The Sunday News
We continue our interview with Cde Tapson Ncube pseudonym Makhula Thebe. Cde Ncube a self-styled Marxist and avid reader of liberation literature operated in Lupane and Nkayi districts in Matabeleland North. Nkayi and Lupane were under Northern Front 2 (NF2).
Last week Cde Ncube was still talking about his arrival in Botswana en-route to Zambia to join the armed struggle.
MS: When they could not accommodate you at the Francistown Prison because it was full of recruits, where you then take to?
Cde Ncube: I was taken to Mine Stone, a residential area where there was a Zapu office. The facility was manned by Cdes Matswaha and Mnyamana Sibanda, uBlack Swine who was later on captured by the Rhodesian Selous Scouts in Botswana, but held on as he died after independence. Those two were trained guerillas. When I got to Mine Stone there were about 23 guys among them Khilikhiya Nyathi who after independence became a councillor in Lupane District and John Clever Dube (JC) who also became a councillor in Kezi and at one point was the Zanu-PF provincial commissar for Matabeleland South. Then people started pouring in, some from South Africa. Those from South Africa included people like Sandlana Mafutha (Saul Dube) and Maison while from Rhodesia we had people like Volunteer Mkhwananzi (Andrew Ndlovu). Volunteer was very young, kwakungu mfanyana nje. Then the number grew rapidly to around 167 and problems started.
MS: What problems?
Cde Ncube: Although we were recruits we started being agitated as we felt we were exposed to the enemy. Just imagine 167 men living in a residential area with tents pitched there, surely we were an easy target for the Rhodesians. What worried us was the reluctance by the leadership to move us to Zambia for training. We felt that if the Rhodesians raided the place they could easily harvest us. Even the Botswana security details had become suspicious and at one point even raided us, thinking we were in possession of arms. Remember those days the Botswana government did not allow the nationalists forces to be armed in their territory. We had even become a social problem for the locals, just imagine 167 men living in a small area. Some of the guys had also started quenching their biological needs on the local girls while some were going for beer drinks.
MS: So what did you do under those circumstances?
Cde Ncube: One day Clever Dube approached me, many were now aware that I had been in the Zapu structures as a youth, so he said we had to find a way of addressing the issue of our security. Even the Batswanas were telling us that there were suspicious people who were being seen around, so we had to find a way out of that situation quickly. After talking to Clever I suggested that we call for a meeting and choose people to represent us. Those selected included myself, Khilikhiya Nyathi, Clever Dube, Mafutha and the then young Andrew Ndlovu. Andrew had already shown an outstanding personality, he was a quick learner. We then sat down and decided to write to the Zapu President, Joshua Nkomo, the leaders of Botswana and Zambia, Sir Seretse Khama and Dr Kenneth Kaunda respectively. We chose Khilikhiya Nyathi as our spokesperson. With the help of Black Swine we got a typewriter to write our document. You know Matswaha and Black Swine were sympathetic to our cause because their lives were also in danger as well if we had to remain at Mine Stone for long.
MS: What message was in your letter or can we say the petition?
Cde Ncube: We came up with hard hitting points because we were not impressed by both the Zapu and Zipra leadership for delaying to send us to training when everybody wanted to engage the Rhodesians in combat so that we settle matters with the enemy and get our freedom. In our view the leadership was delaying the revolution. Mafutha is the one who did the typing as he had secondary education from Mpopoma High School. As for the points of the document it was a joint effort. We brain-stormed as the chosen committee and came up with them. Among the issues we put across was that we were concerned with our security as we were exposed to the enemy forces, we also spelt it out that if Zapu or Zipra felt it had enough forces already then they should tell us so that we don’t bother waiting to go for training. We said if indeed they had enough troops then they should come clean on that so that we leave and go and look for employment there in Botswana or even leave for South Africa. We put the message across that they would lose us and we said it in no uncertain circumstances that we had left our homes and jobs to fight not to be displayed in a foreign country. We had learnt that our situation at Mine Stone was not an isolated case as there were about 300 recruits at Selibe-Phikwe, 100 in Gaborone and 200 at the Francistown Prison, all those people redundant. When we raised that dust it could have been in November, just imagine a majority of us had arrived in Botswana in August.
MS: Did you get any joy from the leadership, considering that what you were doing might have been viewed as indiscipline?
Cde Ncube: The leadership quickly dispatched Dumiso Dabengwa to Botswana. I did not know Dabengwa, I had heard about him of course and seen him in the papers. We chose Khilikhiya Nyathi to be the spokesperson for us again. Dabengwa then called everybody to order and addressed us.
MS: How was his address?
Cde Ncube: We felt DD was not taking us seriously as his address was not of someone who wanted to address the issue. So at the end of the day the comrades ended up telling him off. The comrades even accused him of selling out. However, Dabengwa being Dabengwa kept his cool, showing no emotion and did not even answer back to accusations that he was selling out. He then told the meeting that he was returning to Lusaka to report back.
MS: You were back to square one?
Cde Ncube: Three days after Dabengwa had left we were told that the party President, Joshua Nkomo was in Gaborone. He made a call to Mine Stone and when we heard that we stopped Matswaha and Black Swine from talking to him. We demanded that Cde Khilikhiya Nyathi should be the one on the phone, talking to Nkomo if there was to be peace. When Khilikhiya spoke to Nkomo he did not mince his words, he repeated that if Zipra had enough forces they should tell us so that we leave. It was a no holds barred conversation and Nkomo said he understood our concerns. He promised that things will change and three days later two planes with a carrying capacity of 44 each were brought to Francistown to take us to Lusaka. They had to make two trips. Those believed to be the brains behind the protest such as myself, Clever, Mafutha and Khilikhiya were put in the first plane.
MS: When you got to Zambia, what happened?
Cde Ncube: We were flown to Lusaka International Airport and from there driven in trucks to Nampundwe Transit Camp. When we got there Nampundwe had no occupants, the reason being that it had been a Zanla facility and the comrades there had left for Mboroma. So our immediate task was to re-organise the place, rehabilitate buildings which since we were in a war situation were pole and dagga structures. We had to do that quickly because the rainy season was upon us. It could have been the first week of December 1975. Since some us were the first to arrive at Nampundwe we had to choose better houses there. There was a big house there, also made of pole and dagga which had heaps and heaps of clothes left by Zanla colleagues. After between four and five days since our arrival the number of the recruits swelled and it went to at least 800. That is why some of us are famously known as the Group of 800. It was the first time for Zipra to have such a big number of people to be sent to training. The group that was ahead of us had 137 recruits. I have to mention that when we got there the camp was not deserted as such as there was a section of Zambian soldiers and guys from FNLA of Angola. The Zambian soldiers were about 10 while those from FNLA were just about six.
MS: You are talking about Zambian soldiers and some Angolans, what about Zapu or Zipra officials and officers. Where were they?
Cde Ncube: There were nowhere to be seen. For reasons unknown to us they were not allowed there. You know during those days there was a tug-of-war for recruits between Zapu and Zanu. Then one day the now late Rex Nhongo, General Solomon Mujuru came and visited us. He was in the company of five Zanla officers. Nhongo asked us to join Zanla or Zanu, but we turned down that offer. Nhongo had called a parade. Not happy with our refusal to join Zanla, he ordered us to stand at attention and we duly obliged. You know while in Botswana we had done some elementary military drills.
MS: So after ordering you to stand at attention, what did he do?
Cde Ncube: That man, he left. He told the Zambian soldiers that they should make sure that we remain in that position until the following morning at 6am. When he left it was close to 6pm.
MS: So the whole night you were at attention?
Cde Ncube: Yes. We remained in that position until the following day and about 20 comrades collapsed because of fatigue. Uyazi uNhongo so (he laughs).
-To be continued
