The Sunday News
WE continue our interview with former guerilla Cde Elphas Tshuma aka Cde Mashoko Nyika or Friday Masimini. Cde Tshuma, now a member of the Zanu-PF Politburo as Deputy Secretary for Mines and Energy was last week talking about his operations following his deployment in the ZPRA reconnaissance unit. He told our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS) that after completing his military training at CGT in Zambia he was sent for further training in reconnaissance at Chinyunyu Camp where he shared trenches with cadres from Umkhonto WeSizwe (MK), which was the military wing of the now ruling South African party, the African National Congress (ANC). After Chinyunyu Cde Tshuma was deployed to the front where he operated in the Kariba area which was code named BL One and then switched to Hurungwe in Mashonaland West Province where he was involved in a number of battles against the Rhodesian forces. He operated under the Hurungwe sectorial commander, Cde Mahopolo. Today Cde Tshuma resumes his narration by giving more accounts of his operations. Below are excerpts from the interview. Read on……
Zanu-PF
MS: Last time we ended our interview with you talking about the battle you fought in Hurungwe. After the battle you said your unit returned to Zambia, let’s pick the narration from there.
Cde Tshuma: We went back to the Zambian side where we submitted ourselves to Cde Durani, who was the forward base commander. We prepared our reports which were sent to the rear. We then got another instruction that we cross back again to the Rhodesian side to get information about how the bridge was protected. You know crossing the Zambezi River and negotiating though its escarpment was no easy feat, but because of the nature of our operations we had to do it time and again. For some of us it was on a regular basis. The reason for going to spy at the camp near the bridge was to check on the enemy’s strength, how the bridge was guarded, all these were part of preparations for the launch of conventional forces because if they had been deployed our troops were going to cross over there. The planning for ZPRA’s Zero Hour was not the training of troops only, we had to look at the Rhodesians’ installations and their infrastructure. So we went there and on that day it was raining. We deployed there with a lot of patience and then came a girl who was 15 years old and I still remember her name was Susan. We got hold of her and asked her if she had ever heard of people called terrorists and she said she was aware that there were such people. On being questioned she revealed that her father was a soldier at the camp.
MS: How did she fall into your ambush?
Cde Tshuma: She was in the bush to fetch firewood. We spoke to the girl and managed to get her to our side, although at first we were not sure whether she would keep her word. Since our spying mission was being done over some days, she started coming forward to give us information. We also verified what she was telling us by making our own physical checks.
MS: What did you find out?
Cde Tshuma: On the security of the camp we managed to find out the positions of the sentries. We noticed that there was one pill box where the enemy’s Brang gun, that is their machine gun was stationed. Having one pill box meant that the camp was guarded by a platoon. If they had been three it would have meant that the camp was guarded by a company, which is made up of three platoons. While we were still deployed there some strange things happened, wild dogs came chasing lions. It was the first time to see lions seeking protection from human beings. On sensing that there were people around, the wild dogs retreated and people might not believe this, we stayed with the lions, which were nearby. As if that was not enough on realising that they were out of danger, the lions went away, but on a hunting expedition. They came back dragging a kudu, which they left near our position. To us it was a sign that amadlozi were communicating with us and also looking after us. It was also a sign that izilwane zazibonga ukuthi we protected them. We took part of the meat and went back to Zambia. We also took Susan along and surrendered her at the homestead of Mpofu, an old guerilla who had by that built a homestead in Zambia and had retreated into civilian life. Mpofu was to facilitate her movement to the camps to join others. We did not stay long at the forward base across the Zambezi, it was just for a few days. We gave our reports to Cde Durani who will facilitated their movements to the rear. A signal arrived that we go back to the Rhodesian side again, to Maworoworo in Hurungwe.
MS: What was the mission this time around?
Cde Tshuma: We were meant to map out the routes, identify the possible routes for large contingent of forces and transportation of our military equipment. The routes started from the Zambezi to Hurungwe, you know Mashonaland West and parts of Mashonaland Central were earmarked to be routes for our forces as they marched to Salisbury, now Harare. The other mission was also to capture that white man from Kariba whom I spoke about last time. The orders were that we bring him to Zambia alive. Up to now I am still wondering what was with that white man, who was the sort of chief executive officer of Sharara Estates where bananas were grown. He was also in charge of Kariba Town, although we did not get exactly what was his role in the municipality. We had carried out a reconnaissance mission on his premises at Sharara Estates before, I mentioned this in our last interview. We decided to go to Hurungwe first and then deal with the white man later. In fact, our deadline to capture him was December 1978.
MS: So take us through how you carried out the mission to abduct the boss of Sharara Estates.
Cde Tshuma: The white man’s house was located on an island in the Kariba Dam. The house could be accessed even by walking to it, when we carried out the mission the level of water was at our hips. It was a seven to eight-roomed house. We raided the place on New Year’s Eve. That unit of ours was still intact, we decided that three of us should go for the raid while others remained at a temporary base we had set up. It was about seven kilometres away and that is where we left our kit bags.
Kariba Dam
MS: Among you who was chosen to carry out the raid?
Cde Tshuma: It was myself, James and Chunk. We were armed with AK-47s, the folded butt type. I was supposed to hold him up while James handcuffed him. Chunk would then provide cover for us. We then set off for the place and when we got near just before getting into the water we spent some time monitoring the situation at the house. Since we were enjoying the cover of darkness we could see everything that was happening inside the house. However, we missed a very crucial aspect that ended up compromising our mission. I will come to it later. At round 9pm we moved to the house and the water was manageable as it was at hip level. We went to the kitchen door and luckily it was not locked as the workers were preparing food for their “baas”. All the workers were women, we had no problem in dealing with them. When we pointed the guns at them they just froze and we told them to remain in the kitchen with Chunk guarding them, at the same time providing cover for us.
MS: What was the next step?
Cde Tshuma: The workers then told us that their boss was seated at the veranda drinking. We then moved stealthily around the house that is myself and James who was behind me. I then stood at the corner of the house to check on our target and to my surprise he was with someone, a friend probably and the two were drinking waiting for the New Year.
That affected our mission, our mission was compromised, it became evident that capturing the two might be a bit tricky. However, we went for them. When we emerged and shouted at the two to hold up, they sprung up and charged toward us. The way they dealt with the situation at hand became clear to us that we were dealing with trained personnel. We had no choice but to pump bullets into their bodies and quickly get out of the place. Realising that we had also put our target’s workers into trouble we took them along including an 11-year-old girl, who was a daughter to one of the two women. When we got to the base our comrades whom we had left there had vanished. The sound of gunfire jolted them out of the place, they were not sure what was happening. They did not want to be caught napping. Their fear was that if something happened to us then definitely we would compromise them. However, we managed to retrieve our kit bags.
MS: What became of the situation following your raid and subsequent gunning down of the two?
Cde Tshuma: The sound of the gunfire set in motion the regime forces. They responded by ordering the switching off of power, the whole town was plunged into darkness. As for us, we made sure that we got out of the sector as quickly as possible and also avoid the route leading to our target’s home. We crossed the main road into Kariba without any problem and moved towards the Zambezi to check at the crossing point but that was a diversionary tactic as we crossed into Zambia after three days. We knew that if we plunged into the Zambezi the regime forces using their speed boats would get us.
To be concluded next week with Cde Tshuma narrating how he and other guerillas were arrested at Mike Assembly Point (St Paul’s) in Lupane after they were accused of an attempt on the life of now late ZPRA Political Commissar, Colonel (Retired) Richard Dube (Cde Gedi). The guerillas were not happy about a different pay structure for their allowances which was paid according to ranks. The fighters felt it was a betrayal to the ethos of the armed struggle which viewed all as equal.
