The Sunday News
IN the past two weeks we have been carrying out articles on one of the survivors of the Rhodesian forces attack on Mkushi Camp on 19 October 1978, Cde Patricia Kelello Malemane pseudonym Cde Apollo Dube.
Cde Malemane now aged 66 was the camp medic and senior instructor when Mkushi was bombed. In our last week instalment Cde Malemane, now a retired sister-in-charge at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) spoke about how her sixth sense kept on telling her that something bad was going to happen at Mkushi on that fateful day. However, she was not taken seriously by her colleagues who felt she was either a coward or was losing her mind. Cde Malemane also spoke about lack of decisive leadership at Mkushi, which she felt also contributed to having the Rhodesian forces inflicting heavy casualties.
Today she wraps up the interview with our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS). Read on……
MS: You spoke of hiding in the water at the nearby river and it could have been a painful experience.
Cde Malemane: It was because I held onto the reeds and my feet were suspended in the air. As a result of the bombing the whole place was turned into darkness.
MS: You spoke of failure by your commanders to protect the camp and I have heard some of your comrades say there were some sell-outs, do you agree with such sentiments?
Cde Malemane: During the bombing strange things happened that left one wondering whether we all to the war to fulfill the objectives of the liberation struggle. We did not understand why the leadership at the camp was casual when told that there were suspicious looking people around the camp. Then on the day of the bombing the Rhodesians using a hailer called out names of certain people whom we thought were comrades to surrender. Indeed, those people surrendered and were flown to Salisbury. How did they know their names?
MS: Who are those people? Name and shame comrade.
Cde Malemane: When I said I will criticise camp commander Phinda (late Farai Lawrence Makwarimba), I said I will do so because he is now late. I can’t mention names of people who are still alive, I will be inviting problems to myself. However, anyone who was at Mkushi on that day and survived heard and saw for herself those people being airlifted to Salisbury. We were to meet them in an independent Zimbabwe. At the moment those two, whom we had already suspected to be a boyfriend and girlfriend are a famous couple. On that day they surrendered when some of us despite all the danger that was there refused. I and fellow comrades refused to surrender at Mkushi because we had been possessed by the revolutionary spirit, it was easier to surrender but we refused. So I won’t mention those two, but bayaziwa.
MS: Then how did you manage to get out of the firing line?
Cde Malemane: When we thought the situation had calmed a little bit myself, Cecilia and a few others got out of the water and dashed from the firing line. Others who had also been hiding, seeing us tried to follow but were unfortunately gunned down. Although comrades died in that attack, if it was not for our training which was top-notch then more could have lost their lives. The training we had received played a role in saving lives. As we continued moving from the camp we found ourselves in another ambush, but we managed to survive again.
The situation was tense the whole day with danger everywhere. I can tell you that we walked the whole night, walking towards Kabwe and we were being harassed by spotters. We got to Kabwe in the afternoon of the following day and the Zambians there welcomed us. Word then spread that medics like myself should move out and look out for the injured and that meant more danger. At some point when we were out there looking for other comrades, one of the girls whom we were trying to rescue was gunned down.
There was also the case of Cde Ntashana who fell into an ambush together with some Zambian soldiers when they tried to go and rescue comrades at Mkushi.
MS: When the situation had calmed down where did you go?
Cde Malemane: I was sent to Kabwe Hospital to help in identifying casualties and we took some of them to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH). As the Mkushi camp medic it meant going to UTH everyday to assess the situation and also get things like suggestions and complaints from the injured. Then after three months some were taken to Solwezi and Makene.
I virtually became part of the medical corps until the attainment of the ceasefire. When we got home we moved to Sierra Assembly Point near Gwelo (Gweru) where I was demobilised. I preferred to work in the health sector and we wrote exams and then I was integrated into the Ministry of Health as a medical assistant. I moved up the ladder becoming senior medical assistant after two years, then principal medical assistant after four years. I then moved to the position of State Certified Nurse. During those years I started by working at Esibomvu Clinic in Esigodini, moved to Fatima, United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH), Mtshabezi and Inyathi.
I moved back to UBH and during that time took up studies at Speciss College to upgrade myself. I then went to St Luke’s Hospital in Lupane for a year where I wrote nurse training examinations and thus becoming a State Registered Nurse.
`I wrote the final or third year examinations with those who had done the three-year nurse training course. I then moved up the ranks and became Sister-In-Charge at UBH where I retired in August 2019. Now I have taken to farming because I still believe in Joshua Nkomo’s philosophy ukuthi kumele sidle emhlabathini.
MS: Are you done with politics?
Cde Malemane: I have not been active in politics because of work and at the moment I am trying to find my feet in farming. However, I can’t rule out that I will be active in politics and if the opportunity avails itself I will see what I will do.
