The Sunday Mail
This is final part of an interview by our reporter Norman Muchemwa with Cde Alice Mazorodze, wife to national hero Cde Simon Mazorodze. The interview is part of a series to mark Zimbabwe’s 40th independence celebrations. We publish the conversation in Cde Mazorodze’s own words.
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DURING the late 1970s, the Voice of Zimbabwe broadcasts from Maputo, Mozambique became our major source of information in Rhodesia.
That is where we got news on what was happening both on the war front and at the rear.
The Ian Smith regime would pounce hard on anyone found listening to the station.
But we had means to secretly tune in to the station at around 7:45pm. The late former president Cde Robert Mugabe, who was a charismatic speaker, would update us regarding strategies being pursued in intensifying the guerrilla war.
We also listened to songs from Oliver Mtukudzi like “Kuseri Kwegomo Kune Hama Dzedu”, “Zimbabwe Yababa” and “Hatikanganwe Varere Kumasango”.
These songs uplifted our spirits during the difficult time of the liberation struggle.
Information from war collaborators gave a true picture of how the liberation fighters were coping in the bush. After each armed confrontation of the liberation fighters and the enemy, we would rely on war collaborators to update us on the victories, casualties and deaths.
They also would inform us on how we could assist the fighters. They were able to conduct such activities using secret codes to evade arrest.
Vakomana nevasikana vadiki, vanamujibha navanachimbwido would be assigned to help the comrades.
This was done to dispel any suspicions that were likely to arise among the Rhodesian agents.
In most cases, vanhu vaSmith vaingofunga kuti vana varikuzvifambira havo, when in actual fact they were couriers of war strategies and information.
As women, we also played a major role in terms of logistical arrangements. In most cases we were not suspected much of helping the comrades. During that time, my husband was operating a surgery in Masvingo and that is where we used to receive most of the requests from liberation struggle fighters.
War collaborators would relay the requests to us, usually between 9 and 11am.
I would then personally take the requests to local black businesspeople, who would indicate the areas they are able to assist.
The assistance included food, clothes, shoes, medical supplies, shelter, transport, drinks, radios, wristwatch batteries and heavy-duty batteries.
I would cautiously collect the goods and each time a request came, around 4pm, I would release the goods to our young men and women to take them out of town to the comrades.
This was dangerous and it required a lot of caution and secrecy.
The Rhodesian Special Branch was monitoring us.
The overall coordination was done by Cde Mazorodze, Cde Mutikizizi (whose liberation name was M10) and Cde Henry Muchena.
Cde Muchena was a very senior commander during the liberation struggle.
In addition to working on providing logistics, I collaborated with Sister Matilda Ndebele from Gweru Roman Catholic Diocese to set up satellite clinics in some remote rural areas.
We worked with school heads to set up the satellite clinics that were meant to help local communities, but at the same time serve another purpose of treating injured comrades.
Sister Matilda would conduct weekly first aid courses to school-leavers and mothers, especially how to administer essential drugs and treat wounded patients.
I was the chairperson of the local Red Cross Society and we would divert some of the stocks and supplies to the satellite clinics, namely Magombedzi, Chitsa, Matiore, Topola and Shanganiso.
The clinics helped reduce the long distances travelled by rural communities to access health care services.
The other functions and duties we carried out as women during the liberation struggle, were to mobilise people to attend pungwes.
Pungwes were meant to enable mothers and fathers to understand why the fighters were waging the war and the need to support them.
We embarked on many trips to different areas and attended pungwes in places including Muroyi, Nyika and Bikita.
I used to travel with Mai Chabvepi for these evening meetings.
There was a time when we met several groups of comrades in Nyajena. I was with Matron Gonzo and Mai Chabvepi.
The meeting gave us a first-hand appreciation of the life the fighters lived. We also met several businesspeople and education officers from Fort Victoria as we made logistics for the comrades.
Pungwes, even though dangerous, were the best source of information and understanding on what was really transpiring during the liberation struggle.
The more we informed women about the dangers we were getting ourselves into, the more they were keen to participate as they were attached to the success of their children.
We used to engage comrades Muchena, Silas, Shelton Chidoro and Maplan Tawapedza for guidance.
As women, we had a role to visit political leaders in detention and attend court proceedings of comrades.
Information dissemination and coordinating of programmes was our role that helped move the struggle forward.
At one time, South African soldiers crossed into Rhodesia in armoured vehicles, en-route to Mozambique to fight the comrades.
I personally drove my car with Mrs Majome to Ndanga Township and witnessed the convoy after which I contacted the comrades.
Smith had intensified efforts to fish out the liberation fighters who had penetrated Rhodesia.
People were being rounded up, stripped and those bearing marks from bruises, thought to have been a result of military training, were taken for further questioning that involved torture.
But because of the information that had quickly reached the comrades, the South African convoy never reached its destination. It was attacked by comrades, forcing the soldiers to retreat.
Mucheke Secondary School in Masvingo became our regular meeting venue for general meetings of party members, but as women, we used to gather at the Dutch Reformed Church where we worked with Reverend Amai Shiri.
One Sunday morning around 10am, Cde Gwindi and Cde Ranga came home to inform us that there was a group of comrades that had managed to camp just outside Masvingo and they needed food for the night.
I was with my husband Simon, Mr and Mrs Gonzo as well as Mr and Mrs Machiri.
We managed to prepare sadza and relish for the boys.
Mrs Machiri and I drove Cde Gwindi and Cde Ranga with the food out of town, just after dusk, and dropped it at a point just outside Fort Victoria (Masvingo) along Salisbury (Harare) Road.
Then after sometime, Amai Machingambi got wind of an ambush set for the boys by the Rhodesian soldiers and alerted Cde Ray Mombe and his team to leave the area.
I had to drive to Driefontein Mission to collect a mujibha who had been placed on the police wanted list for collaborating with the comrades.
I managed to rescue the boy and took him to his relatives at Chitsa.
At that same time, Mr Muchakata whom we worked with, could not continue with his liquor business.
His liquor outlet had a room, with sewing machines, which were used by women to make clothes for the comrades.
When we realised the business was about to close, Simon and I offered Mr Muchakata’s niece, Rose, some capital to continue running the outlet.
But it seemed the Rhodesian agents had information that there were women sewing clothes on the premises, secretly.
The outlet was, one night, gutted by a mysterious fire and we lost the knitting machines as well as the equipment that was being used to run the venture.
That was in 1978 and we mobilised resources for women to go and purchase knitting machines in South Africa.
Unfortunately, customs authorities became suspicious and confiscated the machines.
At ceasefire in 1979, some comrades were not keen to go to assembly points.
Simon sent me to Gutu with Mai Chikumbu and Mai Chindanya to inform Cde Vhumazvipere and his group that the war was over. It was also the time that we went to some hospitals to check on injured comrades.
During a visit at Ngomahuru Hospital, we met Cde Captain Smart, who asked us if we could help mobilise resources for the opening of Zanu PF offices in Masvingo.
We managed to open the office in preparation for the 1980 elections and we worked with Comrades Mazorodze, Nhiwatiwa, Chengeta, Shindi and Mumbire.
We also had the assistance of fighters like Cdes Captain Smart, Bombshell and Nylon.
We were to also host some comrades who had come from assembly points in Masvingo in Mucheke Township. I remember that feast very well. We ate various dishes that we had prepared.
It was a special function at Roger Howman Hall which we hosted together with comrades Mutero, Gondoza, Gorejena, Chigudu, Mhungu and Mumbire.
As a woman, I think we made a huge contribution towards independence.
Women executed their roles perfectly well.
Our group in Masvingo even made logistical arrangements for senior comrades like Cde Kambewu (Major-General Rtd Paradzai Zimondi), Charles Munyoro and now Vice President Chiwenga at the Flamboyant Hotel where they formalised the ceasefire.
Our family car, a Peugeot 404 sedan, was involved in an accident and became a write-off after it had left some female combatants at Manyene camp in 1980, at the behest of the then incoming First Lady, the late Sally Mugabe.
It is a pity that the majority of those who participated in the liberation struggle are no longer with us.
I pray that their departed revolutionary spirits forever rest in peace as we celebrate the independence they fought so hard for.
