The Sunday Mail
LAST WEEK, decorated war veteran Cde JOHN DZINORUMA MUBAKO (JDM), whose Chimurenga name was Cde Ebby Tinorwakusvikataitora, recounted one of the heroic battles he fought in, as he led fellow fighters to valiantly fend off an ambush by Rhodesian forces, who had surprised his platoon, as they were addressing civilians during a pungwe (all-night vigil) meeting. This week, he tells our Political Editor KUDA BWITITI (KB) about another fierce battle and how some comrades wanted to kill him during the war.
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KB: Cde Mubako, tell us more about the battles you fought during the liberation struggle.
JDM : As I indicated earlier, I fought most of my battles in the Ngundu area near Beitbridge. Most of these battles were strategic because our plan was to disturb the flow of traffic carrying enemy ammunition.
Convoys owned by the Rhodesia Defence Forces (RDF) used this road, so our duty was to ambush them and block them from transporting their guns and ammunition. We did this to create fear in the enemy so that they would know that transporting their ammunition would not be an easy task.
Cde Mubako during the armed struggle
KB: Please, describe how you conducted such ambushes.
JDM: Let me explain one such ambush that I vividly remember, which occurred near Mwenezi. In this incident, an RDF convoy was transporting military tanks coming from South Africa. As the convoy approached Tokwe-Mukosi River, coming from Ngundu, we received a signal that it was now approaching.
The RDF convoy was going to Triangle. This battle happened near Dare School, on the road from Ngundu to Triangle. We later named this encounter the Battle of Dare. So, as the enemy came within reach of our position, we started firing at them.
What was interesting about this battle was that there were two hills facing each other, while the road was between them.
Our men were firing from one hill, while our foes took position on the opposite hill. However, we realised that the enemy’s convoy was larger than we anticipated, as we saw more of their fighters emerging and responding to our attack.
For us, it was game on, as we were determined to win that battle. There was a protracted exchange of gunfire that lasted for hours during the battle. Our platoon comprised 40 members and I believe they all fought courageously, even though we lost some of our fighters. But also, we killed several Rhodesian soldiers, while most of them fled.
KB: How did you escape the enemy’s fire?
JDM: Do you know that I survived that battle due to either sheer luck or the will of God? To this day, I consider myself lucky to be alive.
As we were firing our guns, a bullet was fired at me. Luckily, this bullet grazed my hand. I felt a very sharp pain as that bullet hit me and my gun fell.
I felt numb and tumbled to the ground, holding where the bullet had struck. As I lay on the ground, I lost a lot of blood. I felt dazed, so I blacked out, only to come to my senses when I was receiving treatment.
KB: Please, feel free to talk about the incident.
JDM: What I am going to tell you now is an ugly side of the war. You know, during the war, some incidents remain uncomfortable to talk about. That bullet was not fired by the enemy; it was one of our fighters who shot at me.
KB: But why were you the target in particular?
JDM: That bullet that almost killed me did not come from the Rhodesian forces; it came from one of our fighters who thought I was a rogue soldier. I believe it was because I had too many roles and some of our forces were jealous of my achievements.
Remember, I also acted as a military doctor sometimes, because of my training in science and health. So, I had some privileges that other fighters could not have. We now had a war within the war.
We had many enemies from within, so this young man came out of the firing line to deliberately target me.
Our sectorial commander interrogated the cadre who had shot me and he was given military punishment.
After that shooting, I could not continue to fight in the war as my hand was numb. I had lost a lot of blood and was now fighting for dear life. So, I was transported to Maputo to get further treatment.
Next week, Cde Mubako concludes his narration as he recounts his last days in Mozambique.
