The Sunday News
ONE night during the armed struggle a group of freedom fighters descended on the Methodist run Thekwane High School in Bulilima District, Matabeleland South where they rounded up pupils and teachers and led them across the border into Botswana to join the armed struggle. One of the freedom fighters who executed that mission on that unforgettable night to many was Cde Bigboy Magalane Dlodlo whose pseudo name was Cde Thomas Nyathi.
Cde Magalane as he is officially known was later on to become the regional commander of the Zipra forces in the Southern Front One which covered most parts of Matabeleland South. He took over the command of SF3 following the death of the regional commander Cde Mphini who died in combat together with 10 other freedom fighters in a fierce battle fought against the Rhodesian forces at Ratanyana Business Centre in Kezi in April 1979.
According to Cde Mgugiselwa Mahlangu (Jabulani Sibasa) who was the zonal commander for Kezi, that battle started at around 10am and went up to 6pm when the Rhodesians fired their last shell. There were heavy casualties on both sides. In our Lest We Forget Column today we speak to Cde Magalane who relates to us his experiences about the operation in Matabeleland South. Below are excerpts of the interview with our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS). Read on . . .
MS: Cde Magalane can you please give us your brief background.
Cde Magalane: I was born Bigboy Magalane on 27 June 1954 at Plumtree District Hospital but our family name is Dlodlo. I grew up in my home area in Bulilima District. I did my Sub-A up to Standard 6 at the nearby Thekwane Mission, which at that time was known as Tegwane. After completing my Standard Six I worked for Reverend Musa at Thekwane Mission, a job I took up in 1969. I later on worked at Sivako Shops situated at Ndolwane Shopping Centre.
MS: When then did you join the armed struggle and what motivated you to do that?
Cde Magalane: I left the country to join the armed struggle in December 1976. I was driven by the desire to free my country from the unjust minority rule and I had also been inspired by the guerillas who were already operating in my area such as Cdes Elliot Mpofu and Vasco. During their operations besides fighting the enemy they were also on a recruitment drive. However, when I left the country we were not assisted by the guerillas but we went on our own. On that particular day in December I was in the company of fellow villagers, Dumile Moyo, Roy Luthe, a girl by the name Dorcas Mafa and Edward Dube. We walked through the Dombodema area and managed to cross into Botswana without any incident. While in Botswana we proceeded to Francistown where we met other recruits. I only stayed for three weeks in Botswana as we were later flown to Zambia where the first port of call was Nampundwe Transit Camp. I didn’t stay long in Nampundwe as we were moved to Mwembweshi for military training which we started in January.
MS: At Mwembeshwi who were your instructors and how long were you there?
Cde Magalane: Our instructors included senior personnel such as now Retired Colonel Eddie Sigoge, Stanley Doko Gagisa, Daki, Joki, Mbeya and Magedlela (Tennyson Thambolenyoka Ndlovu). It was a grueling six-month training which we completed in June 1977. Some of the fellow recruits included comrades that I later on operated with in Matabeleland South such as Two Metres, Satan, Parks, Sijumba, Ntatshana and Power.
MS: After completing your training where did you go?
Cde Magalane: We were taken to Freedom Camp waiting for deployment. However, it happened that myself and two other comrades Lizwe and Fisher Mkhwananzi who were taken by Cde Lookout Masuku to Botswana who at that time was the Zipra Commissar. Cde Masuku left us in Francistown from where we were told to proceed to a certain crossing point that would directly link us to the Dombodema area. At that crossing point we were collected by Cde Elliot Mpofu, the guerilla who had inspired me to join the armed struggle. He was in the company of another veteran guerilla, Cde David. We then advanced to Nyele area that is in Bulilima District where we were armed with AK-47s. We then started operating together yet again with the guerilla who had inspired me as well Cde Vasco. During our operations we covered areas such as Tjankwa, Dombodema, Tjehanga, Nyabane and Matjinge. Two months later I accompanied Cde Elliot Mpofu to Francistown where he was to give a report on the execution of the armed struggle to our commanders but unfortunately he was captured there.
MS: What happened?
Cde Magalane: As I said we went to Francistown together but I only spent a night there and returned to the front, leaving Elliot behind. There was a raid that was carried out by the Rhodesians who were driving cars with Botswana military colours. During the raid which took place our comrades were taken by surprise and Elliot was one of the unfortunate ones who was captured and taken back to Rhodesia. We later learnt that he was executed by the Smith regime. However, we continued with our operations in the Bulilima area until I received orders that I was to start operations across the Bulawayo-Botswana railway line which we used to demarcate our operational borders.
MS: Any battles of note which you fought while operating in the Bulilima area?
Cde Magalane: There were quite a number but the one that stands out is the one where we slaughtered nine Rhodesian soldiers in the Ngwana area and that changed the situation on the ground as the enemy started feeling our presence and the villagers realised that we meant business. People became excited about the struggle as to them it was an indication that the war could be won.
MS: Take us through that battle. What happened?
Cde Magalane: It was still in 1977 and we were given information by our contacts about the presence of the Rhodesian forces in that area. We then started observing their behaviour, we realised that they had a tendency of going to fetch water from a local borehole early in the morning at around 6am. A few days later we then decided to lay an ambush at the borehole and sure enough 10 Rhodesian soldiers arrived at the borehole just before 6am. Eight of the enemy forces took up positions while two went straight to the borehole and started drawing water. We allowed them to relax a bit and then opened fire. They were taken by surprise, nine died on the spot while one managed to make good his escape. He fled to Nyele Rest Camp where there were other Rhodesian soldiers. But during that battle we lost David. The Rhodesians then raided villages and started beating up people.
MS: How many were you in that battle? Then there was the “recruitment” of pupils from Thekwane Mission at around that time, were you part of the comrades that carried out that mission?
Cde Magalane: In that battle we were only six and as for the Thekwane incident, yes I was one of the comrades who took part in that exercise which was meant to increase the number of freedom fighters. It was an innocent recruitment exercise, nothing more.
MS: Tell us more about the Thekwane incident.
Cde Magalane: As I said before I did my schooling at Thekwane Mission as I am a local resident. It was very easy for me to carry out that mission, I knew the school set-up very well. What happened was that when we arrived at the school at about 8pm, we first went to the teachers’ houses and rounded them up. We didn’t harass them. The reason why we went to the teachers first was to make sure that nobody phoned either the police or the soldiers so that they would come and disturb our mission. But we didn’t go to the headmaster’s residence, Mr Khumalo because we didn’t trust him as he was married to a white woman. So after rounding up the teachers, we then went to the dormitories and gathered pupils and told them of our mission. The pupils were very excited to see freedom fighters. In fact we had a hard time in discouraging the young ones from going with us. Everyone wanted to go. We then set off for Botswana through the Dombodema area. When we got to the Ramokgwebana area across the border in Botswana we left them. Those willing to join the armed struggle were taken by cars belonging to the Botswana government while some opted to return home. Among those who were resolute in joining the armed struggle was a teacher by the name, Dupute who went on to assist in the opening of schools in Zambia for Zimbabwean children who were part of the armed struggle.
MS: Then you spoke about moving across the railway line to start operating in Mangwe, Kezi and Gwanda. Tell us more about that.
Cde Magalane: After leaving Bulilima some of us moved across the railway line and now my area of operation was vast as we were meant to cover Mangwe, Kezi, Gwanda, Beitbridge, parts of Esigodini and Filabusi. I was now part of the command element responsible for the Southern Front One which covered most parts of Matabeleland South. The commander of SF3 was Cde Mphini while the frontal commander was at one point Cde Makepesi Tshuma, who was later captured by the Rhodesians in Botswana, then came Carlos followed by Barberton. I later on became deputy regional commander for SF3 and later took over when Cde Mphini was killed in combat in the Ratanyane area in early 1979. My deputy then became Cde Kenias Hove while Cde Shumba became the regional commissar. When I took over the command of the region I established my headquarters in the St Joseph area of Kezi, but I would move from one zone to another. Fierce battles were fought and by 1979 it was difficult for the Rhodesian soldiers to reach areas such as Bidi and St Joseph because there were no go areas for the enemy forces anymore.
MS: Who were some of the comrades that you operated with?
Cde Magalane: I worked with many comrades such as Amini, Arington, Mkhize, Mgugiselwa Mahlangu, Two Metres, Destroyer, Black Swine, Dust, Brain, Sijumba, Oscar, Parks, Power etc. There were so many as I covered the whole region. Later on in 1979 then we started receiving regular forces coming into our area of operation. We worked with them but our mode of operation was different as we the guerillas the way we fought was different from the conventional forces. A guerilla was taught to ambush, hit and withdraw while a regular soldier was taught to seek the enemy, overrun the target and hold the ground. In my region the other thing was to open a corridor for the Umkhonto Wesizwe guerillas so that they had a safe passage to the border with South Africa. We used to give them units to accompany them all the way to Beitbridge. The other thing was that in Matabeleland South we also used to carry our raids at farms where there was always a heavy presence of enemy forces guarding the farms.
MS: Then came the ceasefire, where did you go?
Cde Magalane: I went to Brunapeg Assembly Point where we stayed there for a short period as we later on moved to Zezani in Beitbridge. I didn’t join the Zimbabwe National Army as I wanted to get into business. After demob I became the Zapu secretary for administration for Bulilima-Mangwe. I have been in politics up to today as at the moment I am a Zanu-PF district chairperson here in Plumtree Town.
