The Sunday News
LAST week in our interview Cde Ralitali Ngwenya Qondani pseudonym Cde Hussein Menemene who left the country as a Highlanders Football Club junior player with 12 other teammates to join the armed struggle towards the end of 1976 spoke about the military training under the Cubans in Angola. Cde Qondani spoke about how the Cuban instructors paid special attention to tactics and in no time they had also set up a properly equipped gym. Today he continues the interview with our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS) still focusing on training and challenges faced during that period. Below are excerpts of the interview.
MS: You were talking about the Cubans emphasising more on tactics in your training and also setting up a gym in the camp, what else were the highlights of your training?
Cde Qondani: The Cubans taught us a lot in terms of military science but I was impressed at the same time shocked with their interpretation of topographical issues. There was a lot on the use of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). You see the Cubans taught us that if one was in the middle of the bush and could not read the compass, there was no way that person as a guerilla could get lost if he read nature well.
They said as guerillas we had to use nature to interpret things so that one did not get lost. They told us that in the bush all living creatures including ants were friends of guerillas and so they should be made use of. For example they taught us that whenever one got lost in the bush he should still find his way around through using things such as ants to find his direction. They said in the mornings ants usually move in the northerly direction as they would be going to look for food and then in the evening they take the southwards direction as they would be taking the food to store it.
Through such reading of nature then one should be able to properly re-organise himself. They told us that such things, no matter how small they looked like, mattered in the bush. As for battles they emphasised that our training demanded that we should ambush the enemy and not just withdraw, but advance. They drilled us on how to set up ambushes and then go and assault. They said there was a need to see the results of the ambush and if possible capture either the enemy or the material. They said to make the enemy feel the pain there was a need to capture its material. The Cubans also wanted soldiers who were good on accuracy as they said there was no need to waste ammunition, so target shooting practices were taken very seriously. They wanted snipers.
MS: Any challenges faced during training?
Cde Qondani: There was a disease outbreak during our training and we lost some comrades there among them Roberto whom we had played together in the Highlanders juniors and was among the 13 we left together to cross the border and join the armed struggle. Wasala khonale eAngola (His remains are in Angola). All in all we could have lost more 40 comrades to that disease outbreak, which was found out to be typhoid. The outbreak of that disease saw us being given medical drugs on a regularly basis.
There was also the issue of the language where the Cubans used their own man to interpret instructions into English, but because of the accent at times the message was lost. However, as soldiers we understood each other because at the end of the day the military language is universal like that of football. Then there was the issue of food, throughout the training we were given rice which at times comrades complained was too little. Comrades missed eating isitshwala/sadza during those six months we were in Angola. At the end of the day we ended up raiding fields of Angolans to supplement our diet. That caused some problems because the Angolans ended up coming to the camp to complain that we were stealing from them.
MS: How did the command element at the camp react to such accusations?
Cde Qondani: The camp commander, Ben Dubhu Mathe whose real name is Retired Brigadier-General Tjile Nleya was angry and reprimanded us heavily. He said selize lazo bomaza lazo (you have come with problems) when he addressed us on that issue. So he gave an order that our rations be halved as part of moves to compensate the Angolan villagers. Rtd Brig-Gen Nleya said we had destroyed the livelihoods of the Angolans, so to keep the good relations they had to be compensated and it meant taking food from our own supplies.
You know comrades were stealing cassava, which I believe is a staple food there and honey because the Angolans are very good bee-keepers. They also use the honey to brew beer. So those were some of the challenges that we faced but they were minor as up to now we are very grateful to the support we received from the Cubans and Angolans in our journey to free this country from the yoke of colonialism. I can say things like raiding the fields of the Angolans was part of mischief as one embarks on the military journey and look, we were still very young.
We were full of adventure. Then after six months of that rigorous training, Dr Joshua Nkomo came in the company of Zipra commander, Rogers Alfred Nikita Mangena and other members of the command element such Harold Chirenda (Elliot Masengo) and Abel Mazinyane to officiate at our pass-out parade. During the pass-out parade we demonstrated to the delegation what we had learnt. Heavy artillery was fired and the ground shook on that day. From there we returned to Zambia where we were deployed to different areas. Some were sent for specialised training in other countries while some were sent to the front. I had been earmarked to join the pool of instructors but since I was not interested in that, I managed to evade the system and found myself being deployed to the front.
MS: Where were you deployed?
Cde Qondani: I was deployed to Hurungwe in Mashonaland West Province and specifically covered Kazangarara area.
To be concluded next week
