Reliving the Mana Pools battle

05 Jan, 2020 - 00:01 0 Views
Reliving the Mana Pools battle

The Sunday Mail

We conclude narrating the political life of Cde Gilbert Msebele, whose war name was Cde Lovemore Sibanda. This week, the former Zipra combatant tells our reporter Norman Muchemwa of the famous Mana Pools battle.

 

Question: We hear tribalism was rampant during the struggle, what was your experience?

Answer: I should say the time I joined the liberation struggle, such issues were close to zero.

We were told of an earlier clash between Zanla and Zipra fighters at Chifombo Camp.

But we were also warned, by our instructors, of the dangers of tribalism on a united effort to fight the settlers as well as for the future of the country. Umdhala Nkomo was not a tribalist and that is the reason why in Zapu, we had many of our leaders who were non-Ndebele.

This set-up dispels the notion that Zapu was for Ndebeles. It was not, it was a party for blacks who wanted political independence.

We had in our group people like Cde Maseka and Cde Goronga, who were Zezurus.

Even our instructors had come from Manama Mission, after they had been taken by Zipra comrades for training. These people were not Ndebele, but they are the ones who strategised on the war for us.

Question: When or how were you finally deployed to the war front?

Answer: After training at CGT1 in Zambia, an instruction came from the High Command directing our trainers to group up into detachments in preparation for deployment to the war front. I was selected into a detachment that was under Cde Madhliwa.

That is the detachment I was under when we entered the country around the Mana Pools area. We were deployed to the war front around October 1978.

Question: Any battles that you were involved in which you feel are worth noting?

Answer: One serious battle that we encountered was at Mana Pools. I think this battle is recorded in the history of the liberation struggle. The enemy was caught unawares.

There was Cde Rodwell Nyika, who was commander of the Northern Region covering parts of Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Matabeleland North and he is the one who led us. My detachment commander, like I said before, was Cde Madhliwa.

We also had Cde Jackson in our group. He now lives in Chitungwiza, Unit O, and Cde Khumalo, who was one of my seniors.

This battle was very interesting, we managed to overrun the whole enemy camp.

We had assembled all units including the infantry that was heavily armed with AK-47s, amaGroonov, PK, LMG (light machine guns) as well as heavy machine guns. We killed many of the whites at that camp save for a few including the commander, who was named Maclean. I don’t how he survived because we were well prepared.

I later knew that the commander had survived during the ceasefire period because he came to the assembly point, where I was, inquiring on the fighters that had attacked the Mana Pools camp. But during that time we were still suspicious if indeed the war had ended and feared selling out on our comrades in case the white guy was on a spy mission.

As such we didn’t tell him anything, but he mentioned that he was commander at that camp and his team perished. Cde Nyika, now Retired Brigadier-General Collin Moyo, was injured during that battle and lost part of his fingers.

Question: How did you execute the attack at this camp?

 Answer: This battle had the coordination of all detachments in the area. At around 5pm, the artillery unit first launched the attack with B10s and mortars. The Rhodesians were caught unawares as they were having their evening meal and the majority were not near their guns.

The anti-air team was on standby thinking the Rhodesians would dispatch their aircraft, but when they realised there were no air strikes, they joined us and intensified the attacks.

The attack by the artillery team from the other side of the river gave the infantry time to cross the river.

The infantry started its attack around 12 midnight.

Cde Nyika himself joined the infantry unit in the attack; that is when he was injured and lost part of his fingers. We had a field day and completely destroyed the camp.

Question: What was your reaction after the success of this battle?

Answer: The victory at Mana Pools came as a confidence booster for the comrades. The camp was being used by the Rhodesians as a launch pad to our camps in Zambia and they also prevented fighters from crossing into Rhodesia. So it was a huge victory and I think it could have been one of the battles that showed Ian Smith how prepared and advanced we were getting by the day.

After this battle, the comrades laid an ambush around the Mana Pools area anticipating the Rhodesian soldiers would send in reinforcements, but only a spotter plane came in the morning and left shortlyafterwards.

I think the Rhodesians were shocked. I remember as we waited for an ambush, we could see vultures circling above the camp. It showed how much damage we had caused.

Question: After that battle, what were your other operations?

Answer: That was my last battle, but we operated in that area until ceasefire in 1979.

There were no other battles because we had managed to capture the area and it was a semi-liberated zone or a no-go area for the Ian Smith government. We had instructions that these semi-liberated zones should become training camps for new recruits.

But we just trained a handful of these recruits because that was around the same time we had the ceasefire. Some of our group members moved further to Matabeleland North and we also had fighters who were attacked in Hurungwe by the Smith soldiers, but this was after ceasefire and these comrades had refused to join the assembly points.

Question: At ceasefire, where did you go?

Answer: After ceasefire, I went to Mana Pools panonzi paRikomichi, that was our assembly point and that is where Maclean came looking for the commander of the Mana Pools battle. We were later transferred from the Mana Pools Assembly Point due to tsetse flies in the area. This area was mostly a game park and not suitable for human habitation.

We went to Mushumbi Pools in Guruve, that is where we had our final assembly point around the Mahuwe area. When I left the assembly point, I joined the Zimbabwe National Army in 1981 during the integration period.

I worked at 2:7 Infantry Battalion before it was disbanded. I later went to Chipinge at 3:5 Infantry Battalion also known as 3 Brigade. It was re-organised to cater for those injured during the struggle. Later on, I came back to Harare and worked for the ordinance supply depot at KGVI Barracks (now Josiah Magama Togogara Barracks), where I was under the arsenal department and later posted to national arsenal depot in Darwendale until the mandatory retirement age in 2005.

Question: As a freedom fighter, do you feel you have been recognised enough?

Answer: I left employment a very frustrated service man. This is because young boys trained well after I had joined the army would be promoted to be my commanders.

It was difficult for some of us, especially former freedom fighters, to be recognised with promotions.

We remained for years in the same rank regardless of our contributions to the struggle and the country.

I left the army as a staff sergeant after the “benevolent” one rank up that was extended to former freedom fighters in the army. If it was not because of that, I would have left the army with a lower rank.

But that is life and I wish to encourage those who have been tasked to defend this country to do so with all their hearts.

They should dedicate themselves to duty because the threat of the enemy is still with us.

Lastly, I encourage our Government to seriously consider the welfare of war veterans.

Some of our comrades are living under bad conditions. I still hope one day we would be empowered whilst we are still alive and not honoured when we die.

 

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