The Sunday Mail
Leroy Dzenga recently in GURUVE
WHEN ceasefire was declared in December 1979, it was agreed that freedom fighters would move to Assembly Points pending finalisation of negotiations leading to Zimbabwe’s independence.
Commanders of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) were, however, sceptical of the Rhodesians.
It also did not help matters that a distrusted pseudo political administration had been cobbled together, with Bishop Abel Muzorewa as the Prime Minister. In the circumstances, some freedom fighters were strategically left behind just in case political negotiations would collapse.
In the Chipuriro area (Sipolilo then) in Guruve, Cde Berry Kanengoni (64) was among those assigned to remain behind.
He had about 40 men who were in the detachment he commanded.
“The Rhodesians had an idea of how many freedom fighters there were in each area. So, to manage the situation, we sent vana mujibha (war collaborators) to Assembly Points and remained with a few highly-skilled cadres so the numbers would balance,” Cde Kanengoni told The Sunday Mail.
“We had received intelligence that the plot was to bomb all Assembly Points to exterminate freedom fighters. In any case, it would have been foolish to immediately place all our arsenal in full view of the enemy. In our eyes, the ceasefire was too good to be true.”
To avoid detection, the stay-behind force, as they were called, simply blended with communities.
“At one time I bumped into Rhodesian Forces doing their patrols and pretended to be a villager. I think someone sold out and alerted them of our presence.”
Cde Kanengoni later observed that there was an increased presence of Rhodesian Forces in the Berejena area where he and his team had established a base in what is now Ward 10, Berejena Village, in Guruve.
“Just as we were trying to make sense of Rhodesian Forces trucks which were coming, we realised they had come to drive communities to Keeps (internment camps).”
Such a move was interpreted as provocation by freedom fighters.
“Our people were being driven like animals, being allowed to pick up a few belongings, huddled into trucks and driven to Keeps. To us it did not make sense why our people had to be treated in an inhumane manner if we truly had a ceasefire. In my view, as the commander on the ground, it meant a declaration of war.”
Keeps would allow Rhodesian Forces to weed out freedom fighters from civilians.
“The idea was to make us starve, as families that used to sustain us through their generosity would then be confined in these fenced camps. When this happened, I gathered all my men and told them that the ceasefire agreement had been defiled.”
They took their positions in a low-lying area just a stones’ throw away from what is now Berejena Growth Point, waiting for the trucks to make a second trip.
“We had our Mortar 82 weapon and our rifles. We waited for Rhodesian Forces to make their return and we opened fire before they got to the remaining villagers.”
Up to now, he has no idea how many men they fought, but it was apparent they were outnumbered.
“I could not count them. Bullets were flying but I knew that numerically we were inferior. So we strategically shot at them in a way that would deter them from advancing towards us. We exchanged fire with a distance of about 500 metres separating us. That was a good range as it meant some of their guns were not too effective,” Cde Kanengoni added.
The battle raged for five hours when Rhodesian Forces withdrew.
“Our strategy was to prolong the exchanges until evening. We knew the terrain better than them. It was going to be easier for us to finish them off after dark. The long battle was a risk, as our ammunition could have run out. After ceasefire, it was hard to replenish our arms … I think we lost two cadres.”
The enemy retreat felt like a victory.
Cde Kanengoni and his team moved from their positions and split in different directions fully aware the Rhodesians would seek revenge.
“Just before dark, a spotter plane came and dropped a bomb close to where we had been firing from. Helicopters came and surrounded the area; it felt like our death warrants had been signed.”
The siege seemed to abate as it became darker.
“When we split, we had agreed to separate so as to stretch the enemy. We re-assembled at Mudindo Shops where we dispersed the people that had gathered there to minimise civilian casualties.”
The freedom fighters subsequently launched a series of attacks on Keeps, rescuing villagers who had been forcibly moved from their homesteads.
“We attacked Keeps at Munyoro, Shayabvudzi, Mudindo and other surrounding areas. We lured the Rhodesian Forces who were guarding the Keeps with gunfire; when they would come out to fight, we would shoot them from our different vantage points. No Keep in the zone was spared,” explained Cde Kanengoni.
After driving out the Rhodesian Forces, freedom fighters would allow villagers to return to their homes.
The heavy casualties suffered by enemy forces only became clear the morning after the battle.
When news of the Berejena battle filtered to political leaders, a high-powered delegation was sent to engage Cde Kanengoni.
“A few days after the battle, we had returned to our Berejena base. A helicopter came and hovered around and in it were Cde Rex Nhongo and Dumiso Dabengwa. They had megaphones and were telling us to go where others were, Assembly Points, saying there was no need to continue fighting. I fired two shots in the air to tell them that I had heard them but was not ready to comply at that time,” he said.
And, at the time, he was the acting sectorial commander, as Cde Hudson Kundai who held the rank had been picked to shadow Tete provincial field commander, the late Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri.
Cde Kanengoni was later deployed to operate around Zimbabwe-Mozambique border in Mukumbura until the elections in 1980.
The country will celebrate valiant efforts of cadres such as Cde Kanengoni during commemorations to mark Heroes’ Day and Defence Forces Day tomorrow and Tuesday, respectively.
