The Sunday News
AS we continue reliving the Manama Mission School recruitment by Zipra guerialls in January 1977, this week we reproduce an interview between Sunday News Reporter Vusumuzi Dube and one of the teachers who was part of this historical group, JZ Moyo High School founding headmaster Cde Paulos Matjaka.
The interview was done at Mr Matjaka’s homestead in Mapate Village, Gwanda in July 2015. Sadly this was to be Cde Matjaka’s last ever interview, as he passed on four months later in November 2015.
The school children and teachers were recruited from the Evangelic Lutheran Church of Zimbabwe-owned Manama Mission, by just three Zipra guerrillas. From Manama they crossed into neighbouring Botswana before they voluntarily flew to Zambia where they then trained as freedom fighters.
Many regard this as the turning point of the liberation struggle as it saw thousands more black Zimbabweans crossing over to either Zambia or Mozambique to train as freedom fighters to help fight colonial bondage.
When freedom fighters recruited the group of Manama students, Cde Matjaka was an English and Geography teacher at the school. Among some of the teachers that were taken along by the freedom fighters were people like former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs now a commissioner in the Gender Commission, Cde Obert Matshalaga.
The then retired 78-year-old educationist, who by the time of the interview had had one of his legs amputated because of a cancer infection, remembered the day so vividly despite his ill-health then.
Below is the interview with Vusumuzi Dube (VD):
VD: Tell us of the day when the freedom fighters came to Manama Mission to recruit the students to join the liberation struggle?
PM: It all happened in the evening at around 6pm when the school children were about to go for their evening studies, I was not in the school premises but only rushed there when I heard the noise not knowing that this was a decision which would change my life forever.
I remember I was aged 40 and since these children were under my jurisdiction as their teacher, I had no choice but to join them in this journey, which by then we had no idea where it was taking us. The freedom fighters led the whole bunch of us out of the school, ordering us make a single file as we walked together with some nurses they had recruited from Manama Mission Hospital, we passed the narrow Tuli River Bridge in that single file.
We then passed through a shop owned by the late Mr Jaby Mazwi in Halisupi where we took clothes, food and anything that would help us along the way. Remember that the children were recruited while still in their uniforms so there was a need for them to have a change of clothes and also get warm stuff, which was the reason for the stop at Mr Mazwi’s shop.
VD: During the journey what was your role, noting that you were probably one of the oldest in this group?
PM: The freedom fighters took charge of the entire journey. We were not sure really where we were headed to but with mere determination we pushed on. However, since all these students regarded me as their teacher, I had to assume that parental role.
Some would fall tired along the route but I had to encourage them on. Even the freedom fighters on noting the influence I had on the kids started relying on me to assist them with the pupils until we reached our destination, which was Botswana.
This is one role I maintained even up to when we got to the training camps. I remember from Botswana, we boarded planes to Zambia. When we got there we spent some days without any activity but one day I was summoned by the late Vice-President Dr Joshua Nkomo who tasked me with forming a school in the camps noting that some of the children were too young to be trained as soldiers.
This is one role which Dr Nkomo emphasised that I maintain as he said that since I was these children’s original teacher I knew their needs and as a qualified teacher I could easily form a curriculum which could be used even in other camps.
VD: Now with the task of forming a school within the camps, did you face any obstacles?
PM: Dr Nkomo made it as smooth sailing as possible but I remember at Victory Camp, which used to be a female only camp, I faced resistance but I managed to pull through even writing our own syllabus.
Some of the recruits did not want to accept that they were too young and just wanted to be trained as freedom fighters and hence felt that attending school was a waste of time. On the other hand there was reluctance from the female senior officers in allowing me to establish the school for whatever reason.
However, when they were showed that this was a genuine cause they eventually accepted, which thus led me to establish the school at Victory Camp. I also successfully established another school at JZ Moyo Camp, by now I was already known as the principal of the Zipra education schools, some of the kids were also moved into Zambian schools.
Dr Nkomo’s principle for establishing these schools was that there was a future beyond the liberation struggle, therefore he always emphasised that educating the children at the camps was also part of the struggle as when we got independence these technocrats will then go a long way in helping the country develop and move forward.
One thing I remember is that the education programme within the Zipra camps was mainly necessitated by the Manama Mission recruitment. It is our group and to a certain extent my presence in that group which saw the need for the establishment of a clear education programme within the camps.
VD: When the country finally attained independence did you go back to teaching?
PM: The liberation struggle made me discover another passion of mine, this being the establishment of schools from scratch despite the numerous obstacles I encountered. When we finally attained independence I took some of the children in the schools, a majority of which were from Manama Mission and we managed to get them into Fatima Mission and George Silundika Secondary School, at one point becoming the headmaster at both schools. I was also tasked with establishing JZ Moyo High School, at Majoda Farm in West Nicholson, as the founding headmaster, of which I retired in 1995.
As you might know the new Zimbabwean Government was faced with the challenge of establishing schools so as to ensure education for all. I was therefore called upon to take up the task of forming some of the schools in the Matabeleland region both directly forming and indirectly giving advice as we pushed to have more schools — both primary and secondary — in the country.
VD: Thank you Cde Matjaka, it was an honour speaking to you.
PM: You are welcome.
At the time of his death Cde Matjaka was survived by five children, 16 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. His wife, Betty passed away in 1995 while his other daughter passed away in 1996.
May his soul rest in peace.
