The Sunday Mail
We conclude chronicling the political life of Cde Christopher Maomberere (CM). This week, the former freedom fighter narrates to our reporter Norman Muchemwa (NM) the numerous battles he took part in Wedza/Svosve detachment areas and how he ended up a section commander
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NM: What was your immediate task when you returned to Wedza from Chivhu?
CM: We returned to Wedza and assembled at a base rainzi paChitida munzvimbo yaiva naCde Mike Nyambuya as detachment commander.
We spent the night before being called to parade in the morning by the commanders. That is when we were told Wedza was being divided into two detachments – Svosve and Wedza.
Gomo reMutukwa ndiro rakange rave border remadetachments iwayo.
Wedza Detachment raibva paMutukwa mountain kunosvika kuDorowa and Svosve Detachment was from Mutukwa to Marondera.
I was to operate in the Svosve Detachment, Chief Goto’s area, until independence. At first I was political commissar, but was elevated to become section commander.
NM: We hear such elevations did not just come on a silver platter, take us through how you ended up in this critical position?
CM: When I was the political commissar, my section was tasked to travel to Mozambique to collect war materials for our operational area. The section commander at that time was Cde Morgan Mabara, while Cde Freedom Mushandirapamwe was responsible for security.
We moved from Chitida to Magwaza Base in preparation for the journey to Mozambique. While at Magwaza Base and waiting for our morning meal from war collaborators in the area, we were joined by another section coming from Wedza detachment.
Unfortunately, the group had been spotted by Rhodesian soldiers and they were on their trail. Around 9am, we heard helicopter sounds.
As we tried to map out the direction the sound was coming from, suddenly three helicopters were above the base and firing at us. As the gunships fired, the ground troops also took aim at us.
As this was happening, the commanders ordered us to disperse and take cover since we were gathered at one place. We opened fire whilst taking cover, but the firepower from the Rhodesians was too much.
I realised that I was running out of ammunition and crawled to a nearby cave that we had identified earlier on.
In that cave I was joined by six other comrades. We remained there until the Rhodesians stopped firing and started looking for survivors.
After a while, they left.
We were overpowered in that battle and lost quite a number of comrades including our detachment logistician Cde Max Munhumutapa. He was the one leading us to Mozambique to collect material.
We also lost section commander Cde Morgan Mabara and section security Cde Freedom Mushandirapamwe.
The commander of the other section that had joined us and his political commissar also perished in that battle. I have forgotten their names.
But we also managed to kill some Rhodesian soldiers who were on the ground. We got the information from vana mujibha after we had sneaked out of the cave. Because of the fatalities, I became the most senior of the comrades in our section and from the other group, Cde Alexander, who was security became the most senior.
NM: So your survival was a result of your hiding. Was that not an act of cowardice considering your fellow comrades were under fire?
CM: It was not an act of cowardice. That was normal in the guerrilla warfare. We had to fight, but we also had to survive to continue fighting.
There were situations when we could not match the attack, in such cases one needed to think fast and retreat or hide.
In that incident, we were ambushed. This was not a conventional war.
I won’t lie, I hid in that cave and ndakatombokotsira ipapo pfuti dzichirira kudaro.
While hiding in the cave, one of the comrades from the other section had been disturbed by the battle ainge akutoita kunge ave kupenga, but I threatened to shoot him akabva adzikama.
He was going to put us in serious danger since we had little ammunition left. After the firing had stopped, we remained in the cave until dark. That is when I crawled out of the cave followed by other comrades.
In every area, we had gathering points and that is where we went.
At the gathering point we learnt that one of our comrades ainzi Bazooka had been captured alive and taken by a helicopter. But he managed to escape and came back after some days. He had been held in Rusape.
After the battle, the immediate task was to go to another base to meet our detachment commander and brief him on what had happened. The detachment commander immediately appointed me the section commander.
That is how I became the section commander in Svosve Detachment. It was around February or March 1978.
Cde LMG became the political commissar while Cde Hilton Chimurenga was security in the section.
NM: As section commander what was your role and which other battles did you lead your troops?
CM: As Section commander, I led the comrades in several battles, but as you might be aware, guerrilla war was mostly hit and run so taiwanzorova masurprise attack tichibva tarova pasi.
As a section commander I was mandated to write weekly reports on our missions, so it was expected of us that we should at least do something.
We would do ambushes, block roads and all that kind of stuff for the enemy to feel our presence.
Sometimes we would arrange kutombonopinda mumapurazi tichinotora mombe topa vabereki kuti urayai musarambe muchingouraya huku dzenyu nezvimwe zvipfuyo kuchengeta macomrades.
As section commander, one of the battles I still vividly remember is when we were attacked at a base painzi paChidewu.
We were operating in Chief Goto’s area so we left base rainzi Goto going to Chidewu Base, where we arrived early in the morning. We arrived safely at this base unaware that we were being observed from a nearby mountain by the Rhodesian soldiers. Around 7am, we heard helicopter sounds and in no time they were hovering above us spraying bullets while troops dropped to the ground using ropes.
I ordered my comrades to disperse and take position and start firing back. There was serious exchange of gunfire in that battle.
This battle lasted the whole day.
Takarovana zvakaipa kunyanya vaiburutswa muhelicopter taiita kunonga chaizvo.
There was a time yekuti wainakidzwa nekuridza pfuti uchinyatsorova muvengi.
Imagine we were only one section of 20 comrades, but our resistance matched them even though they had the numbers and well-equipped.
We left the radius one by one because there was no time to wait for one another and they kept coming and coming in numbers.
I managed to leave the radius around 3pm while the battle lasted until after 6pm. Our gathering point was far so I remained in the area trying to establish if all our comrades had managed to escape.
While in the area that is when I heard kuti umwe chimbwido ainzi Irene was shot dead by the Rhodesian soldiers after refusing to give them information on our whereabouts. We lost Cde Choba while Cde Ricky Tichatonga and Cde Dick were injured.
Some comrades managed to carry Cde Dick while I managed to get Cde Ricky, vakanga vapfurwa makumbo, with the help of ana mujibha.
I told one of the mujibhas to take the injured comrade akamuisa mugarden rine nzimbe where he was kept.
I threatened kuti ndikanzwa kuti comrade uyu mamutoresa, I will come back and destroy the whole village. I did this to make sure the comrade was safe.
We had our medic Cde Herbert Bombodo who would sneak into the garden at night to treat the injured comrade. He managed to recover, but he was no longer fit to continue with the struggle so a plan was devised for him to be taken to the rear.
That evening I came back to the funeral of Irene, chimbwido uya akanga apfurwa.
I entered the house carrying my gun on my back while other comrades remained on guard outside.
I consoled the family and addressed them kuti “tineurombo asi ngatirambe takashinga; we are not going back until we get our country back; mukaonawo patinenge tafira, titoreiwo motivigawo zvinemutsigo’”
We had several successes after this battle inflicting serious damage to the enemy. We operated in Chief Goto’s area until the ceasefire. I was now known in the area zvekuti if I go there right now, it’s like my second home. The majority of people who were around during that time vanondiziva.
NM: Which assembly point did you go to after the ceaserfire?
CM: I went to Dzapasi Assembly Point, takatouya tichitorwa paGoto paye nemabhazi, but there was serious resistance from comrades.
They were not yet sure what was going on. I stayed there for few days because Cde Nyambuya selected me and other commanders to go back to our operational areas because Ndabaningi Sithole was now causing confusion with his new party Zanu-Ndonga.
Our task was to educate the villagers on the real Zanu-PF to vote for.
We only returned as three section commanders in Svosve detachment because this was against the dictates of the ceasefire. We managed to convince villagers leading to Zanu-PF’s resounding victory in 1980.
NM: Where did you go after independence and as a veteran of the liberation struggle, do you feel you have been appreciated enough?
CM: After independence ndakambonogara ku Tongogara Refugee Camp waiting for our next assignment.
While there, taingoita tumabasa twakasiyana-siyana sekutema miti to clear land paida kuzorimwa.
I then joined the Zimbabwe National Army in 1981 at 1.8 Infantry Battalion in Kezi, we were now being integrated — the three warring parties, that is Zanla, Zipra and the Rhodesian army.
The situation there did not go down well with me. As someone who was a commander in the liberation struggle, I was now a private under the command of those we were fighting.
This situation frustrated me so I did not last long in the army.
I resigned in 1983 and at that time I was based at 2.1 Infantry Battalion in Mt Darwin.
While in the army ndakaitawo course yezvekubika ndikatora licence so I later joined Belvedere Technical Teachers’ College as a driver and doubling also as a chef.
I worked there for 13 years from 1986 to 1999 when I retired and joined a security company as a driver again.
They were employing people with a security background and they were impressed by my liberation struggle background and transferred me to Mutare.
I later worked for former minister Munacho Mutezo as his driver and left him the days he got involved in his factional politics.
I am currently living here at my rural home in Chimanimani.
As a liberation fighter I thank our Government for what they did and still doing to empower war veterans, but I feel more needs to be done.
We have some of our colleagues living in abject poverty and some are not even empowered.
I was a commander in the liberation struggle but up to now I failed in several attempts to acquire some farming land.
These are some of the issues Government should consider especially now that the land audit is over.
