‘National Unity Day is important’

20 Dec, 2020 - 00:12 0 Views
‘National Unity Day is important’ Cde Tennyson Ndlovu

The Sunday Mail

WITH Unity Day coming on Tuesday, Tennyson “Thambolenyoka” Ndlovu, in this third and final episode of a discussion with Garikai Mazara, shares his views on the importance of the day as well as what should be done to bring closure to the period of civil strife commonly referred to as Gukurahundi. He goes a step further and gives a blow-by-blow account of how fellow “dissident” Richard Gwesela met his fate. Read on . . .

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Q: The other year we travelled to Zambia and we met comrades who had gone to do Heroes’ Day commemorations at Freedom and Mkushi Camps. In our discussions, there was mention of a ZPRA commander who died in the Hwange battle and is lying in an unmarked grave in Lusaka. Would you know of any such?

A: There are plenty of them there, the other one who is still alive from that section is Jack Mpofu, who is in Cowdray Park (Bulawayo). Those who passed away in Zambia are plenty, there is John Ndlovu, then this one who was a medical doctor.

Q: They died in the Hwange battle?

A: No, they contributed to the Hwange battle.

Q: To imagine that we have driven almost five hours to be with you here and in 30 minutes, we have exhausted all the issues, does that sum up Tennyson Ndlovu?

A: Thirty minutes is enough, what you have got is enough. Don’t think you can get everything from me in one day because I suffer from stress as well. You have asked me today and I will go for one month without sleeping because you have reminded me of things that I am not supposed to be thinking about. What we have talked about is stressful. I will not be settled after you have left. I will agonise over those issues like a tortoise eating its liver.

Q: But isn’t this part of a healing process, personally, when you talk about these things, don’t you heal?

A: A healing process is very necessary, very necessary. It needs proper personnel, proper space and proper time, not just put every Jack and Jill in that. This is not a joke, this is very sensitive. If you take it like a novel, then it is a non-starter.

Q: So you are saying after the war, you should have got some counselling, psycho-social support?

A: Counselling? After the war we were supposed to be where we were supposed to be but this did not happen. We will die crying, and still in our graves we will be crying.

Q: Where were you supposed to be?

A: We were supposed to be in the army. Sure, we were supposed to be in the army. Some of the issues I cannot tell you what our intentions were, otherwise it was going to be better for us to rule this country as Patriotic Front soldiers. And not the civilians. This is what was supposed to happen. So anyway, since we have a better Government, we are there. Since we have some of our comrades there, we are happy. Yes, we are happy, we are better now and there is nothing to think about.

Q: But these comrades have always been there, up there?

A: They had no opportunities which they have now. They are now running the country itself, directly. The New Dispensation. This is a better Government for me as far as I am concerned.

Q: You bring up an interesting discussion point, the welfare of war veterans, hasn’t the Government done enough for war veterans? The $50 000 in 1998?

A: That was not enough. We had agreed that the Government gives us$500 000 each, the Government did not pay us all our money. The Government only gave us$50 000 and remained with our change

Q: Was this a verbal or formal agreement, and if so, between who and who?

A: It was between the War Veterans Association and the President. Very few of us are now left, so the Government can afford paying us the balance. (laughs).

Q: You got land in 2000, as in war veterans?

A: War veterans are lacking in funds, they should be helped with funds.

Q: But if you give Ndlovu a loan, he is going to marry another wife, he is going to buy a car, he is not going to till the land?

A: Don’t think along those lines my friend. We don’t think all the same, you give me my money today, I will do wonders on this land.

Q: Let us talk Unity Day, are we united today as a nation?

A: We are supposed to be together but the situation, ahh, maybe it is caused by sanctions or this coronavirus. (laughs). Once people are hungry, it becomes a problem. It becomes difficult for people to unite because those who are hungry will be launching a war against those who are enjoying, those who have money.

In my ward here, children are killing us, they have machetes. They want money from everyone, so how do we expect unity to be there when people are behaving like this? This is a barbaric situation and you are expecting unity from barbarians? They will never unite with you, do you get me? Abantu bayalamba, they are hungry, you talk unity to them, can they hear you? Yes, unity is very essential whether you like it or not, we have to be together. But this problem, sanctions and this problem, this coronavirus, and hunger, they are contributing to disunity.

Q: Corruption?

A: One and the same thing. Corruption as well. That one is the major one, we never fought so that other people develop tummies and buy businesses in other countries. Corruption is the major problem.

Q: So what should be done?

A: It is not easy to defeat cruelty. What can you do? There is nothing you can do. Cruelty is cruelty, it will remain there until you die and I die, it will remain there. You cannot change anything because even if I talk to you today, you become even more cruel.

Q: There are moves being made by the New Dispensation to address challenges around Gukurahundi, do you think we are doing enough as a nation to address issues around Gukurahundi?

A: I think these are good attempts, let us carry on until we finish this one. We have to go through with it, we mustn’t take time. This attempt is very good, I support it. They need our support.

Q: If we are talking Gukurahundi, are we talking compensation to the families? What should be done? How do we address Gukurahundi?

A: It is just like cooking sadza, putting water in the pot, mealie meal and so forth. It is one and the same thing, they have to be assisted if we consider humanity. One day it has to be done, sure, it has to be done. Sure, we should not run away from it.

Q: I hear you but am not hearing you . . .

A: Why are you not hearing me? You have your own agenda then. Right, I am saying, this programme is great. It involves what you were asking me, it involves compensation. Uri kuzvinzwa here, wazvinzwa here. Compensation has to be done. Kana tabvumirana, this has to happen. Chirema ndechako, uri kuda kuti ani achibetsere? Chirema ndechedu. Whatever little that can be found, please let us assist them. That’s why we are there, no government from the other side of the world will come and assist these people. It is us who are supposed to assist these people, it is our monies which we dig from the ground to assist these people. That is why there are plenty of miners there, the money should come from the miners, to assist those people. I think that one, we are not supposed to run away from it.

Ndokupera kwenhamo kana tasvika ipapo. You talk, first stage, second stage and finally let’s help them. It was not someone’s intention but it was fate’s intention. We are not supposed to say so-and-so did that, it was during that period, it happened. Unozviziva shamwari kuti kana kune war or kana kune misunderstanding, kuti munyika hamuna munhu asina kuuraya. Kana newe wakauraya but it’s not good kuti ndigare ndichiti wakauraya, wakarauya, wakauraya. Newewo wakauraya. If we are to be honest to a certain extent, hapana asina kuuraya. Zanu yakauraya, Zapu yakauraya, MDC yakarauya. Ndiani asina kuuraya? Sibulele sonke, so that phase has gone, let us settle our problems and forget about the problem and move on.

Why should we seem to be afraid? Let us finish this and forget about it. As it is people must support this. Those who don’t want this to be settled are taking this opportunity so that they gain political mileage for their parties. Kana vasingade kuti problem ipere iyi, asi zvinopera izvi, ngazvipere. We don’t want you, our children, to be hearing this, you were not even there. This is history, it is gone and it mustn’t affect you. If we carry on talking, it will end up affecting our children, which is not fair.

Q: In your own judgment, is Tennyson Ndlovu a national hero?

A: This one you are talking to? If you are in Zimbabwe and a pure Zimbabwean, why not? Why not? Why not? Who had no problems? We had problems? What can stop me from being declared a national hero? You are talking of unity today, this unity is here because of who? Because of you and me, we are together so let us go together. I do, yes I do.

Otherwise, my juniors are there at Heroes’ Acre, so what can stop me from going there? I have been consistent and persistent with the party. I am with the party, failing to declare me why? (laughs).

Am I inferior? I am not inferior, I am a Zimbabwean and I contributed a lot to Zimbabwe. I attempted to train Zanlas, I trained Umkhonto Wesizwe, I trained ZPRAs — why can’t I qualify? Hindava uchitamba so? Unofunga handiqualifier? Unless you have a grudge against me? Let’s talk about what somebody did for this country. Haikona kutaura nyaya yemalatest, but what somebody did for this country.

Q: I was recently in Silobela, and there was talk that Richard Gwesela was not killed?

A: Richard Gwesela, he was killed. What happened to Gwesela, after we had a battle in Matabeleland South, because he was operating in Matabeleland North, that was in 1986, between 1986 and early 87, we separated. Then he had to manoeuvre from Matopo Hills to Banakubana where they raided a white man, they were about four. In that raid, he got a torch, they proceeded to their normal operational area, where he was shot. Who shot Gwesela?

Let me just brief you. There was a section in their operational area, which he had left behind. That section, during the battles which they carried out there, they captured one of the Support Unit, they integrated him into their section. As Gwesela was coming from this side (Mat South), on the same day there was a battle between the security forces and our guys there. That guy, the Support Unit who was captured, was in that section, so okwayenzakala khonapho ndezvekuti vasvika vakapana gathering point yamangwana. It was around 7pm, vakamira padhuze pemusha pavaijara kuti vopanana magathering points.

Vapedza kuzviita zvese izvi. But that guy, the captured one, was in that home. After the battle they had had in the morning, that guy had separated with that section. Gwesela arrived and switched on his torch, the one he had taken in the raid here and the Support Unit guy responded by firing at him. The captive shot Gwesela and Gwesela fell to the ground. Our guys responded and hit the guy. The medical guy who was with Gwesela saw that he had hit the Support Unit guy and started treating Gwesela and another guy who came from Buhera, who had also been hit. The Support Unit guy hit two guys. While he was treating the other guy, after he had treated Gwesela, and Gwesela had a P46, you know the length of a P46, it’s a big weapon, it’s a section arm, in fact that one covers even a platoon.

In the next instalment, Andrew Ndlovu no relation to Tennyson Ndlovu yet another colourful ZPRA comrade, shares his liberation war story. Though he did not take part in the civil strife in the early 80s, he says he had to skip the border on Joshua Nkomo’s insistence to save his life. Make sure not to miss it . . .

 

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