The Sunday News
THE urge to fight injustices against the rebel Ian Smith regime saw a then 15-year-old Cde Japhet Phuthi leaving the country to take up arms to free the country. Cde Phuthi who was popularly known by his pseudo name Cde Nyanga Nzimande unperturbed by his youthful age was later to distinguish himself as a capable military engineer in his operation area of Hurungwe in Mashonalaand West Province where he carried out sabotage missions, one of them being the blowing of the Kariba-Harare electricity lines. That mission carried out in December 1978 resulted in various parts of Harare plunged into darkness much to the amusement of freedom fighters. Cde Phuthi now sits in the war veterans national executive and he previously headed the ex-fighters Bulawayo chapter.
In our Lest We Forget Column for this week Cde Phuthi reconstructs some of his military activities in an interview with our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS).
MS: Who is Japhet Phuthi? Can you give us a brief run of your history.
Cde Phuthi: I was born at Antelope Hospital situated at what is now Maphisa Growth Point in Kezi on 10 November 1961. I did my primary education at the local Tjewondo Primary School between 1969 and 1976. The following year I left the country to join the armed struggle in Zambia via Botswana.
MS: You were still very young, what drove a boy of your age then to take such a crucial decision?
Cde Phuthi: The political atmosphere was charged and people were always talking about the guerilla activities and that influenced me a lot. The other issue was that my father, who was later to become a councillor for Matobo’s Ward 10 after Independence was always being victimised by the Rhodesian forces for his political activities. He was always arrested and I recall one day when the Rhodesian soldiers made him lie on a rock in our homestead and went on to beat him thoroughly while we, his family, watched haplessly. That affected me very much and in September 1977 I left the country to join the armed struggle together with my fellow village boys, Norman Moyo and Davis Sibanda. I was driven by anger. The three of us were of the same age, we were just 15. After being screened by the Botswana police, we joined others at Zapu camps in Francistown before we were air transported to Zambia. We arrived at Nampundwe Transit Camp in October 1977 and stayed there up to December. I was then one of the 2 000 people who were selected to undergo military training at Boma Camp near Luso town in Angola. We were the second group of cadres to be trained in Angola.
MS: Tell us about your training in Angola.
Cde Phuthi: From Zambia we travelled by road for five days. We had an escort of Cubans as you might be aware that there was a raging civil war in Angola between the government forces and the rebel Unita of Jonas Savimbi so there was that risk of being attacked. In Angola I was chosen to specialise in military engineering. We had Zipra, Cuban and Russian instructors. Some of the instructors were from our side were comrades like Langton Sigola and as for the Cubans I remember Odeline and Eliphio who also acted as an interpreter. We did our training between January and June 1978.
MS: Who were some of the comrades that were in your group whose names you still remember?
Cde Phuthi: I will talk about those who specialised in engineering. We were so many as we had four platoons of 44 recruits each doing engineering. However, we had people like Cde Cephas Ncube, the current chairman of the war veterans in the Bulawayo Province, Lyton Tshabalala, Casper Sibanda, Mdara Mandevu, Lenin and Ntulo. Although we trained to be engineers we also did infantry training as well.
MS: Tell us about the requirements of the military engineering course, this is something that is not an everyday military diet so to speak.
Cde Phuthi: Very correct, it is an important component of any military outfit. During our training we covered things like mine warfare, demolition of infrastructure such as bridges, steel structures and reinforced buildings. We also covered how to set booby traps, neutralising the enemy’s mines, laying of anti-tank and anti-personal mines, disarming your own mines and clearing of mine fields. As for the mines themselves we learnt how to use TM46, and anti-tank mine, TMN46-anti-lift device which when you set it you booby trap it, TM57, metallic antitank mines, TMD-a wooden mine, anti-personel-PMD6, MN4, a plastic mine in a round shape. After completing our training we were flown back to Zambia and deployed at Emagojini (CGT 2 camp) where the commander was Cde Tekenya. We were waiting for further deployment to the front. While waiting for further deployment in October 1978 the camp was attacked by the Rhodesian Air Force but because of the fortification there the enemy failed to penetrate. In November I was one of the cadres who were chosen to go to CGT3 Camp for a course in engineering, to polish up on carrying out sabotage missions in towns that — urban warfare. The year 1978 was when Zipra forces were intensifying operations and in December of that year I was deployed under the detachment company of Cde Ranganayi who was deputised by Cde Maphephuka.
MS: So where was your area of operation?
Cde Phuthi: It was in Hurungwe in Mashonaland West Province falling under the Zipra area of operation called Northern Front 3. Northern Front 3 covered areas such as Hurungwe, Chinhoyi, Norton, Zvimba, Makonde, Guruve and Kadoma and it was under the command of Cde Richard Mataure (Retired Colonel Richard Ngwenya of the Mocrea fame). Cde Rangarayi’s detachment was already on the ground operating covering areas such as Mahororo, Karereshi, Karamanzungu, Chivakanenyama, Zvipane and Kateni. We joined Cde Ranganayi’s detachment as an attachment of engineers and we were nine when we joined the group in that part of Hurungwe. There were other detachments operating in neighbouring areas. What should be noted is that during that period comrades already in operation areas were being beefed up with attachments in the form of engineers like ourselves, artillery units, reconnaissance teams and so on.
MS: To take you back a bit tell us about your unit. How many were you?
Cde Phuthi: We were deployed a section in terms of numbers because we were nine, myself, Koketswa who was in charge of us, Zex, Diliza, January, Brighton, Product, Ducktailer and Edmore. The nine of us were military engineers and when we joined Cde Ranganayi’s unit we found that some of the comrades had been in the area for more than three years, so they were veterans.
MS: So how significant was your deployment in the area when one looks at the specialist skills that you were bringing in.
Cde Phuthi: Besides being fighters like everyone else we had the extra responsibility of halting the enemy forces through the use of landmines and keeping the enemy on its toes like carrying out sabotage activities, which we eventually did and that changed the course of the war. More comrades were coming from the rear into our region and that escalated military activities. That resulted in the enemy introducing the concept of protected villages in a bid to isolate us from the masses so that we could starve and at the same time lose our contacts as some of the villagers were very good at gathering intelligence on the activities of the enemy. However, despite that we never relented.
MS: Can you tell us about some of the battles that you were involved in in the Hurungwe area.
Cde Phuthi: There are many but the ones where there was fierce fighting is the famous attack on the Mana Pools Camp. However, before that battle I was chosen for ammunition resupply and that was April 1979. We went back to Zambia through BL-1 led by Cde Maphephuka and Cde Zimangele. While we were still waiting for our ammunition, we, the engineers were recalled to the rear for further missions. What should be noted here is that as engineers we had our own command structure just like other specialist units. Our commanders were Cdes Kenneth Velaphi and James. So Cdes Diliza, January and I were sent to CCT-Moscow where we met Cde James, the engineers command staff and Cde Rodwell Nyika (Retired Brigadier-General Collin Moyo).
MS: What was the message from those two commanders?
Cde Phuthi: They ordered us to join a newly established detachment for a certain mission which was under the command of Cde Cyprus. As a support group we were sent to destroy a bridge at Rikomichi along Mana Pools Road, which we did successfully without any incident. This was meant to paralyse communication links to Mana Pools Camp. In fact our mission was a built up exercise for the main task which was the attack on Mana Pools Camp itself. After destroying the bridge we crossed back to Zambia through BL-2 crossing point. I also remember that prior to the attack on Mana Pools Camp we were made to carry supplies of ammunition on the Zambia side for more than a week. The ammunition was for big artillery weapons namely B-10, mortar 82mm and Zegue guns to cover forces under attack especially from the Rhodesian Air Force. We managed to amass a lot of ammunition without the enemy detecting our movement.
MS: So this was still part of the build-up to the attack on the Mana Pools Camp and how was the strategy to be executed?
Cde Phuthi: Yes it was part of the ground work for the attack on Mana Pools. The Garrison Camp was to be attacked from the Zambian side using long range artillery weapons while the infantry stationed on the Zimbabwean side was to quickly make an assault after the artillery unit had done its job. The attack was set for the 6th of May 1979 while the zero hour for the attack was set for 5.30pm. We managed to successfully deploy our troops on the Zambian side. The unit was heavily armed with artillery weapons covered by us who were armed with an assortment of weapons mainly medium machine guns such as PK3, PKM and RPK-46. The infantry unit which was commanded by Cde Cyprus crossed into Zimbabwe prior to the attack. They were supposed to have taken positions by the time the artillery pieces from the Zambian side launched the attack. However, they slightly delayed in taking up positions because it was difficult to navigate through the very thick forest before you reached Mana Pools Camp. On the Zambian side where I was covering a B-10 gun crew commanded by Cde Daki, I remember that we managed to fire over 47 recoilless shells to destroy the communication house. That resulted in the enemy pill-box trying without success to pin down the B-10 crew. Cde Daki then managed to locate where the fire was coming from and he managed to destroy the pill-box using hole-charges recoilless shells. These types of shells are used to destroy reinforced concrete structures. Then after our infantry unit on the Zimbabwean side started to carry out the assault we withdrew back to BL-2. I can say the mission was very successful.
MS: Any particular reason why Mana Pools Camp was attacked?
Cde Phuthi: The attack on those Garrison Camps along the Zambezi River were meant to limit enemy forces’ patrols so that they did not hinder our crossings into Zimbabwe and back to Zambia. This was because since Zipra forces were operating in detachments that meant that we were now moving in large numbers. If those camps were not constantly attacked and paralysed then our movement was going to be greatly affected.
MS: What other missions were you involved in your area of operation?
Cde Phuthi: Besides these big tasks of hitting enemy premises, as engineers we would be asked to halt the enemy’s forces by planting landmines on strategic roads and that we did diligently. However, on other occasions we would operate just like the infantry and engage in skirmishes with the enemy.
The situation in Hurungwe was always tense and that saw our forces moving in large numbers, we were always moving in a battle formation with a minimum force of 20 comrades. To answer your question on the other missions, I was part of the group that attacked the Karamanzungu base in January 1979, another base at Mabodoro Business Centre and also blew the electricity lines from Kariba to the then Salisbury ( Harare).
MS: Take us through the attacks on those bases.
Cde Phuthi: We had always ambushed the enemy forces but then we realised that the enemy was setting bases in our area of operation to suffocate us. The Rhodesians were bent on driving us out of the area so they set bases at Karereshi, Karamanzungu, Mashuma and St Peters that was to enable them to continue pressing on us. The command element then decided that we should take the war to them by attacking those bases. The first to be attacked was Karamanzungu where the whole platoon with its attachments was deployed. Karamanzungu was identified for attack because it was at the central point of our sector from where the Rhodesians were co-coordinating their activities. Our intelligence officers had carried out a reconnaissance mission on the base and noticed that the enemy had dug trenches and there was a 24-hour guard. However, armed with RPG-7s, RPDs, RPKs and AK-47s, some of them fitted with grenade launchers we attacked it night. We moved stealthily until we were 50 metres from the base. We then launched the attack and it went on for about 45 minutes. There was an exchange of heavy gunfire. We destroyed the base completely but we did not assault and to show that our mission was successful the enemy forces quickly abandoned the base, never to set there again.
MS: So you had really taken the war to the enemy and how was the situation on the ground?
Cde Phuthi: There was a lot of excitement from the villagers and they gave us a lot of support although like in any war situation there were some elements who worked for the enemy as its contacts. After the Karamanzungu base we then went for the Mabodoro Business Centre base, it was called Mabodoro because there were bottle stores there, but the place was deserted after the owners abandoned their enterprises because of the tense war situation. The Mabodoro base was attacked in August when the Rhodesians were still trying to establish a permanent base and we didn’t want that to happen because it was going to give us problems. There were about 30 white soldiers and it was attacked on Monday under the command of Cde Ranganayi, the detachment commander. We launched the attack immediately when the moon had just risen. We destroyed the buildings and killed a lot of enemy forces because the following day villagers living close by saw dead bodies being choppered. The base was also abandoned for good. However, I was injured in that battle when I was hit by a fragment fired from an anti-tank in the eye. Cde Maphepheka was also injured. Despite the heavy fighting there we did not lose a single soldier, the only casualties were myself and Cde Maphephuka. We were later treated by our medics.
MS: You mentioned the attack on the power lines, can you please take us through that.
Cde Phuthi: That was a purely engineers’ mission. We were given the task to sabotage the power lines and that was December 1978, we wanted to spoil the festive mood of the whites. So what happened was that we were told that we were to blow the power lines at the Kateni area. The mission was carried out by nine engineers covered by a section of infantry guerillas. We took plastic explosives of 200 and 400 grammes prime charges, targeted poles in three lines. We placed the explosives on three poles in each line, the explosives were mixed circuit, a slow burning fuse which burns at four centimetres per second. When you light you should move from the scene quickly because by the time it explodes one should be more than a kilometre away. That is because if one is near the scene that person can be affected in a big way. After placing the charges on all the nine poles we then joined them using a detonator cord and quickly dashed from the scene. You should have been there when it exploded, the whole area covering a radius of five kilometres lit up as if there were tower lights dotted around, kwabasemini ( it was as if it was day time). A number of then white suburbs in Harare were affected and they included places such as Marlborough and Malbereign. For two weeks those places were affected and it was amusing to listen to the radio with such an outcry dominating the news bulletins. As for the Rhodesian soldiers they had to patrol the area around that scene using helicopters, they had guessed it right because we had mined a large area following the power lines. To us that was a very successful operation.
MS: After the war which one was you assembly point?
Cde Phuthi: It was at Rikomichi. I was later attested into the Zimbabwe National Army and served in the Engineers Squadron based at 3 Brigade in Mutare. I served in the army up to 1999. I am a now a farmer in Nyamandlovu in Umguza District.
