The Sunday News
We continue our interview with former Nkayi Member of Parliament and veteran freedom fighter Cde John Maluzo Ndlovu. Last week in the interview with Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS) Cde Ndlovu spoke about the formative stages of resistance against the colonial government, his arrest and being thrown for nine months behind bars at Khami Medium Prison. Today Cde Ndlovu speaks about how he joined the armed struggle. Below are excerpts of the interview:
MS: Cde Ndlovu, you were talking about being thrown into prison where you were released after nine months. From there what happened?
Cde Ndlovu: It was in 1960 when we were thrown into Khami Medium Prison. We went back home in Nkayi and at that time I was now aware how prison life was. We had been convicted of arson, which we were specialising in.
MS: During that time were you confident that you will defeat the colonial government?
Cde Ndlovu: A majority of the people were sceptical at that time. But for some of us when we started this thing of fighting the colonial government, we were very much aware that we were fighting a strong system and well-armed force. Of course to some it was difficult to imagine removing the white administration, but we had to resist their policies, the Rhodesian administration in its entirety. So our efforts were a demonstration that we were not happy with the way the Rhodesians were treating us. When I came out of prison, after some time, my mother fell ill and was taken to what is now called Esigodini, then Essexvalle. So one day when I was just relaxing lomadala (my father) a car approached our homestead, a Jeep, drove into the yard and a man disembarked. My father called out and said “sokutheni Madlezibabayo” (Sikhwili Khohli Moyo) and he did not say much, but moved closer and sat down. After sitting down and all the pleasantries said, Sikhwili laid bare his reasons for the visit. It was in 1961. He said to my father, “umntanakho lo njengoba belisejele lonke sesibonile ukuthi uzimesele kulezi ezelizwe”. He went on to say it was time that I was moved out of the country so that the party empowers me so that I become better equipped than what I was. My father responded by throwing a question at Sikhwili asking him what was that they wanted to do to me. Sikhwili then said they wanted me to be a soldier, so I should go for military training outside the country. My father understood and accepted that proposal. After some time I left with Sikhwili for Bulawayo, but lapho kwaba lelibho.
MS: What do you mean Cde Ndlovu?
Cde Ndlovu: We left our homestead late in the afternoon and when we got to uTshangane (Shangani River) the Jeep got stuck in the sand despite the fact that it was a four-wheel drive. We tried all means to remove it and only to succeed when it was dark. Sikhwili then drove off, but unfortunately or fortunately enough we were shocked to find ourselves driving straight into my family homestead, umdala lowana! Wayesilibhile and when he saw us, he just smiled. My father then asked Sikhwili “kanti Madlezibabayo sokutheni?” My father then said, “anyway I did that so that I could properly bid my son farewell, bengisenzela ukuvalelisa umntwana.” Sikhwili then drove off and when we got to kuTshangane, iJeep yathi kanti vele bekulani, there was no repeat of that incident. We travelled well all the way to Bulawayo, but Sikhwili kept on asking “why did your father punish us, isn’t it that we had properly bid him farewell.”
MS: When you got Bulawayo what became of you?
Cde Ndlovu: I was taken to a house in Luveve where I was hidden and during my stay there I was under the care of Sikhwili. I was his responsibility and the people that I was staying with I did not even know them. I had to be hidden in case the Rhodesian forces re-arrested me. After some time, that was January 1962 I was taken to the Luveve Railway Station under the escort of Sikhwili and others where I boarded a train to Zambia. My first port of call was Livingstone.
MS: Who else was there in Livingstone?
Cde Ndlovu: I found Luke Mhlanga whom I knew as he was a serious political activist. There were many others as well, some coming from Mashonaland. We were then moved to Lusaka and we stayed in Matero suburb with people like Makhiwa. We named that house, Doors House as later on that is where we were vetting people who were coming to join the armed struggle. Although I was still to undergo military training I was made a senior security officer.
MS: What did your duties entail?
Cde Ndlovu: As the security team we would screen people, the recruits in order to see that they were genuine or dangerous elements who had come to infiltrate us. I had a brilliant team comprising people from different backgrounds. So we would interview them on an individual basis those coming to join the struggle and if we were no satisfied we would send them to the late Jack Amos Ngwenya, but before we did that we would have sorted out that person. We caught a lot of people who were trying to infiltrate us.
MS: You are talking about sorting out people, what do you mean?
Cde Ndlovu: We were doing what is expected of in a war situation. Our prison was a toilet where we would lock in the suspect, abantu babetshaywa laphana. We meant serious business. When we handed them over to Jack, I don’t know what became of those people. Jack Amos Ngwenya who died a few years ago was the administrator of the party.
MS: Then when did you start receiving military training?
Cde Ndlovu: It was in March 1963 when we were relocated to East Africa and my group which had comrades like Gordon Butshe, Luke Mhlanga, Stone Nkomazana, Johnson Ndebele, Clarke Mpofu, Maphosa, James Chatagwi, Amen Chikwakwa who was from Masvingo, Felix Rice, Lloyd Gundu, the late General Charles Dauramanzi, Douglas Mudukuti and others. We were taken by a bus belonging to Tanganyika Motor Transport (TMT) on our way to East Africa. Our first port of call was at Tunduma, a town at the border between Zambia and Tanzania. We were kept in a hotel, the Zambezi Hotel. We stayed there for a long time saze sakhanuka isitshwala. Our stay there was a closely guarded secret as the situation was tense. There were suspicions that we might be detected by the Rhodesian security agents, umumo wawungamnandi. Unknown to us was that indeed there was a Rhodesian spy who had been sent to monitor our movements, a man called Samson Ndebele. In Tanzania we stayed for sometime and it was during that period that we were injected with a drug that we were told should be in the system for 14 days before we could continue with our journey.
MS: You are talking about this Rhodesian spy, Samson Ndebele, was he lurking nearby?
Cde Ndlovu: Not where we were initially, we found out later when we were on our way to Egypt. That is when we realised that all along the Rhodesians had got wind of our itinerary. From Tanzania we flew to Kenya and during recess at the airport that is when we found out that someone was following us and that person arrived aboard Air Rhodesia. That was Samson Ndebele the person I was referring to as a Rhodesian spy. During the recess that is when we were tipped that there was a spy in the Air Rhodesia aircaft, immediately after it touched down. We had to quickly get back into the plane to avoid being seen by that spy. Sagungubala sesingena efuramayitshineni. From Kenya we took the United Arab aircraft to Egypt and got there around 5.30am. We were to face another problem in Egypt as we were detained because the authorities wanted to find out who we were.
MS: What was the problem?
Cde Ndlovu: The suspicions arose because we were disguised as school children. We were taken to a holding place within the airport and not allowed to proceed. It was only when the party representative then, Cde Trynos Makombe came around 10am that we were cleared. During that time Zapu was the party. It was before the split of 1963 that led to the formation of Zanu.
– To be continued next week with Cde Ndlovu talking about the military training in China.
