‘Some more equal than others’

We continue chronicling the political life of Cde Jane Ngwenya. This week Cde Ngwenya tells The Sunday Mail’s Deputy News Editor Levi Mukarati about the formation of Zanu and her life in prison

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Q: You mention a number of names as orchestrating the secret meetings to form another party. Obviously there should have been one or two most influential. Who were the ring leaders?

 A: The men who were in the forefront of moving out of Zapu to form Zanu were Mugabe and Sithole.

However, we now have some people with small minds who think the formation of Zanu was a result of differences along tribal lines; no that is not it.

The reason why they moved out of Zapu was because they thought Nkomo was delaying the armed struggle by pushing for negotiations with the whites.

It is known amongst us that Nkomo did not and even after the 1980’s Matabeleland disturbances, he did not want bloodshed.

In fact, Nkomo believed in talks and use of force was out of his way of doing things.

That is why even in 1980 he agreed to be part of the new Government, this is despite the fact that he was popular compared to Mugabe.

He, again, agreed to the Unity Accord in 1987 and further agreed we dump the name PF Zapu for Zanu-PF, despite the fact that Zanu – or later Zanu-PF – was an offshoot of Zapu.

Umdala Wethu was a man of concessions and believed in negotiations, that is why some people who don’t know him and later emerged in Zanu try to portray Nkomo as a coward.

No, it is wrong to see him that way. Yes we still have some tribal clashes here and there, but they are small because of the unifying role of Joshua Nkomo. I worked with him and I speak about him with authority.

I also worked with Robert Mugabe and I can speak about him with authority, because I know a lot about him and what kind of a man he is, very principled.

But the issue is Mugabe and Sithole were the front figures in Zanu and that party did not have support in the 1960 and 1970s.

Even when Mugabe returned to Zimbabwe in 1980, I am sure he doubted how he was going to be received.

This is because after the ceasefire, we came back from Zambia, Mozambique or Tanzania and people expected to see the party they knew – and it was Zapu.

A lot of clashes and hatred started when the idea to form a splinter party from Zapu first came up.

Like I said earlier, when we came back from Tanzania in 1962 after having met President Nyerere, there was a lot of tension because of the idea by Mugabe and company to form another party.

We knew of the plan but there was not enough evidence to nail them before they acted.

But interestingly, I remained close to Robert Mugabe and even in the wake of his ouster last year, we were close.

I should mention that when we were in Tanzania seeking the way forward in forming a government-in-exile, I was staying with Sally Mugabe.

I became close to Sally because of the language barrier as I would interpret in English any discussions made in Shona or isiNdebele.

Even after the formation of Zanu, we remained close despite the fact that I had remained in Zapu.

I remember on some occasions, while we were in Tanzania, Sally would complain to me that Robert Mugabe had been out almost the whole night and returned just after 4am.

Worse, Mugabe is a reserved person who listens a lot, so in those incidences he would not give a satisfactory explanation as to where he was.

But these leaders were engaged in a lot of meetings that took much of their time. However, women are jealous, so Sally’s suspicions was that her husband could have been out with other women.

Q: How did you personally handle the Zapu split because we hear you were accused of being in the same airplane in which Edson Zvobgo had flyers denouncing Nkomo?

A: In life you are excluded or included in certain things that you yourself fail to understand or find answers to.

I remained in Zapu because I could not fit in Zanu.

Though I remained in Zapu, I was aware some senior party members suspected me because I had also resided with Mugabe, who was now of Zanu. Mugabe stayed with me and I was a friend of Sally.

I even once accompanied Sally to her home country, Ghana, and met her mother. I went to Kumasi, where Sally’s father resided since her parents were divorced. That is when I got to understand that in their culture, children are raised from the mother’s side.

Back to the events building up to Zanu formation.

Zapu had been banned in September 1962 and these secret meetings, by those that later formed Zanu, were ongoing behind Nkomo’s back

Then Zapu members organised a conference for May 1963 at Cold Comfort Farm.

But Zanu had already laid its foundation and the day when the Zapu conference began Zanu was formed.

I attended the conference at Cold Comfort Farm after having arrived in the country the previous night.

I was accused of having information about Zanu since I had been on the same flight with Zvobgo, who was one of the Zanu masterminds.

The Cold Comfort Conference wanted to explain that there was discord brewing in the party as well as what had transpired in Tanzania with Nyerere.

But I was coming to the conference from London and having been on the same plane was Zvobgo.

I only saw Zvobgo after some hours on the plane, but I am sure he did not recognise me.

When the flyers issue came about, that is when I remembered that Zvobgo was in the company of other people I did not recognise and on the plane they were circulating some small papers amongst themselves seemingly approving their contents.

Therefore, my crime was that I was on the same plane with a man carrying leaflets with a message denouncing the Zapu leadership.

At the conference, a number of influential people in Zapu did not attend and these were the ones that formed Zanu. These splinter members increasingly talked of Nkomo’s weaknesses.

I was verbally assaulted like everyone else in Zapu. We were regarded as docile, confused, stupid and poor in decision making.

At the Cold Comfort Farm Conference I was elected Secretary for Women Affairs.

Zanu was to be formally formed at Enos Nkala’s house on 8 August 1963 led by Sithole, and two days later we formed the People’s Caretaker Council.

We, however, continued mobilising the masses against the white colonial government. We had established a firm foundation and the whites were now uncertain over our next political moves.

That is why in August 1964, the People’s Caretaker Council and Zanu were banned by Ian Smith.

Most of the nationalists were arrested or restricted with those from Zapu going to Gonakudzingwa in Gonarezhou, Masvingo while Zanu leaders we restricted at Sikombela in Gokwe

I was arrested in 1964 and sent to WhaWha prison for a month before being sent to Gonakudzingwa.

The first five people at Gonakudzingwa were Josiah Chinamano and his wife Ruth, Joshua Nkomo, Joseph Msika and Daniel Madzimbamuto.

The main reason why people were sent to Gonakudzingwa was that the place had animals such as lions and this was to instil fear in anyone who wanted to oppose the whites.

At the restriction camp, life was difficult. We were kept in structures made of corrugated iron sheets which were very hot in summer and very cold in winter.

The weather conditions were very harsh and some people even developed blisters in summer.

But when we started going there, something amazing began to happen. The area had small shrubs, but once we were there, trees began to grow.

Life was tough during these periods. Some people are now lying about the way they survived in prisons. Honestly, it was not easy.

The way we were treated in jail was very difficult and the whites wanted us to surrender and send a stern warning to those with potential to join us.

From Gonakudzingwa I was to be sent to Gweru Female Prison.

I remember seeing a big board inscribed “Home of Correction” when I got to the prison. The place sure was “a home of correction for those who had lost their minds and taken a political route”.

Life there was tough and the ill-treatment led me to confront one of the senior officers, Mrs Powers.

I remember telling her that she was the one who needed to be corrected on how to treat human beings. We were treated as mere slaves and it was really disgusting.

As a result of my confrontation, I was punished and put on a penal diet – a small portion of sadza, piece of meat and vegetables.

The penal diet was for a month and it left me skinny.

I should also mention that in Gweru I met the 12 girls from Mutoko. These people are not talked about. We used to call each other girls back then. This group was very brave and were united in all they did in prison.

The group of women had come to prison after having gone on a spree uprooting tobacco on about 15 white-owned farms in Mashonaland East.

They were saying their men were working hard for the whites but the salaries did not match their effort. I ended up being one of the most vocal in prison. I was like a leader to them.

But I have high respect for that group from Mutoko and most of us tend to forget other freedom fighters. It seems as if we have better fighters than others. The ones who really suffered during the liberation struggle are not given credit.

We suffered while we were in jail or detention centres. We had cold water poured on us in prison during winter and we would then spend the whole night standing because the floor would be wet. At Gweru prison we were fortunate that we had a magistrate coming there every Thursday to listen to our concerns.

But no one dared talk to the white magistrate. Blacks generally feared whites. However, after my completion of the penal diet punishment I said to myself, I would raise the issue of our treatment to the magistrate on his next visit.

I told the magistrate that we were aware the prison matron and her colleagues were taking food rations meant for us to their homes and feed us only on vegetables. I remember asking if we had been sentenced to death, because the treatment was meant to kill us.

As a result of that, living conditions improved, a bit, in prison. We got good food, clothes and we could even go and see doctors. But what pained me the most in prison was that I knew other prisoners were there for crimes such as murder and so forth, but as for me, I had not committed any criminal offence. The whites wanted to isolate me from the masses outside.

I could not sleep because I kept wondering for how long will I live in confinement. It is better to be told you live for 20 years in prison than just being held until further notice.

That is why I am in pain, I am angry over how some people now think they are more important. I know the struggles I went through.

To be continued next week