The Sunday News
TODAY we round up our interview with Cde William Ncube pseudonym Cde Lovemore Mpofu on operations in Matabeleland South especially in Gwanda District where he was based although he and his unit would overlap into neighbouring districts.
Last week Cde Ncube narrated how he and six other guerillas who included the regional commander for the Southern Front 3, the late Cde Adam Dube aka Cde Mphini overran a Rhodesian unit at Tjewondo Village in Kezi where it was reported that 11 enemy soldiers were killed. Cde Ncube continues his interview with our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS). Below are excerpts of the interview:
MS: After the Tjewondo battle how long did you stay in that area?
Cde Ncube: As I have said we were accompanying the regional commander, Cde Mphini who was on a re-organising mission of the troops, to take some to move to Mberengwa. Mapholisa and I, Cde Mphini had picked us in Gwanda as he had come with four others, so we had beefed his escort unit. We did not stay long in Kezi as we moved to our area of operation, which was Gwanda District.
MS: Any reason why Mphini picked you to escort him?
Cde Ncube: Kezi was a place where if only you were known you could move within easily and be given information on the presence of other comrades and whereabouts of the enemy forces.
Villagers were very suspicious of new people — they would withhold information of the guerillas just to protect them. You see, many used to pass through Kezi. However, it was easy for me because before the arrival of other comrades when we were still few I used to cover many areas and that included Kezi.
So Mphini was aware of that, that is why he took me along. As for Mphini he was a Kezi boy, who was born and grew up in Ratanyana. After that we moved back to Gwanda to continue with our operations.
MS: So tell us about operations in Gwanda.
Cde Ncube: On our return to Gwanda we were immediately ordered to close the Ntalale Dip Tank. I was given the order together with Cdes Nyoka and Richard. Carrying out such activities was part of the economic sabotage on the Rhodesian infrastructure. We then started moving towards that place and when we got to Tshongwe, you know as guerillas at times we would do naughty things. Safika eTshongwe sazikholisela, we started drinking to release tension and entertain ourselves a bit.
However, the orders had been that we were to deploy within the cattle pen so that when the security forces who were usually the District Assistants arrived at the dip tank we could hit them nicely.
As I have said we then put up at Tshongwe with the hope that we would wake up early in the morning to proceed with our journey as demanded of us. I was wearing overalls which I had been given by a villager there in Gwanda.
The overall belonged to Clan Transport. Since it was getting dark we decided to put up in different homesteads during which Nyoka said I should leave my bag with a woman called NaCharles because he wanted soap that was inside, the bag contained a pistol and medical kit. I then left for another homestead and when I got there the owners of the homestead asked why I had been drinking while there were soldiers around the area. They told me that Rhodesian soldiers were on their way.
MS: So what did you do?
Cde Ncube: I told the woman at that homestead not to worry much and joked that the day she will witness us killing the Rhodesian soldiers, I would demand that she brews for me itototo, which is brewed in Gwanda and the people there love it.
However, at that moment one of her children who was resting outside saw the soldiers coming. For some reason the Rhodesian soldiers started shooting, I told that woman and her child that she should take to her feet and run away into the bushes. I also started to run away but I got dizzy and fell, it was drizzling.
However, I managed to escape. Later on the Rhodesian soldiers started telling people that they had killed guerillas in Ntalale and as evidence they showed people my bag that contained the pistol, which they had recovered from that homestead where I had left Nyoka. I’m relating this to you so that people out there know they were fed lies by the Rhodesians who would go around telling people that they had killed guerillas when in actual fact that would have been lies.
MS: But how many guerillas were in Gwanda from the Zipra side?
Cde Ncube: Between 1977 and 1978 we were few but many starred pouring in towards the end of 1978 and 1979. In 1978 in the Mfuku area there were about eight and they included comrades like Tobiza, Sakhulayo, Den, Short and Malakha who later died in combat. On the other side there was Nyoka, Delakoka, Zvinopisa, Mahefu, Toyitoyi, others and I. In just nearby Kezi there was Parks, Disco, Mhlangu and others. Despite such numbers we caused a lot of damage to the Rhodesian forces that they stopped their patrols during the day and were unable to move in their trucks because of the ambushes that we were laying. The other thing that happened at the beginning of 1979 was the arrival at first of reconnaissance units for the conventional forces. As for the regular forces they moved in bigger units, at times as much as around 200.
MS: How was the relationship between the guerillas and the regular forces?
Cde Ncube: The training was different and so were the operations. We the guerillas were a bit uneasy with the way the regular forces conducted themselves. We were not comfortable in moving in big numbers.
As guerillas we preferred smaller, mobile units. Ours was to hit and run while our colleagues seemed relaxed in large numbers and they would even camp which was unheard of among the guerillas.
So when they arrived in those big numbers we advised them to break into smaller units and blend them with the guerillas so that the enemy could not detect them easily. It was easy for the enemy to fight the regular units because of their large numbers and also because they were not used to the terrain.
MS: I understand there were serious differences between you the guerillas and the regular forces. What really was the problem?
Cde Ncube: As guerillas, there were times when the regular forces looked down upon the guerrillas, thinking that they were smarter than us. They had this impression that they were not afraid of the enemy. However, we told them that it was not possible to operate as a conventional force when they were not fully kitted.
They came carrying small arms like AK-47s, bazookas and machine guns, which cannot be used to defend any territory. However, on a positive note their arrival helped us with ammunition supplies. At that time we were preparing for the final onslaught with bigger weapons expected in the country. But most of the regular forces moved through Kezi and Gwanda to Mberengwa.
MS: To round off which are other battles that you were involved in that you cherish?
Cde Ncube: Besides the Tjewondo one, we had successful battles at Mbizo in Gwanda where we ambushed the enemy and did a lot of damage, even now the locals are still talking about it, there were others in Tshongwe and Mlambapeli. However, what pained me most was the death of our regional commander, Mphini in that battle at Ratanyana in February 1979. He had commanded the region very well. Mphini was a very brave and tactical soldier, but in war death comes at any time.
