105 enemy forces surrender to guerillas

21 May, 2017 - 00:05 0 Views
105 enemy forces surrender to guerillas

The Sunday News

Lt Colonel Sibanda lest we forget 21 May 17

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda

In today’s Lest We Forget column we continue the interview with the former regional commander for the Northern Front 2 Retired Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Sibanda whose pseudo name was Cde Phebion Mutero. The NF2 covered Lupane, Nkayi, Zhombe, Lower Gweru, Gokwe and Silobela.

MS: Last week we were still talking about the expansion of operations with you telling us that you had started covering areas as far as Inyathi in Bubi District which meant you were inching closer to Bulawayo. Can we pick it from there?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: There was another reinforcement which was a group of 20 comrades that arrived in our operational area in 1978. Among the 20 we had some intelligence officers, one of them a photographer. Besides fighting his other duties were to take pictures for propaganda purposes. As for the operations we continued intensifying them. We were capturing weapons and other war material, a situation that saw us setting up an armoury deep inside the bush.

MS: Where was the armoury?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: It was located along the Gwampa Valley. Going back a little I should explain that towards the end of 1977 we had managed to transform some areas in Lupane and Nkayi from the red zone to green zones.

MS: In simple terms what does that mean?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: It means that before our deployment and presence the red zone was an area where the Rhodesian forces were in total control of. So when we deployed and intensified our operations the situation changed. The green zone implied an area which was semi-liberated which the Rhodesian forces could enter but not maintain a presence. There was also the yellow zone which was a heavily contested area while the red zone implied an area where the Rhodies were still in control and such areas were within the vicinities of Lupane and Nkayi centres where there were administrative district offices. At the Lupane and Nkayi centres there were also camps for the Rhodesian troops, those camps were used as launching pads for their operations. What should be noted is that in 1976 there was a lull in guerilla activities in Matabeleland because of the concentration in the eastern parts of the country as it was during the Zipa period. That means in 1976 our operational areas were red zones as the Rhodesians were in full control and we quickly reversed that when we carried out our heavy deployments which intensified in 1977. So we quickly presided over a transition from red to yellow. Some of the yellow zones were quickly changed to green. The enemy movement deep inside the villages was now minimal as we were on top of the situation. They could not just move freely because of the ambushes and landmines.

MS: But I understand at the beginning of 1978 there was a heavy deployment of the Rhodesian army in Lupane. What happened?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: It’s true but it did not affect my unit as such. The Rhodesians came and cordoned off the Mzola, Dandanda and Dongamuzi areas where there was a unit which had people like oMafutha. The Rhodesians were trying to block large units of guerillas from moving into different operational areas in the country such as Midlands districts like Mberengwa and parts of Matabeleland South. The enemy deployed a whole battalion and fighting was very fierce. However, the enemy suffered heavy losses and withdrew despite the fact that they had brought in helicopters and set up a makeshift headquarters in the bush where they were even refuelling their choppers. They were trying to comb up the whole area, moving from village to village.

MS: Then let’s get back to your operations.

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: We continued hitting the Rhodesian government forces by laying ambushes and attacking economic activities. Now our operations had moved to areas beyond St Luke’s. We laid an ambush at koSomgoro, another timber processing plant. It was at that point that on realising that they could not enter many areas like they used to, the Rhodesians started deploying Selous Scouts. We lost Cde Shumba who was one of the commanders in the Hwange area. He was killed by a Selous Scouts unit which had among its ranks turned guerillas. The Scouts organised a meeting after claiming that they were a new unit that had just arrived from Zambia and our comrades failed to read into that trick and Cde Shumba was killed.

MS: Then tell us about the redrawing of the operational regions.

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: There came a stage when Zipra re-organised its operational strategies. The operational boundaries were also redrawn with the creation of two fronts, the northern and the southern. The two fronts were each sub-divided into three regions with areas such as Lupane and Nkayi falling under Northern Front 2. NF2 also included areas such as Silobela, Zhombe and Gokwe. After that I was promoted to be the NF2 regional commander. The announcement was made by the deputy frontal commander, Cde Gilbert Khumalo (Nicholas Nkomo). I took over the command of our region from KK who had all long operated in areas around Mzola. There was a handover and takeover ceremony which was also attended by KK and all went well.

MS: After taking over the command of the whole region I suppose such a development came up with a lot of responsibilities and challenges. What were some of the challenges?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: As the war was progressing things were also developing fast both at the front and at the rear in Zambia.

There were a lot of distortions that were filtering through the guerilla structures and that created problems.

MS: What were some of the distortions?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: There were unfounded issues like that some commanders were selling out. Such talk I believe was fuelled by the enemy and unfortunately some comrades bought that. In the end there was no trust between comrades although that was not widespread. We also had some guerillas that were not happy with the central command structure that was being created. You know control of guerilla units is very difficult. So we found ourselves having some units that were operating independently from the entire force, that was very disturbing. We had the comrades who were operating around Mzola and Dongamuzi and had sort of become a force within a force. However, we allowed them to continue operating because we did not want to have a situation where we were going to start hunting for each other. That was very unfortunate and uncalled for.

MS: That was a tricky situation I suppose.

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: Of course but I should point out that despite those problems those comrades still carried out their duties very well. They were good fighters and that cannot be taken away from them. Whenever there was a contact they still fought like all the other units in the region. I think the issue that caused all these problems was poor communication. Also stories were being spread that some guerillas were being arrested, detained and in worse scenarios killed when they returned to the rear for supplies and that contributed to the problems that we encountered at the front.

MS: With the formation of new regional operational areas, how was the structure like?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: At that stage we had detachments and operational zones. Also at the front we had been joined by National Security Organisation (NSO) comrades, we had Cde David Thodlana (late Tshaka Moyo) who was a senior intelligence officer and Cde Madayiza another intelligence officer now working for the State. As for my commissar there was Cde Seven. As for Lupane, Nkayi, Zhombe, Silobela and Gokwe they were broken into sectors. That was meant to make sure that our forces could no longer move long distances. Once a month we will have a GP (gathering point) where the zonal commanders would meet and review the situation on the ground. On that day there would be many comrades as the command element from different operational areas would arrive escorted by some of their troops to the GP.

MS: How was the situation when the deputy frontal commander, Cde Gilbert Khumalo was on the ground?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: At that stage we had many semi-liberated zones and we set up our headquarters along the Gwampa Valley. Cde Gilbert Khumalo was operating and protected by the unit that I was moving with. He was not the only senior commander in our unit as there was also Cdes Thodlana, Stanley Donga who was now in charge of military intelligence in the region and Madayiza. We would move around the region reaching out to areas like Lower Gweru, Zhombe, Silobela, Gokwe and Sanyati. We were assessing the situation on the ground. I can tell you fighting was intense in the Midlands especially in Gokwe and Lower Gweru. Comrades like Gatsheni in Lower, Dennis and Lipson in Gokwe were very effective in their operations where they scored decisive victories against the enemy forces.

MS: What about the Lupane area?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: In Lupane and Nkayi districts the guerillas were on top of the situation and like I said most areas were semi-liberated zones. It was no longer business as usual for the Rhodesian forces and they were now afraid of reaching certain areas. Along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road we were also causing havoc and I remember there was a day when we hijacked a refrigerated truck that was full of meat. We diverted it into the bush, chased away the crew and asked villagers to help themselves to the loot. That truck I think belonged to the CSC. However, we were very soft on civilians despite the colour of their skin. There was a day when we stopped a priest from Fatima Mission. We had warned them before not to use Land Rovers but they ignored us. So one day along the Falls Road we stopped him and he thought we were going to kill him, so he said “ just shoot me”. But we told him that he was not our target in this war, he and his people at the mission should just obey our orders and nothing will happen to them. He thanked us and left. We could tell that he did not expect us to be so nice to him. But we were not being nice but fair.

MS: You are talking about the change of the situation on the ground. How did the enemy forces react to this?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: When the enemy realised that it was difficult to penetrate the area and that villagers were heavily politicised it came with new strategies. One of the strategies was the conscription of the villagers. Scores of villagers were taken from Lupane to training camp in Nyamandlovu where they underwent a crush programme in military training. After finishing their training they were deployed in their villages fully armed with communication radios as well. However, those people defected. The first to defect were 47 and those people handed over themselves to the guerillas but they were not armed. I cannot talk much about that because I was not there. Then there was another group of 105 auxiliary forces which also surrendered to us and this one I am one of the guerillas that welcomed it. They surrendered to us at Siwale.

MS: Take us through that incident.

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: What happened was that one of comrades, Rems came to us and told us about the intentions of those people. We then told him where they could come. We chose at hill at Siwale where we deployed. Some comrades deployed on the foot of the hill while others at the top. We were about 10 and among the comrades I had were Potters and Oswald (Donga).

The instruction was that they should first surrender their weapons and communication radios and they duly followed that.

They were armed with G3s.

MS: After their surrender what did you do to them?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: From the 105 we took 10 and incorporated them into our ranks. We took their section commanders and those whom we knew were loyal to the struggle and had only been forced by circumstances to join the enemy forces. The rest were accompanied by the guerillas to join the armed struggle at the rear. I should point out that when the first group which numbered 47 surrendered they were also taken to join the war. That group left with some of our active youths. Among those youths were Cdes Clifford Sibanda and Colleen Ndebele. As you know Cde Sibanda is now a Minister in Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Office. On the other hand Cde Ndebele is a senior Zanu-PF cadre as he is a Member of the Central Committee in Matabeleland North. When we started operating in Lupane those two were very active members of the youth league. They gave everything for the struggle despite the dangers associated with such activities at that time. Then came a time when I was recalled to the rear for further training. But it was not a smooth journey as I was nearly captured.

MS: How?

Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda: When I got to Botswana on my way to Zambia the situation had changed as there were no flights anymore that were taking people to Zambia because of the threats made by the Rhodesians on Botswana’s airspace. So I stayed with the Zipra command element for the southern front. However, I was not happy with the security arrangements as I felt there was too much laxity among some of the comrades. Some were going for beer drinks and returning to their base, which was a house, late.

So as someone coming from the bush I listened to my instincts and left that house. I tell you the very night I left there was a raid by the Rhodesians and some of the comrades were captured. Among those captured was Makepesi. I was to proceed to Zambia via Kazungula but when I got to Livingstone I was told that the group I was supposed to go with to Yugoslavia had left. I did not even bother going to Lusaka but joined a group that was coming for deployment. That is the group I came back with to my operational area in Lupane.

We will in the near future carry another interview with Rtd Lt-Col Sibanda’s after a visit to his operational area. He has offered to take the Sunday News crew to some of the areas in Lupane and possibly Nkayi

 

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