The Sunday Mail
LAST WEEK, liberation war fighter CDE ROBSON MOYANA (RM) recounted to our Political Editor KUDA BWITITI (KB) his near-death experience at Nyadzonya; how he survived the infamous brutal raid on the camp by Rhodesia’s Selous Scouts on August 9, 1976. After escaping the hail of bullets and relentless bombing, he proceeded to the Chingweya training camp in Tanzania. This week, he tells us about the military training he received in East Africa and his contribution to the war effort.
*************
KB: Please tell us about the military training you received in Tanzania?
RM: I received advanced military training at the Chingweya training camp. Some of the modules included political orientation, understanding the importance of fighting the war, physical activity and how to show respect to military commanders and the political leadership.
Our lessons also focused on using guns, including heavy artillery. We were assisted in training by Tanzanian soldiers. They were very kind to us and often used to tell us about their own problems, as relations had deteriorated between their leader Julius Nyerere and Uganda’s leader Idi Amini, leading to war.
After our time at Chingweya, we moved to Mtwara, which was also in Tanzania. From Mtwara, we were flown to Beira in Mozambique, and then from there to the warfront. I operated in Mutoko.
Cde Moyana
KB: What were your experiences at the warfront?
RM: In Mutoko, I was deployed to what was called Area C, under the Takawira Sector, serving in Section 1, Platoon B. I was appointed the section commander for my section. I fought many battles against Rhodesia’s security forces. But there is one that stands out for me, because I was left badly injured and could have died at the front.
KB: Please describe this incident in detail.
SM: We were at our base in Mutoko when we gathered in the early morning as usual. We were supposed to have a meal of sadza, but something just appeared not to be right. One of our cadres, Cde Tanganeropa, had a hunch that something bad was going to happen.
He told us that he was smelling blood that was going to be spilled on that particular day. When we looked up to the sky, we saw a dove desperately flying away, indicating that it was fleeing from something. I immediately knew something was wrong. We then saw helicopters approaching the camp.
The helicopters were flying at a low level over the river. They did this deliberately to muffle the sound of their warplanes.
Just after they realised that they were now approaching our camp, the planes proceeded to fly at a higher level and started launching gunfire at us. It was a sudden attack and many of our comrades died.
Related Stories:
KB: How many warplanes were there?
SM: There were four. The first plane that attacked us was what we used to call an “Aleminia” plane. When it first fired, a huge envelope of dark smoke appeared at the camp. After this, the missiles became more intense. We lost many comrades.
KB: How did you escape the bombing?
SM: I was hit right here on the left side of my lower abdomen. What hit me were fragments from the missiles, as they had struck a nearby rock.
I still carry the injuries to this day. But I managed to escape from another hail of gunfire after I ran into a cave. This cave was considered sacred, and we were not allowed to enter it, but I had no other option. A lot of blood was oozing out.
KB: What happened as you were in the cave?
SM: I stayed in that cave for several hours, pressing various items on the injured spot to prevent more blood from oozing out. Around 6pm, I decided to come out of the cave because it was now quiet.
The enemy did not like to fight in the dark, so I knew that once it got dark, they would be gone. To announce that everything was now clear, some comrades also fired some bullets, which was a signal that we understood very well. At that point, I went out of the cave.
Some of our medics attended to me. I was then taken to the Nyakatsine camp, which was also in the Mutoko area. At Nyakatsine, I was given full treatment and fully recovered from the injuries. After some days, I was able to regain full fitness and returned to the front.
Next week, Cde Moyana recounts another encounter with the Rhodesian security forces.
