The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu and Langalakhe Mabhena, Sunday News Reporters
STANDING only a stone’s throw from the famous koBango shops, the house that used to belong to the late Jane Sithenjwa looks just like many others in Mpopoma suburb.
Indeed, at first glance, the cream-painted house seems to fit in perfectly with the houses that surround it. The only thing that seems to distinguish it from the units that flank it is that it was extended.
It therefore boasts more rooms than the four-roomed ones that are common in the area.
However, this is no ordinary house. At one time koAunty Jane was a shebeen known throughout Mpopoma and beyond.
Shebeens were, and are still Bulawayo’s worst-kept secret, but despite its fame, koAunty Jane was a particularly dangerous place for imbibers because of the clientele that frequented it.
Unlike some seedy shebeens, koAunty Jane did not acquire this reputation because it was a haven for criminals. On the contrary, this was a home for intellectual giants and liberation stalwarts from both sides of the Limpopo. Within its walls, the late anti-apartheid activist Joyce Nomafa Sikakane is among those said to have once found shelter there as apartheid and colonial forces pursued them.
African National Congress (ANC South Africa) and Umkhonto weSizwe fighters also used to frequent the house, which was to be later bought by the late national hero Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu.
It was here that the late Father Zimbabwe, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, met one of his most trusted lieutenants, Cde Landcart Gumpo, who would serve as his driver during the liberation struggle. A titan in the political and social sphere, Gumpo was at one time the chairman of the country’s oldest football club, Highlanders. It was also at this house that VP Nkomo used to recruit young men and women for the liberation war.
Gumpo’s son-in-law, Mr Charles Moyo describes Aunty Jane’s place as the watering hole of choice for some of the country’s erstwhile liberation fighters and ANC stalwarts.
“Back then, gatherings were not allowed, so the liberation masterminds including the late Father Zimbabwe utilised these shebeens to recruit young boys for the liberation war and also discuss important war and military matters,” said Mr Moyo.
Moyo’s wife, Ms Ntokozo Gumpo, said that childhood was not easy, as colonial authorities brutalised them for their father’s dalliance with liberation struggle politics.
“My father was Landcart while my mother was Joan Khumalo-Gumpo,” she told Sunday News in an interview.
“She was from the Khumalo royal family with her father being the founder of Highlanders Albert Khumalo. My parents were among the great liberators of the country who dedicated their lives for us to be free today. During the liberation struggle, I was very young but I can still remember some of the events of that era. We used to live in this very same house that still accommodates me today and a lot happened here. We used to stay with some people from South Africa who were part of ANC and Umkhonto weSizwe. My father would tell us they were our relatives from the other side of Limpopo, but in truth, they were political refugees who were running away from apartheid and used our house as a base to re-strategise against apartheid forces,” said Ms Gumpo.
Ms Gumpo said raids, during which violence was meted out to everyone regardless of age, were the order of the day in those days.
“At one point the (police) stormed into the house and forced us children to sleep here on this veranda (floor) and we were tortured as they demanded information from us on the people that we used to give accommodation to. Fortunately, by the time they arrived, my father had already gathered information that the police were on their way, so the house was cleared,” she said.
While the history of the liberation struggle is filled with stories of brave men who led the assault on colonial forces in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, Ms Gumpo said the role played by women, including shebeen queens, was often overlooked.
Ms Gumpo highlighted that her mother, Mrs Joan Khumalo-Gumpo, was one of the women who played a vital but often understated role during the struggle.
“The same shebeens that these politicians used as a base for discussions were governed by shebeen queens. These women were also instrumental because they safeguarded the secrets of the fighters and the interests of the nation. My mother was questioned a lot by the police but she kept the secrets in her heart. She is the one who came up with the initiative and founded the home industries in Mzilikazi. She recruited other women who used to tailor clothes for the guerrillas.
“The military gear was taken from home industries to Bango shops where it was stored and then it would proceed to different bases in the rural areas for the guerrillas to wear and be warm. I always regard my mother as one of the liberation fighters because her works promoted equality between men and women. Today the home industry is functional and it was even refurbished after Independence. It carries a great legacy for the country and our family,” said Ms Gumpo.
With Zimbabwe celebrating Independence Day on Thursday, Gumpo praised the Government for giving the once disenfranchised black majority opportunities that seemed far beyond their reach before the end of colonial rule.
“We have to be grateful for the freedom that was brought to us by the liberation heroes because these people sacrificed their lives to go to war so that we can be free. Today we have access to land for farming and even mining rights which are the major bases of our economy. We never went to school during colonial times but we managed to finish school after independence for free. The Government has made sure that education becomes the pillar in growing our economy and schools and universities were built to ensure the dream comes to fruition.
“We once had a female Vice-President and I can see a lot of women are being given equal chances like their counterparts which is a sign that the Government is doing the most in making sure that everyone has access to equal opportunities and resources,” said Ms Gumpo.
