General Sandy Maclean
Commander of the Rhodesian army kept on by his former foe Mugabe in independent Zimbabwe
GENERAL SANDY MACLEAN, who has died aged 87, was the commander of the Rhodesian army and one of the men who led the fight against Robert Mugabe’s nationalist guerrillas during the Bush War which ended in 1979; yet he won the trust of Mugabe, who promoted him to full general as the supreme commander of the defence forces of newly independent Zimbabwe.
His appointment at short notice to command of the Rhodesian Army arose from a series of separate yet connected events – the untimely death of the then Chief of Staff, Major General John Shaw, in a helicopter accident in 1975, and the resignation of Lieutenant General John Hickman in March 1979, amid reports of scandals and high-level disagreements, that led to the “shuffling of the pack” of senior Army officers and some sensitive resignations in 1979.
Known as “Fair, Firm and Friendly” by colleagues and rank and file soldiers, and seen as a “Mr Clean” by the press, Maclean assumed the appointment at a time of huge political upheaval and just as the Bush War was reaching its climax. By the time the Lancaster House talks to end the conflict got under way in August the same year, however, Maclean knew that the end of the road was in sight: “We are tired, very tired,” he admitted to the author James Roherty. “We have no support from abroad. It is time to talk. We shall be prepared to support whatever government ensues.”
Andrew Lockart Charles Maclean was born in Bulawayo, then in the self-governing British Crown colony of Southern Rhodesia, on June 29 1932, but was brought up in Harare and attended St George’s College.
He joined the Southern Rhodesian
Staff Corps on in February 1951 and, as a young corporal, instructed on numerous courses including the popular Rural Training Camps at Inkomo at which Rhodesia’s Reserve Forces assembled for four-week periods of intense training and assessment.
Commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Northern Rhodesia Regiment on April 22 1954, he served with its 1st Battalion from 1954 to 1958 in Malaya, for which he was Mentioned in Despatches. He then progressed through a number of roles including a posting to the Rhodesian Light Infantry and a succession of staff appointments, culminating in his selection to command the 1st Battalion, the Rhodesian African Rifles in 1970, then engaged in antiterrorist operations over a wide area of Rhodesia.
His strong performance in command led to the award of the Exemplary Service Medal at the conclusion of 18 years’ service and resulted in progressively more demanding staff appointments, and promotions, including command of 2 Brigade serving Operation Hurricane in the north and north-east of Rhodesia, in November 1975. The high troop levels and level of terrorist activity in the area demanded leadership of the highest order and Maclean was awarded the Defence Cross for Distinguished Service for his leadership in November 1976.
The appointment to Army Chief of Staff (Operations) in March 1977 was followed quickly by promotion to Army Commander, and his exemplary leadership over 27 years was recognised by the award of the Clasp to his Exemplary Service Medal and his appointment to the Order of the Legion of Merit for distinguished service to Rhodesia, both in 1978.
As Army Commander in the era of the relatively newly founded COMOPS (Combined Operations, an organisation based in Salisbury to coordinate the efforts of different elements of the security services in the Bush War), Maclean was responsible principally for preparing the army for operations just as the war reached its most intense period.
That Rhodesia’s army was so professional, resourceful and effective was testament in large part to Maclean’s administrative ability and attention to detail. Cool under pressure, he was well known for his deep sensitivity to, and affection for, the men and women under his command. The affection was reciprocated and he was a frequent and welcome visitor to army units both on operations and in barracks.
He kept a close eye on officer training; having been the first course officer of the first Officer Cadet Course at the School of Infantry, known affectionately as the “Cactus” Course, in 1959, and serving as the reviewing officer of the final Regular Officer Cadet Course in September 1980.
When in August 1981 Maclean was appointed supreme commander of Zimbabwe’s defence forces by the new prime minister Robert Mugabe, political sources were quoted as saying that the move was aimed to allay fears of whites about their future in the country and as an integral part of Mugabe’s “reconciliation” policy in the immediate post-independence period.
Mclean’s previous post as army commander went to Lt-gen Rex Nhongo, the former commander of Mugabe’s guerrilla forces, and that of deputy army commander to Lt-gen Lookout Masuku, former commander of the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army, the guerrilla forces of Joshua Nkomo. Though Maclean brought his usual determination to his new role, he retired in July 1982.
A strong family man, Maclean was predeceased by his wife Pam and is survived by their three children.
General Sandy Maclean, born June 29 1932, died July 18 2019