The Sunday News
Vincent Gono, Features Editor
“IT was in August 1979 and the Lancaster House Conference was convening, the orders had been given that we should intensify our attack, cross as many troops into the country as possible. I was in charge of crossing our own units on the Northern Front east of Kariba where we had our own battalion there that was commanded by Cde Stanford Khumalo (Rtd Brigadier).
“Having successfully crossed our men, the enemy started attacking. For four days it was a non-stop bombardment. They bombed our kitchen where we were getting our hot meals and our challenge was how long we were going to hold our position without rations,” narrated the now blind Cde Jeffrey Ndlovu, whose war name is Kennedy Murwiri who was the former Zipra adjutant-general and later chief of technical engineering.
Cde Ndlovu lost his sight to a landmine near Zambezi River during the liberation struggle in an attack that he said was so severe and relentless although they managed to ward off the enemy.
He said he was head of technical engineering which he trained for in Morogoro under Alfred Nikita Mangena.
“We managed to ward off the enemy and as we were reconnaissing for a new position, we discovered the landmines that had been planted by the enemy. Cde Khumalo went back and sent a team of ten others to join me work on the mine.
“Our regional commissar Cde Mayor Lupahla after having told him that we have discovered landmines he started marching towards the mine. Despite us having warned him not to temper with the mine, he dug the mine and it went off, blowing him off in the process.
“I had only moved three to four steps backwards when the mine blew off, throwing Cde Lupahla’s body parts all over. I was hit by the shrapnel and I lost my eyesight there and there and from that day I have been in total darkness. I also got scars on my body,” said Cde Ndlovu.
He said they were lucky that the enemy had withdrawn although they no more had food rations, adding that the mine was an American one from the look of it.
“We were ferried by our logistic men. We went to Lusaka University Teaching Hospital from where arrangements were made for me to be taken to the Soviet Union where I was attended to by the specialists who told me I will never see again,” he said.
For his credit Cde Ndlovu never dropped his head after that life changing incident. He finds his way around his house effortlessly and also continues to work hard to sustain himself and his family. He said mine warfare was one of the strategies that they carried out along the Zambian-Rhodesian border stretching from Kazungula to the east of Kariba.
“The mines were very effective as the enemy ended up changing its ways and also that we were very mobile, quickly moving from one place to another and confused the enemy into thinking that we were many. They started deploying mine clearing vehicles before doing their patrols, which in a big way slowed their movement. When you deploy a mine detector the movement becomes slower in that after locating the mine, there is a need to find someone to disarm it.
“That on its own is very cumbersome and slows down the movement of troops, so for us we were scoring big against the enemy forces. Some of the enemy forces were also dying and others injured after being hit by the landmines. When the operations were launched the routes that were being targeted were closer to the border but as the enemy was suffering losses, it moved further inland and that cleared the way for us to penetrate deeper,” he said.
He said the landmines had their fair share of victims on both sides of the warring parties and he happened to be one of the sad victims who however, has lived to tell his story.
Cde Ndlovu also told of how difficult crossing the Zambezi River during the liberation struggle was.
“It was a hell of a job, the dinghies were very useful but the hippos were a menace and people had to watch out for the hippos for two or three days while at the same time looking out for the enemy. There are comrades who lost lives and were swallowed by the mighty Zambezi,” he said.
Cde Ndlovu who is now 72 years old, was born on 5 April 1948 at Entabeni Emnyama in Matobo District where he did his primary schooling.
“The school where I did my Sub-A was Matopos Salvation Army. Later on, I attended Cyrene Mission which is also in Matobo District and finally St Jame’s Mission in Nyamandlovu where I did my Standard Four, Five and Six.
“After that I returned to Cyrene Mission for my secondary education and that was in 1966 before I joined the liberation struggle after having worked in Bulawayo,” he said.
His story on landmines was buttressed by Member of Parliament for Chiredzi South Retired Brigadier General Callisto Gwanetsa whose constituency shares the border with Mozambique who said the landmines have affected over 30 people in Gwaivhi community in his area.
He said the minefield covers an extensive area of 63km from Crooks Corner to Sango Border Post stretching a width of 20-25km.
Rtd Brig Gen Gwanetsa said due to the landmines the area could not realise its economic potential although there was a massive prospect of a great tourism project as the area covered by landmines was 40 000-45 000 hectares.
Rtd Brig-Gen Gwanetsa said it was painful that development in the area was close to zero as the nearest hospital is Chikombedzi, 150km away. He said the problem was that the clearance was seasonal and the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) engineers could not do it when it was raining as the landmines have a tendency of moving.
“The engineers can only carry out the operations in the morning as the area has excessive heat and you can imagine the fatigue as morning moves into afternoon. Because of the landmines the area is unusable and we are talking of 40 000-45 000 hectares of land that can be utilised economically. As it is now the area is not suitable for anything, we cannot plough, and cannot use the area for pastures.”
He said it has also delayed the implementation of the Great Transfrontier Park — the largest animal sanctuary in the region. Tourism has therefore suffered a major drawback.
“It has continued to cause trauma socially as homes have broken down after one or both parents have been maimed. And the area is so remote and arid and is experiencing the worst drought. We hope donors will come to our food security concerns because the situation is dire,” said Rtd Brig-Gen Gwanetsa.
He however, applauded efforts by the Government through the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) to demine the area saying a number of kilometers have been covered and it was opening space for economic activities to take place so that the affected families may benefit.
ZNA spokesperson Col Everson Mugwisi said work was in progress as they work on demining most border areas that were infested by mines forty years into independence. He said they have cleared a number of areas in the country in Chiredzi, Mlibizi and other areas saying the work was seasonal as it could not be carried during the rain season as the landmines migrate.
