The Sunday News
We continue our interview with Mr Matthew Masuku who served under the Rhodesian police force where he spent most of career life working for the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) especially in Bulawayo and Hwange, Matabeleland North Province. In 1976 Mr Masuku was part of a unit that arrested the late ex-Zipra guerilla, Cde Albert Sumbo Ncube in Bulawayo’s Mabutweni suburb. Cde Sumbo Ncube pseudo name Cde Shungu was to later on make a daring escape from Victoria Falls Police Station where he was being kept naked. He left Mr Masuku and his colleagues clutching thin air when he made the daring run through the camp’s yard.
Below Mr Masuku continues narrating his about his career in the police force to our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS). In today’s instalment he continues from last week’s talk about how he caught a guerilla at Kamativi Tin Mine, 22km from Dete.
MS: So, when you pulled out the packet of peanuts from his jacket what was his reaction?
Mr Masuku: He did not give me a chance as he quickly tried to take them back. It then became clear to me that this is a terrorist. Kwathi dlwe kimi. We then started wrestling and I felt a pistol in his jacket. However, our legs were under the table and that made the situation more difficult and dramatic. We then started fighting for the control of the pistol and I quickly put my finger into the trigger guard so that he could not shoot. We were trained in doing such things. During that time physically I was very strong. I could feel that I was gaining control of the situation as we wrestled. Then everything happened so fast, tables were being turned upside and I then managed to have full control of the pistol. I totally overpowered him and I threw the pistol away and it landed on the bar table.
MS: While all this was happening what were the patrons doing?
Mr Masuku: It was difficult to tell as I was engrossed into that but when they saw the pistol flying, they scurried for cover. When I threw away the pistol and it landed on the bar table yathi nkweeeee. People then saw the weapon and they said ‘aaah iterrorist’. It happened so fast and there was pandemonium. There was a stampede as people tried to outdo each other in leaving the club. I then called the mine policeman who was doing guard duties at the club and asked him to assist me in arresting him. Since I did not have handcuffs, I called out on him to cuff him. While doing this I made sure that katshedi, ngamsunduzela phakathi kwethebuli. Ngathula ngathi zwi. I pushed his hands together. The mine policeman then came and handcuffed him. I quickly moved and picked the pistol and went out of the club, stood at the veranda and fired shots in the air. I did that to scare away his colleagues as I thought they might come and rescue him.
My shooting was a deterrent move in case others were coming. I then asked that mine policeman to phone a white policeman, umjoni whom we had come together. He was doing his own things while I was also carrying out my security duties. The white policeman was at another recreational club, which was exclusively for whites. They could also have heard the gun shots from that club as well, the white officer then came to the scene on his motorbike. He was armed with an FN rifle. When the whiteman came he also fired into the air, a move also meant to scare away those who might come and rescue, this Mthimkhulu boy whom I had arrested. I had to learn later on that he was a Mthimkhulu from Njube township here in Bulawayo.
MS: What happened to the guerilla
Mr Masuku: After the arrival of the white policeman, the guerilla was quickly taken to the compound office. The white policeman then made phone calls and everything happened so fast as the army arrived and also did the police.
All arms of the Rhodesian security sector descended on Kamativi. That included helicopters that took off from Bulawayo to Kamativi, the mine was teeming with soldiers, police officers and so on. Initial interrogations of the guerilla took place at the mine. Myself since I was a constable and a black person I was excluded. I was made to remain outside, I did not take part in the interrogation process, that was how we as blacks were treated by the Smith regime. Unknown to us three of the guerillas had been to the mine and spoke to a coloured man, a worker at the mine, uDe Souza. They had asked to hire his truck to Dete.
So, when we got to the mine in the evening those three had gone to pick their belongings so that De Souza could take them to Dete where probably they wanted to board the train to either Bulawayo or Tsholotsho. De Souza was a Mozambican employed by the mine. We did not accuse him of anything as we realized that he was not aware what was happening. In fact, there was not much transport from the mine. It looks like if I had not arrived at the mine on that evening, those guerillas could have succeeded in carrying out their mission. So, this Mthimkhulu boy had been left by his colleagues watching the environment.
MS: You spoke about discrimination based on race, so you were ignored while the whites were swarming over this freedom fighter?
Mr Masuku: He was asked who he was and how many were they. That boy was able to answer back and in good English for that matter, so that meant there was no need for someone to interpret for him. Like I said helicopters were called from Bulawayo while the Special Branch from Wankie now Hwange drove to Kamativi. Myself I was now like a dog that had its prey snatched from it by the hunter, ngase nginjengenja ethathelwe umvundla. That boy was now in the hands of the whites including those serving as police reservists. The Special Branch from Hwange arrived on the scene at about 9pm, later on security forces from as far as South Africa arrived as well. Kwahle kwavulwa iJOC (Joint Operation Command).
That is why up to now I never knew that guy’s first name because I was totally excluded from the whole thing. What happened to him I don’t know, I was only to meet him in Salisbury (Harare) during his court appearance. I went to the High Court there solely because I was the arresting detail, otherwise I was never part of the whole process. That is how the Rhodesian police force worked, they did not trust black officers and also, they never showed a form of respect. However, there were few white officers who worked well with us the blacks. Some of those whites were even sympathetic to the nationalist’s cause.
MS: So, there was never any acknowledgement on you from your superiors?
Mr Masuku: It was just ‘well done constable, well done constable’ that was it. In fact, a statement was recorded from me on how I had identified him. I had to explain everything, taking them through the whole process.
MS: How long did it take this guerilla to go to court?
Mr Masuku: Like I said I don’t know how he was treated, whether they tortured him or not. However, it should have been after four months or so when I was summoned to the High Court in Harare as the arresting detail.
MS: What eventually happened to him?
Mr Masuku: He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being found in possession of arms of war and subversive statements since he was also found with material that spoke against the government, which was inciting people to resist the white rule. What also worked for him was the fact that he was still young, he was below 18, I think. Usually, he could have been imprisoned for life. There was no way he could have been sentenced to death because he had not yet carried out operations. Basically, he was charged with terrorism. I was to meet him later on life, he was from K Square in Njube. I was then given the task to continue hunting for his colleagues since the incident had happened under my area of operation.
His colleagues were never caught, in fact since they were aware that he had been caught they changed their plans because they knew that he had divulged a lot of information on what they had intended to do. That is the information that the Rhodesian army used when carrying out raids on the guerilla camps in Zambia and Mozambique. The whites used a lot of torture and when subjecting these guys, they did not allow us as blacks into those torture chambers.
MS: Then let’s come to Sumbo, are you the one who arrested him.
Mr Masuku: That one I was there when he was arrested up to the time he fled from us. He escaped through my hands at the Victoria Falls Police Camp. I am the one who knows all about the Sumbo case.
To be continued next week when Mr Masuku goes through how Sumbo was arrested. Don’t miss your favourite copy of Sunday News.
