The Sunday Mail
This week, CDE NOBERT MAVHUNGIRE (NM) concludes telling us his wartime exploits by highlighting some of the missions he undertook before the war came to an end. He tells our Deputy News Editor LINCOLN TOWINDO (LT) about how freedom fighters used advanced military training to develop auxiliary bombs to help turn the tide against the enemy.
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LT: During the war, did you have any encounters with the infamous Selous Scouts?
NM: When the war was at its most intense, the Rhodesians unleashed the Selous Scouts.
The Selous Scouts were basically deployed to impersonate comrades and sow confusion in areas where we were operating.
They dressed just as the comrades. They wreaked havoc in villages.
I think the Rhodesians wanted to turn the general masses against the freedom fighters by using the scouts to commit untold atrocities against the indigenous people.
But we were always a step ahead of them most times.
We were better in terms of tactics and knowing the terrain that we were operating in.
For instance, to avoid confusion and the risk of friendly fire, we used secret signals to establish contact with friendly forces.
The scouts were unaware of these tactics and signals.
As an example, we would just strike the butt of our AK47 from a distance whenever we noticed what looked like comrades approaching us.
They would then signal back, and that way, we would know that they were friendly forces.
But the Selous Scouts were responsible for the deaths of many comrades who would fall into their traps.
They would move in small groups of about four people and hide under the cover of thickets on high ground.
From their positions on high ground, they would use binoculars to carry out reconnaissance.
They would then call in the Rhodesian Air Force to attack our positions.
I think it was around 1978 and 1979 when they became so ubiquitous.
They would call for the Rhodesian planes, which would come and bomb the entire area unexpectedly, and this was very devastating on the war effort.
LT: How much of a problem were Rhodesian spies?
NM : There was a dangerous category of sellouts who worked hand-in-hand with the enemy. These were local villagers who had been drawn to the side of the enemy.
They were given communication radios, which they would use to call in the enemy whenever they spotted freedom fighters in their areas.
I believe they are the ones who sold us out before the battle at Mutotora.
They were responsible for the deaths of dozens of people, including innocent youths.
Working together with Selous Scouts, these spies were behind that massacre.
They must have read our positions and sold us out to the air force.
About 45 people died in that battle alone.
Cde Mavhungire
LT: How did you deal with these sellouts?
NM : The sellouts had wind-up communication radios which they used to communicate with the enemy and report on our positions. So, owning this radio was one sure sign to tell you that someone was collaborating with the enemy.
Whenever there was suspicion that one was working as a Rhodesian spy, we would raid their homesteads and search for the radios.
Whenever we found a radio, that would be a confirmation that the homeowner was working for the enemy.
The villagers also did a lot to help us flush out spies.
They would report any suspicious movements and we would follow up on that to find out whether the person suspected of collaborating with the enemy was indeed a spy. We would again raid his homestead. Again, we had our ways of making them admit and surrender the radios to us.
LT: The Rhodesian army was well-equipped. How did you match their undoubted superior fire power as the war progressed?
NM : As the war progressed, some of our comrades had developed different skills that matched the enemy’s technological superiority.
For example, one of my detachment commanders, who went by the name David Hondo, became an expert at making landmines and time bombs.
He was also an expert in designing battle plans.
He would use all manner of material to make bombs from scratch.
I remember this one time, when he developed a time bomb that was used to destroy a shop in the city.
He designed and made the bomb, which was then carried into town in a briefcase.
It took a lot of bravery to deliver a time bomb to sabotage the enemy.
You knew that the time bomb could malfunction and explode any time.
So, you had to be methodical in undertaking that operation.
The person who delivered the bomb took it across what is now Mashonaland Central and left it in a shop in Harare.
Later that day, we heard in the news on our radios that the bomb had exploded around 2pm in the busy shop.
So, this ability to make our own bombs was very key in turning the tide against the enemy.
We would use these bombs to punch back at the enemy and attack where it really hurt.
We had some comrades who could defuse landmines and booby traps.
If we lacked such skills, we would have lost many comrades to the Rhodesian’s technological superiority.
But having those skills among our comrades helped us a lot. Also, we had a lot of help from our traditional spirits.
There was this one incident where we had been surrounded by the whites.
We did not know that an attack on our position was imminent.
A local spirit medium came to our base and told us that we were going to be attacked.
He then told us that he would help us get out of that dangerous situation.
He told us to follow him quietly in a certain direction.
But we were sure the white man would spot us as we tried to make our way out of the killing bag.
The medium then told us that the local spirits will cause all the enemies to fall asleep at the same time.
And indeed, all the Rhodesian soldiers mysteriously fell asleep at once as we made our way out of the dangerous situation.
We later heard that the following morning, the Rhodesians were surprised by our audacious escape from certain death.
We were later told that they concluded that we had disappeared.
LT: Just to roundup our discussion, maybe you can tell us your final journey towards demobilisation.
NM: After the ceasefire was declared, we were told that we were going to Dendera Assembly Point in Goromonzi.
We were taken there by trucks and buses and stayed at Base Four, which was set aside for those who had been in active combat for a few months.
During our stay, Cde Rex Nhongo came and announced that we would be receiving small stipends for sustenance.
He said those who wanted to visit relatives were free to do so as long as they came back.
Later on, we were told that we were going to another camp in Chitungwiza, where we would later be taken for military training.
We were then taken to Inkomo Garrison and received military training.
After training, we were told to go home on a month’s leave and report back for further instructions.
Later on, I was seconded for further training at Guinea Fowl, where I did military signalling.
After qualifying as a signals officer, I was ready for deployment on missions.
Cde Mavhungire went on to serve in the Zimbabwe National Army with distinction, including being deployed to fight rebels in Mozambique. He later retired and is now a full-time farmer in Macheke.
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