The Sunday News
Rtd Brigadier-Gen Abel Mazinyane
VLADIMIR Ilich Lenin in 1917 founded the first socialist country in the world. In 1959, Castro established the first socialist state in the Americas, right at the doorstep of the citadel of capitalism, the United States.
Fidel Castro, who had good education, chose socialism, an ideology that aimed at eradicating poverty in the world. An ideology of the poor. This was contrary to the common practice in the third world where the educated believed it was their legitimate right to inherit the privilege of the colonisers. Oppressing others and good life. Castro did not only dedicate his life to the Cuban people but the entire oppressed people of the world. Castro and Cuba had a passion for the oppressed that they sacrificed the lives of their sons and daughters so that all the oppressed of the world could enjoy freedom and equality.
Equality, what an elusive term for most of us!
I first met a Cuban’s contingent in Zambia in 1977, although I had read a few books on the Cuban revolution and had been schooled of the same by our commissariat department. However, meeting the Cubans was a memorable experience. These were a contingent of soldiers who had come from Angola. They had come to deliver to Zipra some trucks and food stuffs. The trucks were the KRAZ trucks that served us throughout the war.
During this trip, Cubans were accommodated at Freedom Camp (FC) where the Zipra headquarters were. They brought their own food, their own cook and their own tents. Zipra only provided space. While they were at FC, they requested for a night of cultural exchange which was done in the evening. Various groups from Cuban comrades and Zipra performed various activities that included singing, dances, poetry etc. They also sang their revolutionary song Wa Ntana Mera very beautifully.
Their (Cuban soldiers) other than bring us aid was to uplift our advance group of recruits for training in Angola. They had brought their own trucks for the task. The Zipra advance group was about 300 recruits. In that group there was Edwell Mabandla, my cousin who I met and only spoke to twice, once in 1977 and then in 1978……… Our Cuban comrades returned to collect the main group. Two thousand recruits that were to be trained in Angola. This time they brought 53 trucks to uplift the main body, the uplifting of this group created a spectacle in Lusaka. The arrangement had been that the convoy was to leave Nampundwe Transit Camp (NTC) in the evening to take advantage of the cover of darkness. However, after selection of recruits had been done by comrades (KK) Brigadier Muzheri (retired) and Jephrey Ndlovu (Kenneth Mrwira). However, our Cuban comrades decided to leave Nampundwe Camp at 12 noon in a 53 truck convoy. The Russian KRAZ truck which looks like a creature from the forgotten planet looks very scary and intimidating. Nothing of its kind had ever been seen in Zambia.
Later Zambians later used to say it was a DIY by guerrillas. I think it was a 6×6 truck. It was seen passing through Lusaka carrying 1 000 plus Zipra recruits singing “Zipra ishumba, Smith inyama” heading north. This show of force by Zipra was persuasive to young Zimbabweans based in Zambia who had not yet joined Zipra forces to join the armed struggle. Zambian citizens lined the streets of Lusaka as if hypnotised by this show of strength by Joshua Nkomo. Cubans were here to sweep away colonialism from Africa.
Other than uplifting only the number selected by the Zipra commanders, the Cubans added about a 100 more, from some recruits who were literally crying to go for training. After this Zipra headquarters, the department of personnel to be precise had problems to balance strength returns from Nampundwe until when strength returns from Boma Camp in Angola started coming in.
Fidel Castro and Cubans were not only friends indeed. They were part of us. The liberation of Zimbabwe became their goal too. Cuba was not content with satisfying our request but suggested what they could provide outside our request. Some of their offers focused on the future of Zimbabwe above the armed struggle we were currently engaged in. For instance when a Zipra team visited Angola to review training we were taken to a camp where children from rural Angola assembled awaiting to be taken to Cuba primary up to university level education at the expense of the Cuban government. The Cuban officials requested for 500 young boys and girls at VC and JZ camps to undergo the same programme.
The training of Zipra personnel in Boma, Angola was run by Cuban army Officers. They were assisted by officials of the Soviet army. The Soviet Union (USSR) a country that gave what they possibly could for the liberation of Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular.
As for the military training of Zipra cadres at Boma/Angola by Cuban officers, it created perfect soldiers/fighters. The training produced a well polished fighter, well disciplined and eager to fight. When members of the Zipra High command visited Boma to review training, Cubans adjusted their syllabus to include specialisation. At the end of training Zipra got specialists in communication, anti-air, field artillery and field commanders.
These cadres were drilled to fighting bigger formations than Zipra had been accustomed to. The arrival of these fighters at the front had a great impact in our struggle. Two companies trained by Cubans in Angola were deployed for the defence of Freedom Camp.
Freedom Camp other than being a transit camp for those going for training outside Zambia, or returning from such training and comrades returned from the front for medical reasons, it was Zipra headquarters. Therefore its security had to be entrusted to a crack force.
Most of the occupants of FC spent their time doing medical checkups and documentation, for those preparing to go for training outside Zambia. Awaiting deployment for those returning from such training. Therefore there was a tendency of sneaking out of the camp and visiting villages nearby nicknamed Filabusi by our guerillas. When the contingent trained by Cubans took over guarding duties, all the free movement in and out of the camp stopped. This stopped because the Cuban trained comrades vigorously interrogated anyone who wanted to enter the camp. The person would be asked to produce proof that they were inmates of the camp. Comrade Mangena called them “fire force” because they had trigger itchy fingers. One group on arrival in Zambia had a camp established for them east of Lusaka around an area we called CGT. The camp was established to test their battle fitness reconditioning them before deployment because the Zipra trained guerrillas were to operate with were superhuman when it came to fitness. However, our Cuban trained colleagues announced their arrival by arresting a Zambian officer they came across while patrolling. The officer was Captain Kachepele who was the commander of Zambian army unit that was stationed in the area. The Zambian officer was full of praise for our soldiers’ vigilance. They had arrived the previous night and had not yet been introduced to the Zambian contingent.
Cuba attached one of their doctors to our medical department. He spent most of his time at Nampundwe. The transit camp’s strength was above 10 000 and was receiving an average of more than 100 a day. The presence of a qualified medical doctor helped to keep outbreak of diseases to the minimum. The Cuban doctor visited NTC daily.
Cuba trained our security personnel and some of their security personnel worked with us in providing security to our political leadership. The training of our security personnel was done in Cuba. They were transported from Lusaka to Cuba via Angola.
One of the groups had some members detained in Luanda/Angola for medical reasons. When Mangena, Harold Chirenda and I visited Luanda, the Cubans told us that the comrades had traces of bilharzia, malaria and some diseases that had been eradicated in Cuba. Therefore they were afraid that if they proceeded to Cuba it may re-introduce the diseases. After a land meeting between members of Zipra High command and a representative of the Cuban Government it was agreed that the Zipra comrades would be treated in Luanda by the Cubans and then proceed to Cuba for their training. All on the Cuban’s expense.
Once the Zipra chief of staff Ambrose Mutinhiri was given a parcel for the commander at Lusaka Airport by our Cuban friends when he opened it, there were two folded butt AKs. When Alfred Nikita (Mangena) visited Luanda we visited the presidential Guard Battalion, there Mangena spotted this unique folded but AK. His admiration of the weapon was noticed by the Cubans hence the unusual gift when we flew back to Zambia. To the Cubans nothing was impossible when it came to the liberation of Zimbabwe.
Fidel Castro and Cuba was a motivator to all who were fighting for national emancipation, national liberation, self determination, freedom and independence. Now Fidel (as he preferred to be called) is gone, where will his ideas go? Are they gone with him? Here is a man who stood against apartheid eyeball to eyeball until it blinked. Here is a man who eradicated illiteracy. Here is a man who introduced free education from ECD to university level. Here is a man who introduced free medical service for all.
Here is a man who took the liberation of Africa and Zimbabwe in particular as a personal challenge. The man who said that dying for one’s country is to live forever. The man who said we want nothing from Angola except the bodies of our fallen comrades.
Now Fidel Castro is gone have we other Fidels among us or are his ideas going to be only given lip service? Can true revolutionaries stand up?
