The Sunday News
WE conclude today our interview with Cde Jephat Christopher Mukombwe pseudo name Cde Farai Nherera, a former freedom fighter who operated in Mwenezi, Mberengwa, Zvishavane and Filabusi. A native of Hwange District in Matabeleland North Province, Cde Mukombwe joined the armed struggle in Zambia in 1973 when he was recruited by freedom fighters whom he got into contact with when he was a fisherman along the Zambezi River.
In the past instalments Cde Mukombwe has told our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS) about his training at Morogoro in Tanzania, deployment to Mozambique under the Zimbabwe People’s Army (Zipa), which was an amalgamation of ZPRA and Zanla forces and how he and six other guerillas opened the operational front in Mwenezi. Last week Cde Mukombwe was narrating the battles he participated in and today rounds up his war events account by talking about other battles he was involved in. Below are excerpts of the interview. Read on . . .
MS: Last time you were telling us about how you left the Mhuru homestead which was eventually bombed by the Rhodesian forces. May you take us through that incident.
Cde Mukombwe: In that battle we lost five comrades, others managed to make a breakthrough despite the fact that the Rhodesians had surrounded the homestead and were also supported by helicopters. Since that battle took place in the morning, the same evening we regrouped and mapped the way forward. It was decided that we avenge the death of the five comrades. So we re-organised and a strong unit was put in place to carry out that operation. In total there were 50 guerillas available. It was decided that we attack the Rhodesians in the evening and indeed we did that. It was a well planned operation which was cleanly carried out. As we had blended properly trained guerillas like us with the conventionally trained forces, our formation was advanced guerilla warfare. We also had another contact during which we lost nine comrades.
MS: How did that happen?
Cde Mukombwe: It took place at the homestead of a man called Mguni. I was nose bleeding so I was being attended to by a traditional healer, inyanga called Waza Moyo. The location of the battle was in the Chirindi area of Mwenezi. I was at Namande koWaza Moyo. The villagers told the guerillas that they had seen some movements in the nearby mountains. They said there was some presence of people in the mountains but the guerillas were a bit relaxed. Those people that the villagers were talking about were Rhodesians forces who were monitoring the movements of the comrades and so they summoned the helicopters when they saw the guerillas having gathered at the Mguni homestead. The aircrafts involved in the attack were four choppers, a Lynx and a Dakota that dropped the paratroopers. The people who were co-ordinating the attack are the ones who were stationed on the mountains. The Rhodesians aircrafts came from the direction of Chikwalakwala. The guerillas were 19 and we lost nine in that battle with one comrade, Tshaka captured. Cde Tshaka had been injured after being hit by some splinters. The Rhodesian forces took him to a rest camp in Manama, Gwanda District where they kept him. However, we learnt of his presence there and made a daring move to rescue him, which we successfully did. We then took him to Botswana. Cde Tshaka lived to see a free Zimbabwe although he is now late. The Rhodesians had kept him in a facility where the security was not that tight. We had done our homework and made a daring raid on the facility which resulted in us rescuing him.
MS: Which other battles were you guys involved in?
Cde Mukombwe: Our operational area was highly contested and so when making raids we were now moving in big units following the arrival of the Mlungushi trained comrades. There was another contact we had at Marirazhombe in Mberengwa and I was part of that unit of 30. The villagers as usual alerted us of the presence of the enemy forces. We laid an ambush which we clinically carried out, it was a very smart operation and we did not even record any casualty. Following the arrival of Cde Reeves Nyandoro as the regional commander for the SF2 deputised by Cde Thathani I was redeployed to Filabusi to take care of the Gwatemba and Zvishavane areas. I was given a company to command. A company in ZPRA was made up of roughly 90 soldiers. Some of the comrades I was with were Shylock, Mbayimbayi, Kidelin, Bhobho 2. Reeves Nyandoro was impressed with my knowledge of the terrain and quick adjustment to different situations, that is what he said. That is how I got into contact with the now late Chief Vezi Maduna Mafu.
MS: How did you find Chief Maduna?
Cde Mukombwe: Chief Maduna was a dedicated nationalist who was a very active member of Zapu. I remember when we first got in touch with him. We approached him at his homestead and we were just two. I was with Cde Timothy Dube. We cached our arms and approached him armed with pistols and grenades. We had a fruitful discussion with him after which we went and set base in the mountains. However, there was a man called Mloyiswa Ncube who sold out the chief, resulting in his arrest and detention for harbouring and failure to report the presence of “terrorists”. In fact at some point the villagers were told that singobhinya and they confronted us at the mountain where we has set up base. The villagers were armed with all sorts of traditional weapons including spears but we quickly left the place to avoid an ugly incident. We were six. We then moved to Masase in Mberengwa and got to a farm which was owned by a notorious white farmer whom the locals had nicknamed MaNdebele. We found the farmer in the company of some District Assistants, amaDA. They were at a cattle watering point. We quickly engaged them in battle. Realising that he was in danger MaNdebele quickly got into his car in a bid to escape. Some comrades had opened fire near where they were while I had taken a position which was likely to be their escape route. I was armed with an LMG. I shot at MaNdebele’s vehicle, deflated the tyres and he got out of the car in a bid to escape on foot. I was very good at taking care of moving targets and I got him. That is how MaNdebele was killed. The people of Masase know about that incident.
MS: In your operations in SF2 where were your headquarters, I mean for the regional commander.
Cde Mukombwe: The regional commander, Reeves Nyandoro’s headquarters were in Namande. However, as the regional commander he covered all the zones. He moved around.
MS: Then tell us about the ceasefire period.
Cde Mukombwe: When the ceasefire was announced I moved to Zezani Assembly Point in Beitbridge where there was also a Zanla Camp. I was demobilised from the military in 1982 after which I returned to civilian life. I have been very unfortunate in that I have been married thrice and lost all the wives. I am living alone at Kalala Farm, 23km from Victoria Falls. The farm is infested with wildlife, a situation that is making any form of farming difficult. I am appealing to well-wishers to chip in with any form of assistance so that I can re-start my life. My wish is to have a tractor which I could use for farming.
