went to Wedza and during that time, fighters were being sent to assembly points. Which assembly point did you go to?
A: My group was among the many groups that was not immediately sent to assembly points. While other fighters were sent to the assembly points, we remained in Wedza.
Q: Why were you not taken to assembly points as was the case with the other fighters?
A: The plan was to have more mujibhas and chimbwidos and those that were trained for three weeks to first go to the assembly points. Battle-hardened fighters were to remain in the war zones as a standby force. Our intelligence had gathered that General Peter Walls, the Rhodesian army chief, intended to bomb the guerrilla fighters at assembly points.
Q: So what were you doing during the day during this ceasefire period when others were being sent to assembly points?
A: The war had not stopped completely. In our case, we were still operating in Wedza, in the Gandamasungo area in Svosve. We were operating with other fighters such as Cde Gungwa, Cde Serious and Chihombe Madhara. We did not trust the enemy and the enemy did not trust us also so we were there, like I said before, as a standby force in case the Rhodesian army launched attacks against us. Also, a concrete decision to completely end the war had not been communicated to us during this time. It was however, agreed that if the enemy resumed full-scale war, we were moving into urban warfare.
Q: What then happened?
A: After assessing the situation on the ground, our leaders found it safe for us to go to the assembly points. I went to Buhera and briefly stayed at the Foxtrot assembly point, which is better known as Dzapasi. From Dzapasi I was transferred to the Middle Sabi assembly point which was then known as Tongogara.
Q: Why were you moved from Dzapasi to Tongogara?
A: There were just too many people at Dzapasi and the transfer was meant to decongest the assembly point. I was then attested into the Zimbabwe National Army. I took part in the land redistribution exercise and my group started taking away land from white farmers in 1983.
Q: In 1983?
A: Yes, we started by occupying a farm at a place called Puruyadonha in Headlands in 1983. We were among the first groups to start the land reform exercise.
Q: You were still in the army?
A: Yes, but we could go A.W.O.L. Kamweya kechigandanga kanga kachiripo. From Headlands we moved to Beatrice but the soils were not good. In my group, we had Mushumani, Shumba, Masuku and Jaqcuiline. From Beatrice we moved to Mashonaland West and then Mashonaland Central. In Mashonaland West we worked with Sekuru Mushore and Cde Davie Mutengwende.
Q: This was before the land reform?
A: Yes it was before the land redistribution exercise
Q: What method did you use to get the farms?
A: We would approach the farmers and tell them to pack their bags and leave immediately. We had discovered that although we had liberated the country, the land was still in the hands of the former colonisers. Thanks to the land reform exercise, I am now into full-time farming.
Q: Cde Sando thank you for all the time that you shared your war experiences with us.
A: Thank you for giving people like us the opportunity to give our own accounts of the often distorted Second Chimurenga.
In our next edition, Cde Tichatonga, who helped Cde Sando Kano escape after he was captured in Mberengwa, will narrate how his group planned and executed this daring rescue exercise.
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear our freedom fighters give their own accounts of what transpired during our hard-fought war of independence.
