We killed 36 enemy soldiers

THIS week, Cde STEVE TRINITY CHIDAVANYIKA (STC), whose Chimurenga name was TRINITY ZUVARABUDA, continues narrating his thrilling wartime exploits. He recounts to our reporter AARON CHARUNGWA MOYO (ACM) the battles he was involved in after his deployment to the front.

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ACM: Which areas did you operate in and can you recount some of your experiences that still stand out today?

STC: I was the security officer under the Zindi detachment that operated in the Tangwena sector, Manica province.

As a security commander (seguranca), I also operated under the Makoni, Chiduku, Mandeya, Bonda and Hwedza-Svosve detachments, among others, whenever there was need.

I was involved in several battles, nine of which still linger in my memory because they were deadly encounters with the enemy.

In April 1977, I was in a section from our Zindi detachment that was escorting another section from the Chiduku detachment, which included 10 recruits.

The detachment was going to Mozambique to collect war materials.

The masses that lived under the Zindi detachment had been moved into protected villages (keeps) by the Rhodesians.

So, it was difficult to find food, especially with recruits. We decided to take the north-eastern route towards Guru in Mozambique, which had some homesteads outside the keeps.

The journey was very long, so we decided to camp for the day under cover because it was risky to be on the march during the day.

I think we were spotted by enemy soldiers who were perched somewhere at an observation point out of our line of sight. It was around 11am, when we noticed a spotter plane coming towards us from the direction of Nyanga town.

It circled above our position for a while.

After about five minutes, four helicopters began approaching from the west and started firing into the bushy areas and gullies that had thick cover.

Sensing danger, we instructed everyone, including the recruits, to remain under cover and desist from firing back at the enemy. As a result, the helicopters missed our exact position.

Immediately after the helicopters had flown past our position, two link jets appeared from the horizon and opened fire, again from the west to the east. We realised we had been spotted, so we had to escape from the killing bag, otherwise we were all going to be killed.

We split up into two separate groups and directed the section that included the recruits to head south-east towards Mozambique.

My section took off towards the eastern direction. We were also heading towards Mozambique, as a decoy.

By the way, we did all this under heavy enemy fire. Luckily for us, they did not have a clear target and were missing our positions.

Then the enemy sent in two hawker hunters to join the link bombers and four helicopters in the attack. Noticing that we were all going to be killed if we did nothing to repel the enemy, my section then started firing at the planes to distract the enemy from paying attention to the other group that had the recruits.

The bombing continued until after 4pm.

A brutal exchange of fire had ensued in the intervening period. We were later joined by Frelimo soldiers who were patrolling the border area.

During the exchanges, two enemy helicopters were shot down. That was before the planes retreated, as they could not openly enter the Mozambican territory.

Two of our comrades sustained minor injuries from shrapnel during that battle.

When we later came together at our gathering point (GP), we were happy that all our recruits were alive.

Frelimo soldiers saved the day. I think they were also hungry for some action.

ACM: Can you tell us about the second battle?

STC : The second battle took place in early May 1977. I remember that our group had the likes of Cornelius Mabhunu, who was the detachment political commissar; and Wellington Negidi’s section, which numbered about 14 freedom fighters.

The battle took place around 1pm at Mudzo village, Mutasa district.

We ambushed a full enemy Bedford truck.

We killed 36 enemy soldiers while many others were injured.

There were no casualties on our side.

We had orders to fire from our rocket-propelled gun (RPG) first to immobilise the enemy.

Once the enemy had been immobilised, then everyone would join the ambush, and that is exactly what happened.

We fired two RPG grenades and heavy 7.2 x39 mm rounds. Our sections were armed to the teeth. We had one rocket-propelled gun, seven sub-machine guns (SMGs) and six semi-automatic rifles (SARs). We decimated the enemy in what was a clear victory for the freedom fighters.

The following day, the enemy came to the area with two Bedford trucks to collect the remains of their slain colleagues.

ACM: What happened in the third and fourth battles?

STC: In mid-May 1977, I was part of a group of six fighters in Ndarowa village, Honde Valley.

We were armed with one RPG rifle, three SMGs and two SARs.

We attacked and shot down an enemy spotter plane, which fell under a hail of 7,62x39mm rounds.

The plane had gained notoriety for causing havoc in the area as it operated from the Nyanga Barracks.

All three operators of the plane were killed in that attack.

The enemy later dispatched reinforcements in the form of two helicopters and a Bedford truck full of soldiers, but we had already retreated.

So, all they could do was collect the remains of their colleagues.

In guerrilla fighting, you never wait for a long battle; you attack and retreat if the situation permits.

The fourth battle took place in June 1977.

I was part of two sections of about 20 freedom fighters who were camped at a base in Madzitire village, Honde Valley, Mutasa district.

One group was led by Cde Takesure Tawengwa, while the other one was led by Cde Tinos Ndarepwa.

The enemy launched a surprise attack on us while some of our comrades were sleeping.

Unbeknown to us, the enemy had spotted our location and had quietly encircled us.

All of a sudden, there was gunfire coming from all directions; we were caught completely unaware.

We failed to return fire because of the intensity of the attack.

One comrade had spotted the enemy before the attack but all hell broke loose before he could warn us about the imminent onslaught.

The enemy unleashed hellfire using mortars, NATO guns, FN rifles and lancer grenades in a vicious attack that lasted for about 15 minutes.

Two comrades — Cde Chenjerai, who was armed with an SMG; and Cde Tichazvipedza Zvichanaka, who had an LMG — were shot dead before they could use their weapons.

The Rhodesians quickly took possession of their weapons, which could have helped us repel the attack.

Two other comrades were injured but managed to retreat to safety with their guns.

We later met them at the GP on the Honde River, east of Hauna.

I had just joined this group from another section a few days earlier and was armed with a light machine gun, an SMG and a SAR.

I am not sure how we survived that attack but all I know is that we lost many of our comrades.

Following that attack, morale among the freedom fighters sank to its lowest ebb because we had lost so many of our comrades horribly and painfully.

Next week, Cde Chidavanyika will continue narrating some of his most memorable battles.