The Sunday News
TODAY we conclude our interview with Cde Simbarashe John Hungwe with him narrating how he was arrested by his Zipra comrades when he returned to Zambia to seek supplies and reinforcements. Cde Hungwe pseudo name Christopher Magwaza also talks about how he almost lost his life at the hands of senior National Security Organisation officers among them head of the counter-intelligence unit the late Cde Gordon Butshe.
Cde Hungwe who was part of Pamodzi Detachment which operated in Lupane and Nkayi Districts and was accused of openly rebelling against the Zipra senior commanders explains why his detachment behaved in such a way. The detachment was allegedly operating independently from the Zipra headquarters in Zambia. In an interview with our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS) Cde Hungwe continues with his narration of the armed struggle. Below are excerpts of the interview:
MS: Cde Hungwe, last week we were still talking about your incursions from Zambia across the Zambezi into the country. Can we pick up our conversation from there?
Cde Hungwe: Yes, I was still talking about our operations that we used to cross the Zambezi River into Rhodesia for operations and then go back. That was not an easy task because of the Zambezi River, which was our first enemy, then the landmines planted by the Rhodesians and animals such as hippos were also a menace. The hippos have got this tendency of guarding their territories jealously.
You know the Rhodesians used to clear the ground and check for footprints daily, carry out motorised patrols and they also used speedy boats in the river. You know even the gorges on the Zambezi River were a problem because of their steepness, guerrillas at times will lose their balance because of loose stones and fall. Here I am talking about someone who will be carrying all his supplies, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, food supplies and his weapon. However, as for the operations we continued and one day we stumbled on information that there was a group of workers from the department of roads.
Our informants told us that among that group were enemy agents whom they suspected were poisoning some water points, so we decided to attack. On that day we were commanded by Cde Mahlole because the commander of our unit, Cde Killion Sibanda was injured. When we got to that camp some of the workers had gone somewhere and we then decided to lay an ambush. Cde Mhlole then told us that we should by all means necessary capture all those people. We had information that the leader of that group, a coloured man called Jimmy was armed with a revolver. He was the only one armed. Mahlole then picked myself, Cdes John Chironda and Driver and told us that we will get into the camp and hold Jimmy. When those people returned at around 3pm, we had been there since mid-morning and we went for the attack.
MS: What did you do?
Cde Hungwe: The other seven made a semi-circle while the three of us went straight to Jimmy’s tent. We took him by surprise and we then disarmed him. We then ordered him to summon all the workers and they duly did that. Even their women were called. We told all the men to surrender all the money they had to their women. This area was between Sibankwanzi and Kamativi Tin Mine. We took all the 79 men with us and set for the Zambezi River. Strangely the Rhodesians did not make a follow-up and we walked the rest of the day until early in the morning. When we got to the Zambezi River the problem was crossing as at that time we had dinghies which could carry four people and we had three. But that day we had six people. Then when we had finally crossed and we were heading for our camp at Siampondo one of the captives or can I say recruits decided to be funny and disengaged from the group. A quick fall-up was made and he was quickly dealt with.
MS: What do you mean by quickly dealt with?
Cde Hungwe: I mean that, he had become a problem and a dangerous element so he was sent to his ancestors. When we got to Siampondo we handed over those people to the operations department that was headed by JD (John Dube) who had three deputies, Enoch Tshangane (late Major-General Jevan Maseko), the late Matshimini and Richard Mataure (Rtd Col Richard Ngwenya). At Siampondo another captive tried to run away again and he was also cleared. We didn’t want troublesome people. Then we continued with operations but this time deciding to remain on the ground and stop the crossing and coming back issue.
MS: But how was it now keeping the ground?
Cde Hungwe: You know Lupane and Binga because they were a corridor which was used by the guerrillas coming from Zambia and going back for supplies was a mission as the area was a hotly contested territory and at times we would fight against mercenaries. The situation was tough in that area but due respect should be given to the villagers who continued to support us despite such hardships.
MS: Then let us look at the war in general with a lot of people leaving the country to join the armed struggle. Any interesting observations during that period?
Cde Hungwe: There were lots of things that started changing at the front with many people leaving the country to join the armed struggle while guerrillas started pouring into the front in large numbers especially from 1976. Guerrillas also started rounding up school children taking them to the war and also educated people were now coming forward. I remember when I was at Nampundwe I met the current Permanent Secretary of Transport, Munesu Munodawafa whose father Samuel Munodawafa was the Zapu Chairman and was also in exile in Lusaka. Munesu arrived in the company of other children of the nationalists. He came together with the sons of Joseph Msika, Cephas Msipa and Takavarasha. Those boys wanted to go to the battle front but officers from the NSO quickly pulled them out. Other people who joined the struggle and were already educated were the Local Government Permanent Secretary George Mlilo. The other issue about the war is that as we continued giving the Rhodesians a torrid time on the battlefield they started moving their operations across the Zambezi River where battles were also fought.
MS: Then there is the issue of your arrest by your colleagues in Zambia, tell us more about that.
Cde Hungwe: I had gone to Zambia to seek supplies and we went via Botswana because we had an injured colleague with us.
When we got to Zambia I found out that things had changed because now there was a conventional force that was being trained and had assembled at Mlungushi. At Mlungushi comrades were supposed to show respect to their seniors and the salute was similar to what the British were doing. I could not believe it.
MS: Any reason for adopting the British style?
Cde Hungwe: This was because most instructors and Mlungushi were Zambians who had British training and as a communist trained guerilla I could not take it. Among the guerrillas the issue of the “hushefu” was not emphasised, so I refused to follow those orders and I was arrested and locked up at Nampundwe. At that time I think we had been infiltrated heavily and I had also questioned why people we had captured at the front were having privileged positions like Jimmy who at that time was Dr Joshua Nkomo’s driver. Some of us felt there was something wrong with the vetting and assigning of such characters. Even the way senior commanders like Mangena, Assaf, JZ Moyo and JD had died was suspicious. Even some of us don’t understand why we were arrested and kept captive at Nampundwe until the camp was bombed and some of us were lucky to escape with injuries although they were serious. Just imagine the camp was bombed when we were locked up and some of the comrades were not so lucky as they died. I was denied proper treatment when our medical officers had recommended that I go to Iraq for treatment as I was only taken to Makeni. As if that was not enough I was taken from the medical facility on the orders of NSO senior officers who wanted to eliminate me. I remember they ordered one of their junior officers called Mabhunu to kill me.
MS: Any names?
Cde Hungwe: There was the late Gordon Butshe who was the head of counter intelligence in the NSO. He was in the company of other two senior officers (names supplied). I survived because Mabhunu knew me and when they found me alive at Mboroma they were shocked. When the ceasefire was announced I returned to Zimbabwe with the injured and some civilians without my AK-47. I was humiliated I tell you, returning to a Zimbabwe I had fought and sacrificed for unarmed and among the civilians was an insult. When I got to Bulawayo I had to campaign for Zapu as a civilian and I later on moved to the Midlands Province for the campaigns. After the announcement of the results I met Zipra chief of personnel who advised me to go to St Paul’s Assembly Point in Lupane where my detachment had gone. I reunited with guerrillas under the Pamodzi detachment among them Cde Mafutha Ncube, Makumamiti, Driver, Dwala, KK, John Chironda, Volunteer Mkhwananzi (Andrew Ndlovu), Macmanamara and others.
MS: But your detachment is being accused of having people who did not have discipline as you openly challenged the senior commanders and at times you would waylay guerrillas who had just been deployed to the front and rob them of their ammunition and clothing. Is that true?
Cde Hungwe: You see, some senior commanders at the rear wanted us dead and there were some people who were sent to eliminate us at the front but they failed. We were not novices but armed guerrillas and most of us were trained at Morogoro and the Soviet Union. We challenged poor tactics and moves to kill us. Some of those people who were sent for us we managed to outwit them and some fled back to Zambia. Others joined our ranks and operated with us. We were not happy that the High Command would send pamphlets written katyusha yauya/ ikatyusha isibuyile, a multiple rocket launcher which was used extensively in Angola in 1975 by the MPLA and the Cubans against the South African forces and Unita. When the Rhodesians came across those pamphlets they would go wild and that gave us a lot of problems. It was a deliberate move by our intelligence unit to make the Rhodesians concentrate all their might in our operational zones so that we would get into trouble. To make matters worse the supplies were poor, we had problems with ammunition.
MS: Then at St Paul’s Assembly Point I understand some troops within the Pamodzi Detachment refused to enter the camp and chose to deploy outside. Is that true as well?
Cde Hungwe: I did not witness that. But we were not happy with the arrangement of putting guerillas inside a camp while the Rhodesians, people who had been defeated did not have an assembly point. We were not happy at Pamodzi because that gave an impression that we had lost the war. Why we were put in a camp while the Rhodesian soldiers were roaming free.
MS: From St Paul’s where did you go?
Cde Hungwe: I was integrated into the Zimbabwe National Army as a Warrant Officer Class Two at 1:3 in Hwange but left three years down the line because I was not happy with the rank. This was because people who were far too junior to me were made commissioned officers and this was because the senior command element of Zipra did not want to see some of us having high ranks. After the army I went to Mzilikazi Arts and Crafts Centre to do art and after that I managed to come up with interesting projects such as that statue Looking into the Future, which had a naked man.
MS: In all honesty Cde Hungwe that was an Adam Madebe project.
Cde Hungwe: You don’t know anything, the brains behind that project were myself and my friend Steve William.
MS: As a parting shot do you have anything else to share?
Cde Hungwe: This interview would not be fair without mentioning the role, local businessman Delma Lupepe has done for the war veterans in Bulawayo. You know that man is the one who gave us his equipment in 2001 to upgrade the Bulawayo Provincial Heroes Acre. He at one point donated nine cattle for consumption during the Heroes’ Day Commemorations. That year he also donated quite a number of foodstuffs and I remember that brought dignity to us as ex-fighters because as you might be aware in Bulawayo such events are for a certain class of people. It’s unlike in other provinces where people respect each other. Here in Bulawayo the chefs after officiating at our local shrine would go to up-market hotels and leave the owners of the day hungry. Former guerrillas are not allowed at these hotels when it’s their day, so Lupepe tried his best to paper those cracks.
