No more ‘border’ as old bridge re-opens at Nkankezi
written by Aubrey Muchemwa Nyamakura Moyo. Below are extracts of the biography:
Modercai Nemato Mlotshwa joined the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (Zapu) early 1963 and was elected as the youth organising secretary for the Nketa Branch. In the same year, the colonial government declared 30 days of the state of emergency and arrested 50 leaders of Zapu including the 21-year-old Mordecai. The leaders who were detained included Isaac Sihwa Nyathi, Albert Nxele, Report Mphoko Ndlovu, Norman Mabhena and Amos Mkhwananzi to name a few.
The reasons for the declaration of the state of emergency were that Cde JM Nkomo had attended a meeting which was organised by independent African states in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from where the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed, hence at that meeting State leaders passed a resolution and agreed on the creation of the high command of African liberation movements which was propounded by Nkwame Nkrumah, the President of Ghana and supported by all leaders present.
At that time unionists were influencing workers to take industrial action in order to correct the ugly situation of colour bar. Influential leaders of the time were John Mthimkhulu, Isaiah Ntokwe Moyo and Enos Mdlongwa. Residentially, there was an action group by the name of Umgandani, which worked closely with the Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura). The leaders of Bura were Sydney Malunga, Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and Mazonko Ncube. They challenged local government discriminatory laws. During those years, the Bulawayo City Council Chambers were TRAVELLERS from Bulawayo to Mutare via Masvingo and Zvishavane breathed a sigh of relief after the re-opening of the old but small Nkankezi Bridge to buses and heavy vehicles on Thursday after part of the bigger bridge was swept away by floods recently.
The hive of activity that was created following the damage that rendered the 48-year big Nkankezi Bridge completely impassable has since disappeared following the re-opening of the old bridge for use by motorists.
A visit by the Sunday News to the bridge on Friday revealed that the road was now passable by all types of vehicles and it was work in progress as workmen from the Government’s department of roads were working to perfect the area branching off the main road to the small old bridge.
The area was deserted, save for the workmen, there was nothing to suggest that just on Wednesday there were hordes of people intent on business and travelling.
“The old bridge was opened to small vehicles almost a week now. It started operating around last Saturday or Friday if I am not mistaken, but buses and other heavy vehicles were not using it. They were exchanging customers. They only started using it yesterday (Thursday) after we opened space branching off from the main road to avoid collisions and to allow them to turn freely.
“Besides the area is quite marshy and the soil a bit loose when water logged, so we are putting more stones to harden the surface to allow for free movement of people and goods since this is a main road,” said a workman from the department of roads who was on the site who declined to be named.
The workmen said the re-opening of the old bridge was just a stop-gap measure put in place by the Government to allow free movement of people, good and services while resources were being mobilised to repair the damaged bigger road and the bridge.
The small single lane old bridge started working last week but was only open to small vehicles. Buses and other heavy vehicles that were previously disallowed as the department of roads was still working to open more space and harden the marshy surface started using the small bridge on Thursday.
The bridge area that was now referred to as the “border” owing to its impassability by buses and vehicles that were now exchanging customers had seen locals surrounding the area seeing business opportunities as they had quickly turned the bushy area into a real border environment.
Enteprising villagers, with some coming as far as Filabusi, had set up their stalls where they sold for councillors serving the eastern suburbs only. The African Chamber was called the Advisory Board.
The education system was also discriminatory and some teachers spoke against that and those included people like the late Edson Ncube, Elliot Ndlovu and Brother Mpala.
In 1965 the Ian Smith government was busy preparing to declare the Unilateral Declaration of Independence. Meanwhile, Zapu and Zanu trained cadres were also busy penetrating the country with materials of war for sabotage activities. This was no longer time to meet and discuss but to damage government properties. The tense situation pushed Mr Desmond Ladner Burke, the Minister of Law and Order Maintenance to declare an overnight swoop on all active youths. As a result they were arrested and detained at Grey Street Prison for nine months before being issued with a restriction order to Gonakudzingwa, a restriction area. When they had been serving for the third year in Camp Four, Mordecai was chosen camp security personnel. His security duties were known by the president of the party, Dr Nkomo. Other people who were also involved in security duties with Mordecai were William Dlamini from Harare, Hananda from Gweru, Liton Khanye from Nkayi and Josiah Nkomo from Bulawayo.
When Mordecai was released from Gonakudzingwa to his home, the Ian Smith government served him with another restriction order which confined him within the radius of Bulawayo. Whenever, he wanted to visit his rural home in Nkayi, he would seek permission from the nearest police station of those days. At most, he would not stay for more than 30 days. It, however, did not deter him from being devoted to the struggle and if anything he became more hardened.
In 1965 he formed a team comprising five youths for the express purpose of communicating with the leadership at Gonakudzingwa and with Dumiso Dabengwa in Zambia through Botswana for recruiting purposes. The team played a very important role in facilitating consultations between the president, JM Nkomo and his executive members who were still politically active in Bulawayo, namely, NK Ndlovu and CC Ngcebetsha especially during the visit by the British consultation an assortment of goodies mainly foodstuffs to the commuters who would have disembarked from buses and crossing to either side of the bridge.
Some have even set up kitchens where they cooked sadza and fresh mealies for sale to travellers who will have disembarked from buses and waiting to connect either side of the bridge.
Airtime and ice-cream vendors were among the villagers who were making brisk business selling various foodstuffs. Villagers, both men and women living close to the bridge were making a living helping travellers carrying their luggage while young children were using wheelbarrows to ferry luggage across the bridge for a negotiable fee.
The bushy area was no longer sleepy as the villagers would keep a night vigil for the cross border Brooklyn buses that exchanged cross border traders at the bridge from South Africa to Zvishavane that would have come from Beitbridge via Gwanda.
Both travellers and motorists expressed gratitude for the initiative saying it saves them time and money as the hassle of waiting and being taken advantage of was no longer there. They, however, expressed concern over the low level of the small old bridge they said could easily overflow if the river got in flood.
“This bridge is a bit low. It can easily get submerged in the event that the river is in flood. It is also a single lane and there are no give way signs on either side so it needs sober drivers or else there will be accidents.
“But our main worry is that the bigger bridge will take years to be repaired as the Government will sit team of the Pearce Commission.
Before the arrival of the Pearce Commission team in Rhodesia, NK Ndlovu and C C Ngcebetsha arranged consultative meetings with two members of Zanu party, advocates Edson Zvobgo and Edson Sithole in Harare. Enos Mdlongwa and Josiah Nkomo, Mordecai Mlotshwa accompanied NK Ndlovu to the meeting. The meeting took two days in session-discussing the formation of a joint committee of the Caretaker Council named the African National Council (ANC).
The ANC’s purpose was to negotiate with the Pearce Commission delegation. It’s formation signalled the beginning of talks between the British government and Zimbabwean nationalist leaders. Although Bishop Abel Muzorewa diverted the name ANC to his party, the purpose remained focused on the achieving of independence to the country.
In 1972, there was a dispute within the Zapu leadership involving JZ Moyo and Chikerema in Zambia, which led to the closure of party offices and stopped the functioning of training camps. The situation was so bad because some of the members sent there for training were arrested at Livingstone and deported to Rhodesia. Some of the deportees were Gibson Nkomo, Linos Ndlovu and Nemrod Khumalo who, incidentally, was killed in the cells.
Soon after Josiah Nkomo offered to go to the old man in the bush (Gonakudzingwa) and on his return he was in possession of a letter from Joshua Nkomo to President Kaunda. Strike Mnkandla volunteered to deliver the letter to President Kaunda and come back with a reply. However, he never returned. Another letter needed to be sent to President Kaunda and this time it was decided that Mama MaFuyane and Mama Msika should be used to request for a similar letter to deliver to President Kaunda.
A second volunteer was needed and this time it was Shadreck Mafu who went and returned with the reply. Afterwards, another operation back and relax as long as the small bridge is working. We have seen it elsewhere bridges that were swept by Cyclone Eline have still not been repaired. We have no guarantee that this one will be treated with urgency,” said a motorist Mr Nyasha Hove of Mberengwa.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Dr Joram Gumbo said last week that Government was working on repairing the bridges that were swept by the recent Cyclone Dineo related floods. He said priority was going to be given to major bridges and roads that were damaged by the rains saying the Nkankezi Bridge was among those that were top of the list.
“We have more bridges that were swept by the rains but some are small ones of-course. We have a number in the Midlands and Masvingo provinces. We do not want people to suffer because in such situations some unscrupulous operators take advantage and make people pay with an arm and a leg. Besides, our thrust to enhance communication and infrastructure has been threatened but we will not allow ourselves to sit back and relax when things are this bad,” said Dr Gumbo.
He admitted, however, that despite the historical amounts of rainfall received this year in the country most of the roads were old and crying out loud for resurfacing while most of their bridges have outlived their lifespan.
“Most of the country’s roads are in bad state. Most tarred roads have outlived their 20-25 years lifespan. Some now have more than 60 years without being renovated or resurfaced as a result the tarmac layer becomes so thin that potholes can easily form and spread,” Minister Gumbo added.
The Minister added that the Zimbabwe Defence Forces would be deployed soon to erect temporary bridges to allow passage of vehicles in areas where major bridges were no longer passable. He said most of the country’s dust roads particularly those that were recently graded have now been transformed into small streams isolating a lot of areas from the rest of the country.
Dr Gumbo said it was unfortunate that the damaged bridges have in most circumstances created a internal border-like scenarios where buses could no longer cross to the other side but exchange clients while goods could no longer be transported timeously. He said he was optimistic that money to repair the damaged bridges and roads was going to be made available in time before more damages were recorded.
Information obtained by the Sunday News indicates that the Nkankezi Bridge is on route 509 and was built in 1969 by the department of roads. The type of structure is RC beams and slab and is on chainage 172.4 km along Masvingo – Mbalabala. It has two spans measuring 18.5 metres and one span measuring 18.7 metres. The department of roads is still the responsible authority. It could not, however, not be established when the small old bridge was constructed, but authorities it deemed fit for use by motorists. AS tempers and attitudes flared amid scarcity of food and water in the cruel wilderness when the Israelites dragged on that wearisome journey towards Canaan, many lost focus. They got distracted from the bigger picture, they began to complain and grumble, wishing they were back in Egypt living as slaves.
Even Moses’ own sister and brother, Miriam and Aaron began to complain and sought to join forces against him. The very Miriam who watched over Moses from a distance as he attended the “Reeds ECD” in the River Nile when Pharaoh set out to eliminate the baby boys. The same Miriam who saw it all and struggled with Moses and others out of Egypt. Probably thinking they could do a better job of leading the people, they grumbled, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?”
God felt it wasn’t time yet to dislodge the extraordinary Moses. God descended in a cloud and condemned their actions. When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Bible says Miriam stood leprous, like snow. Miriam’s fate is similar to that of King Uzziah, who in rage and fury defiled God’s authority and decided to burn incense, a prerogative of the priests.
Leprosy broke out on his forehead, visible enough for all to see. God used leprosy as a severe punitive measure for those with disregard for legitimate authority, whatever the reasons. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God (Romans 13:1).
Outbreaks of this oldest disease known to man have put humanity on panic mode at a global scale. The flesh and nerves are gradually destroyed, resulting in loss of ability to feel pain, muscle weakness and poor eyesight. It is spread through people and infection is thought to occur through contact with fluids of an infected person. To this reason, stigmatists keep at bay.
Historically, lepers, or rather, more politely, people affected with leprosy, have lived in quarantine. This has brought to the fore, an array of stigmas among them, enacted stigma and self-stigma. The former alludes to being discriminated upon and discounted whilst the latter refers to the fear of being discriminated against.
Before she faced Waterloo in 2014 after plotting against President Mugabe, many saw a daughter of the revolution in Joice Mujuru. In her, they saw a devoted cadre, a bearer of the revolutionary torch instead of an individual who would betray the revolution and even go lengths and show disregard for the first family.
The fallen Mount Darwin-born politician fought in the war of liberation, joining the liberation struggle just after two years of secondary education. Taking the nom-deguerre Teurai Ropa, she saw and felt the struggle for independence, rising to become one of the first women commanders. She saw it all.
Before being diagnosed with political leprosy, Runaida — her other name — was indeed a determined individual and a go-getter. She completed her secondary education after the war and packed her bags from the country’s second high office a holder of a Doctorate. Today she is called Dr Joice Mujuru.
Such qualities and determination arguably saw her earn President Mugabe’s trust as she became the country’s youngest cabinet minister at the dawn of independence. But what went wrong? Finding an answer isn’t a mammoth task as Mujuru is just a victim of fate. She is suffering the consequences of failure to respect authority, a lesson i n what