The Sunday News
WHEN ZPRA started building its regular units whose training was superintended by the Zambian Defence Forces, three cadres were chosen from the guerilla force to accompany the initial 2 000 contingent of recruits sent to Mlungushi. The three were the now late, Colonel (Rtd) Richard Dube (Cde Gedi Ndlovu), Cde Shadreck Boris Sibanda pseudo name Cde Cephas Khuphe and now Colonel (Rtd) Marshal Mhambi Mpofu pseudo name Cde Lameck Mathe or Marshal Longfield. The three were then commissioned as officers by the Zambians with Col (Rtd) Dube becoming a full lieutenant while Cde Sibanda and Col (Rtd) Mpofu came in as second or junior lieutenants. The three freedom fighters joined 23 Zambian officers. On Friday last week, our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS) traced the surviving member of the three, Col (Rtd) Marshal Mpofu to give an insight into the creation of the regular troops. Col (Rtd) Mpofu who was to later on to rise to the rank of Brigadier Political Commissar in ZPRA is the Provincial Field Officer in the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle based Mhlahlandlela Government Complex in Bulawayo. Col (Rtd) Mpofu said when he joined the armed struggle in 1972 he was already grounded in nationalistic politics as he came from Zinyangeni, a corner of Nkayi District that churned out nationalists such as the late former Matabeleland North Governor, Cde Welshman Hadana Mabhena, Dr Isaac Sibanda (Mswelaboya), a former Zapu representative to Egypt who is a renowned cattle rancher in neighbouring Botswana, Chief Nkalakatha and Cde Owen Moyo. Below Col (Rtd) Mpofu takes us through his early life up to the time he joined the armed struggle and training. Below are excerpts of the interview. Read on…..
MS: Colonel Mpofu please kick off this conversation by giving us a background of yourself.
Col (Rtd) Mpofu: I was born at a place called Zinyangeni in Nkayi District of Matabeleland North Province on 19 December 1951. I started off my schooling by attending Zinyangeni Primary School where I was until I moved to Lukhanyiso Primary School in Mpopoma, Bulawayo to do Standard Six. After Lukhanyiso I enrolled at John Tallach in Ntabazinduna where I did Form One and Two. During those days John Tallach only offered lessons up to Form Two. So those who wanted to continue with their education would go to schools such as David Livingstone also in Ntabazinduna, Inyathi Mission, and Matopo Mission. Some, however, during those days would prefer to go straight to teacher training which was offered by schools such as Wanezi in Filabusi. So, from John Tallach I moved to David Livingstone where I completed my Cambridge O-levels in 1971. I passed my O-levels very well, but couldn’t pursue my studies further. During those days the education system was bottle-necked. I then got a job as a junior clerk at Premier Electric, which after Independence became Zimbabwe Electronics.
MS: When did you start your political activities?
Col (Rtd) Mpofu: While growing up in Nkayi a lot of nationalist politics was going on. I was exposed to the political activities of nationalists such as now late National Hero and former Governor of Matabeleland North, Cde Welshman Mabhena, Mswelaboya that is Dr Isaac Ronald Sibanda who went on to become the Zapu representative in Egypt. Dr Sibanda was to later on become one of the directors of Barclays Bank and at the moment he is in his 90s. He lives in Botswana where he is one of the top cattle ranchers. The other political firebrand was Chief Nkalakatha, uBhamala who used to work for the Bulawayo City Council. There was also Owen Moyo. In fact, during the liberation struggle, Nkayi District was the hotbed of our nationalistic politics.
MS: How was student politics during your days?
Col (Rtd) Mpofu: Although it was taboo to talk about nationalist politics at school, schools were breeding grounds for political activism. In our History lessons at David Livingstone, we had a textbook titled Africa Since 1800-1964, I can’t recall the author but it had parts that covered our liberation politics, and that inspired a lot of youngsters. Our head boy in 1970, the now late, Pono Zondo who came from Kezi when he left David, he gave me an essay he had written about Lenin and Stalin for the role they played in the Russian Revolution. It was a moving essay and I then went to write one quoting Joshua Nkomo. That drew the ire of our principal, Mr P.A Khumalo and my History teacher, Mr John Hlabangana. They reprimanded me and said in no uncertain terms that I was not supposed to do that. I told them I had taken it from the book, which was available at school. They still would not have it. Then it so happened that there were waves of demonstrations by pupils that swept across many schools such as Empandeni in Mangwe, Inyathi in Bubi, Thekwane in Bulilima and later on ours, David Livingstone. I was among the ring leaders together with children of politicians like William Kona and Thenjiwe Lesabe. Mr B.K. Khumalo, our Geography teacher and boarding master was livid and would have none of that. He is the one who canned us. I resisted being canned but later on, gave in when I realised that the comrades were giving in. Ironically, B.K Khumalo later left the teaching profession and joined the armed struggle.
MS: That’s interesting. What about at your workplace, how was the situation there?
Col (Rtd) Mpofu: I only worked for three months and left. My duties involved recording material that was brought into the company and the items that were being taken out. After I had done that, at times I would find myself without anything to do. So the boss, would call me to his office to chat with him. I realised that he was calling me to his office not because he liked me, no. He wanted to understand how someone, a black person who had passed Cambridge saw things around him. For him, he was studying the mind of a black person who was deemed educated. At the workplace, some coloureds were not happy that I would be seen talking to the general manager. They then told me that I should let them accompany me to him so that they could do the interpretation and I told them off. I told them that I could speak better English than them. It then so happened that the company also employed some Portuguese who were coming from around Mozambique. So one day during an argument with some of those guys, I told them that I was no longer interested in working for the company and that we would meet in the Zambezi Valley. In a bid to fix me, they wrote on isipekisheni sami (ID book) that anyone who would employ me would be doing that at his own risk as I was too political. However, I had not noticed that. It was only when I was looking for a job here in town that a white man I had presented my document to him noticed that below my sipiketsheni, those racists from Premier Electrical had written that damaging message. He threw the document at me. After that, I went away and tore it into pieces.
MS: When did you leave your job?
Col (Rtd) Mpofu: I had worked for three months and I left just after Rhodes and Founders Day holiday, which was celebrated on 5 and 6 July to coincide with Cecil Rhodes’ birthday on 5 July and the date the Pioneer Column crossed into our country in 1890.
MS: After leaving your work, what was the next step?
Col (Rtd) Mpofu: It then dawned on me that I had to leave the country and go and join the armed struggle. We started planning with my friends on how we could leave the country. I was staying in Mpopoma, so I had a friend called Willard, whose surname I can’t recall. Willard, a Shona-speaking guy had attended Wanezi Mission in Filabusi, also part of the planning strategy was Aleck Ndlovu, a guy called Ngwenya and Silangoma who came from Chiredzi. Silangoma was the son of a nationalist as his father was in the Zapu leadership and was in detention with Joshua Nkomo at Gonakudzingwa. However, when we left Ngwenya remained behind, but he was to follow later on.
MS: Take us through your journey to the war.
Col (Rtd) Mpofu: We boarded a train at the Bulawayo Main Station and as we were still very young the authorities didn’t suspect anything. We arrived in Francistown, Botswana safely and we were taken to the White House where those who were going to join the armed struggle were kept. That was November 1972. However, when we got to Botswana, Willard left us as he chose to join those who were to receive training under Zanla. Some of us who said we were for Zapu were put together with comrades from the ANC, with most of them having been varsity students.
From the Zapu side, we were seven while those from the ANC were five. We stayed in Francistown until March 1973 and during our stay there we were getting a stipend of R13 per month, a decent amount during that time. Then one day a handsome-looking gentleman came to where we were staying and told us that we would soon be moving to Zambia. We were to learn later on that the handsome-looking guy was Dumiso Dabengwa.
ν To be continued next week
