The Sunday News
IN today’s instalment Retired Brigadier-General Edgar Dube pseudo name Cde Lot Sibanda narrates how the Mgagao Declaration by Zanla officers changed the dynamics of the armed struggle. In a conversation with our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS), Retired Brig-Gen Dube also mentions that Zanu as a party emerged stronger from its Congress in 1977 which he says brought talented young leaders then from all over the world who included President Emmerson Mnangagwa who after his release from his long prison term in Rhodesia had been deported to Zambia where he completed his degree in law. Below are excerpts of the interview. Read on . . .
MS: You have spoken about Zipa (Zimbabwe People’s Army, made up of both Zipra and Zanla) and its challenges as well the Mgagao Declaration. So, from there where did you go?
Rtd Brig-Gen Dube: I think there are a lot of issues that I need to bring to the public domain, events that took place during the armed struggle. It is important that I bring to the attention of the public a summary of the Mgagao Declaration, a move that changed the dynamics of the armed struggle on the Zanla side.
MS: Okay, it’s fine Brig, go ahead.
Rtd Brig-Gen: The Mgagao Document was a political masterpiece and it was crafted in a way that the comrades expressed their gratitude to the Organisation of African Union (OAU) Liberation Committee, the Tanzania Government and Frelimo of Mozambique and was eloquent enough to spell out that the armed struggle was the only way to deliver Zimbabwe from the colonial bondage. It was also mentioned that our activities must be based on the armed struggle.
The document also read that the ANC leaders, an umbrella body of political parties at that time had proved to be completely hopeless and ineffective as leaders of our revolution. It listed specific complaints against Muzorewa, Chikerema and Sithole, reserving harsh criticism on the latter over his attitude towards the detainees and his failure to get money to their families to help feed them. The Zambian Government was not spared either as it was condemned over among other things the incident at Mboroma where its troops killed 11 Zanla guerillas including women as well as wounding 13 others.
Finally, the commanders appealed to the OAU Liberation Committee as well as Tanzanian and Mozambique governments to allow them to resume the war, asking for facilities for trained guerillas, consignment of arms and ammunition in Tanzania to be given to them. We also appealed to be given training facilities for thousands of recruits who had poured into Mozambique in the wake of the death of our chairman, Cde Herbert Chitepo.
During the Mpima meeting in September of that year, the leaders had the four commanders and it was decided that Mugabe (late former President Robert Mugabe) the next man in the party’s hierarchy as the Secretary-General should take over the leadership pending confirmation by a congress. So, the Mgagao Declaration had spelt out that an executive member who has been outstanding is Robert Mugabe. The document was signed by dozens of officers and that is how as Zanla we saved the revolution and put it back on track.
MS: So from there how did the situation turn out?
Rtd Brig-Gen Dube: When the Mgagao Declaration came into effect, Rex Nhongo (Solomon Mujuru) and Soul Sadza, they are now both late, were asked to go to Mozambique from Tanzania to specifically brief the cadres there. The cadres included the recruits and those who had been at the front but had withdrawn because of logistical problems such as shortage of ammunition and remember it was during the détente period. They went as far as Tembwe and Chimoio.
The late Rtd General Solomon Mujuru
They also met Mozambican Government officials to find out whether they were willing to assist, that is the possibility of giving us training facilities and allowing us to operate from their territory. The response from the Mozambican side on our request was that with pleasure, but they said they were worried about the situation of arms and ammunition as they felt that Zanla did not have that. Here I am taking you through how as Zanla we re-organised the armed struggle. It’s a very important piece of history.
MS: So what was the response of Nhongo and Sadza?
Rtd Brig-Gen Dube: The response from Nhongo and Sadza was that we already have a shipment of arms and ammunition from China that is on its way and that it could arm 2 500 men. The authorities in Mozambique were happy to hear that and they told them that they were ready to assist Zanla as of yesterday.
Then on their way from Mozambique, Nhongo and Sadza at the airport in Dar es Salaam they met the now late Brigadier-General Hashim Mbita who was chairing the OAU Liberation Committee, he could have been a Colonel then. Mbita told Nhongo and Sadza that he was aware that the two had gone as far as Mozambique and immediately said he had something to discuss with them. Nhongo and Sadza then said they were ready for that discussion.
Mbita said while as OAU Liberation Committee they were for the resumption of the war they did not want Zanla to go on a solo journey. He said they wanted the liberation forces to be united, that is Zanla and Zipra. He was calling for the unity of forces. Mbita said all logistics would be arranged and that is how Zipa was formed. Leaders of the Frontline States also wanted the resumption of the war as talks in Malta and Geneva had failed. That is how we moved from Tanzania in the Mapinduzi ship where I mentioned that we had our colleagues from Zipra as Zipa was underway.
MS: So you said earlier that you were an instructor through and through although you participated in the attack on Ruda Base in Honde Valley when under the command of the now late national hero, Retired Major-General Paradzai Zimondi (Tonderai Nyika). How was the situation as an instructor?
Rtd Brig-Gen Dube: Although I won’t mention names many chefs both in Government and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces went through my hands. I trained a lot of people. I worked under the late former Governor of Matabeleland South, Cde Mark Dube who during the war was called Cde Joshua Mhisihairambwi, he was the Zanla Chief of Training deputized by the late Lt-General Amoth Chingombe (Agnew Kambeu). The two were declared national heroes after their deaths.
MS: You were in Chimoio and that is where the watershed Zanu Congress was held in 1977, take us through that. You also survived the attack there.
Rtd Brig-Gen Dube: The attack on Chimoio was preceded by a nine-day meeting that is the Zanu Congress that confirmed Cde Mugabe as the party’s First Secretary. Remember Cde Mugabe was still the party’s Secretary-General, he was not yet the President of the party. There was a security base called Chaminuka at Chimoio and that is where the Congress was held. Remember Chimoio was a conglomerate of camps. That is where we saw many Zanu leaders coming from different countries, current State President, Cde E D Mnangagwa who after his release from a long prison term in Rhodesia had been in Zambia to complete his law degree was there.
That is where we met Sydney Sekeramayi, Herbert Ushewokunze and Dzingai Mutumbuka the former Education Minister, among others. The Dare ReChimurenga was also there. However, as a soldier I don’t know what was happening there. It was for the leaders, not us. However, after nine days that is when Cde Mugabe emerged as the party’s leader. In fact, he was the natural leader to take over as he was the most senior. Sithole had become a reactionary, Leopold Takawira had died in prison and also Chitepo had been assassinated in Zambia.
Also, during that event that is where a vibrant Zanu Central Committee was elected and it is that Central Committee that we came with after winning the war. The Congress was in August 1977 while the attack by the Rhodesians was on 23 November 1977. From the information we gathered the Rhodesians developed a special interest on Chimoio and Tembwe because there were a lot of movements that they were seeing on those two facilities. In fact we were told that their reconnaissance on the two camps could have taken a year.
To be concluded next week with Rtd Brig-Gen Dube talking about how he survived the Rhodesian attack on Chimoio. He will also talk about his return to the country as part of the first contingent of Zanla forces that were led by Rex Nhongo.
