The Sunday News
WE continue our interview with Cde Richard Dube commonly known as Sidleni. Cde Dube operated as a guerilla in the Hwange District, Matabeleland North Province having been deployed there in 1979. In our last edition in an interview with our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS) Cde Dube spoke about how he got involved into politics in Bulawayo before leaving the country to join the armed struggle in Zambia via Botswana. Today he continues with his narration of his stint in the armed struggle. Below are excerpts of the interview.
MS: You were talking about your time at Nampundwe, when did you go for training proper?
Cde Dube: I stayed at Nampundwe for some time and then fell ill. It was during that time that some cadres including my cousin brother, Clifford whom we had left the country together to join the armed struggle were taken to the Freedom Camp (FC). While at FC, the Rhodesian forces launched at aerial attack on the camp with devastating effects and Clifford was seriously injured. As a result of the incessant attacks of the Zipra camps around Lusaka, the commanders decided to relocate the camps.
We were then taken to Maheba. While all the movements were being made, a Rhodesian broadcaster named Alexander Stewart mentioned it on the radio saying ‘Terror in South Africa, chaos in Lebanon- Joshua Nkomo has taken his terrorists from the south-west of Lusaka to an area just four kilometres from the Zaire border.’ That surprised us as it became clear that the Rhodesians were monitoring our movements. It was as if they had inside information. As anticipated, we were also attacked there at Maheba by the Rhodesians. However, the camp was well defended with batteries of anti-air weapons such as the Zegue.
It was the first time for me to see the Zegue. Although the anti-air comrades did their best in defending the camp, we lost a number of comrades there. After that attack, Stephen Jeqe Nkomo came at Maheba to assess the situation. After a week I was one of those people who were moved to CGT3 for training. Although we covered everything, our training put more emphasis on military engineering. Our group was made up of 400 men and among us was a large contingent of the Umkhonto weSizwe guerillas. Among the instructors there were comrades like Solomon, Mehlo and Gregory. At that time Zipra as an army was going through a lot of transformation as it prepared for the final onslaught on the Rhodesians. So, we were part of the expansion of the Zipra engineering squadron.
Our commander was Cde Kenneth Murirwa (Jeffery Ndlovu) who lost his sight in combat. Kenneth had been promoted to the rank of chief of engineering. During our training we were drilled on how to lay mines, explosives at rail-tracks and trees as part of slowing down the movement of the enemy. After that we were moved to CGT2 garrison, which was under the command of Siboza, it was an artillery camp, heavily fortified. That one could not be penetrated by the enemy.
MS: After training where were you deployed?
Cde Dube: I was deployed to the Hwange area. From the rear we moved towards the Simonga area, which was a crossing point near the Kazungula. Our unit was made up of 32 men. Before reaching the crossing point, we found 16 whites who had darkened their faces and were at a beer drink in one of the homesteads belonging to the Zambians. That was July 1979. It looks like they had information that we will pass through that area and had persuaded the Zambians by whatever means to give them cover. However, we were very alert and we easily rounded them up.
MS: What did you do to them?
Cde Dube: We handed them over to the Zambian authorities, but as people who were on a mission, I don’t know what became of them. However, there were such cases where at the end of the day the Zambian authorities would let such people go scot-free. We moved until we reached the Zambezi River where we were introduced to the regional commander, John Nyamupingiza. We found him on the Zambian side. Nyamupingiza was the commander of Northern Front One (NF1) region, which covered districts such as Bulilima, Tsholotsho and Hwange. We started rehearsing under his watchful eye and he emphasised to us that we should move with speed and accuracy as the Rhodesian forces were a formidable force.
As people coming from training we learnt a lot from the regional commander who had seen it all on the battlefield. The now retired Colonel Thomas Ngwenya whom we called Menu also came while we were still across the Zambezi. Menu who was the chief of logistics only spoke to the commanders; we did not have a direct interaction with him. We eventually crossed the Zambezi, as we were using home canoes and dinghies it took us a long time, we started crossing the river from around 8.45pm till 2am the following day. Our unit of 32 had met other guerillas, some who had been at the front for some time.
Those whom we met at the crossing point numbered around 117. The veterans are the ones who guided us as we moved to the operational areas. After a long journey cutting through the game park, we managed to cross the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road and moved to Chidove near Victoria Falls Town.
MS: How were your received by the villagers?
Cde Dube: We were humbled by what the villagers did for us. They were so happy to see us and they slaughtered a cow for us. From there we were split into small units and I served in a section that moved with the zone commander, Shepherd. The Hwange area especially in Jambezi where I operated was known as the Chinamano zone, named after the Zapu Vice-President then, Josiah Chinamano. We had successful operations but the one that hurts me up to now is the battle at Mwemba where we lost seven comrades to the enemy forces.
MS: Who were some of the guerillas that you operated with?
Cde Dube: I fought alongside outstanding fighters such as Embassy, Regis who was the deputy zone commander. I also fought alongside the daring Barnabas Sibanda who is well known for trying to build a helicopter using a Citroen engine. There was a battle that Barnabas commanded in Hululu. Barnabas had the tendency of motivating others by first accusing fellow comrades of being cowards. He would say ‘comrades the problem with you is that you are fond of playing.’
I can say with confidence that our operations had an effect on the tourism sector around Victoria Falls as it was no longer business as usual for tour operators. Areas such as Jambezi became no go areas.There was a limited movement of people as we had intensified the operations. I operated in Hwange until the ceasefire period when our units moved into Mike Assembly Point at St Paul’s Mission in Lupane. However, in February 1980 I was moved from the Assembly Point to join a team that was campaigning for Zapu in the Midlands Province. I campaigned mainly in Lalapansi. I was later on demobilised.
MS: From the military where did you move to?
Cde Dube: I joined Work Man’s Compensation, an organisation that was under the Ministry of Labour. That is the organisation that was transformed into National Social Security Authority (NSSA). I worked there until 2009 when I retired to go into farming.
