Gen Tongo sent us on a top-secret mission
CDE RICHARD CHIRONGWE (RC), who is secretary for administration of the ZANU PF War Veterans League, last week recounted his military training at Mgagao in Tanzania under the tutelage of many senior cadres of the armed struggle. He also chronicled his training in Lebanon and Romania. This week, Cde Chirongwe, whose Chimurenga name was Cde Jujuman or Cde Maurayabhunu, tells our Political Editor KUDA
BWITITI (KB) about one of the first battles he fought against the Rhodesian security forces in early 1979 after he had been instructed by ZANLA commander General Josiah Magama Tongogara to embark on a special mission.
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KB: Tell us what happened after you returned from military training.
RC: While I was still in Romania, General Tongogara came to have an appreciation of the high-level courses we were undertaking. During that visit, he informed me that I should come to see him once I returned to the country because there were some special operations that he wanted me to carry out. After the training in Romania, I proceeded to our operations base in Chimoio, Mozambique. Upon arrival, I was informed that I would be part of the forces that conducted special operations. We were expecting to receive heavy artillery, some of which had been donated by the TPDF (Tanzania People’s Defence Forces), and I was one of the people selected to use those special guns.
KB: Did you get to meet Cde Tongo soon after you arrived? RC
: Yes, indeed, and he gave me detailed instructions. He said there were specific Rhodesian targets that he wanted us to hit, and I was one of the men who would execute these tasks. He asked me to choose a team to work with to carry out a reconnaissance mission at Thornhill Air Base.
This was because we knew that the air base had aircraft that wanted to bomb our bases in Mozambique. Gen Tongo informed me that this would be a top-secret mission that only two other cadres — Tonderai Nyika (the late Cde Paradzayi Zimondi) and Cde (Ndabaningi) Sithole — would know beforehand. He asked me to select specific guns that I needed. Gen Tongo also had another plan to make sure this top-secret mission would not be known.
KB: Tell us about this plan. RC:
Gen Tongo was a commander par excellence. He duped everyone at our base into believing that Matsanga (Mozambique rebel leader André Matsangaissa) had captured some of our comrades and we needed to rescue our men. So, when we left the base, other comrades did not know that we were going for the Thornhill Air Base reconnaissance mission, but assumed we were going to “rescue our men captured by Matsanga”. I was able to go to the armoury to get all special ammunition required and I set off for that reconnaissance mission with selected colleagues.
KB: What exactly were you expected to do during that reconnaissance mission? RC:
Essentially, it was to inspect the base and see how we could attack it, and the potential response from the enemy. The plan was, after that inspection, I would come back to brief Cde Tongo, who would give the go-ahead for the attack. So, I travelled for that mission with fighters under my section — who included Cde Pam Pam Disaster, Cde Shungu (who was the PC) and Cde John. To enhance the undercover nature of the operation, I had to change my Chimurenga name from Cde Richard Jujuman to Richard Maurayabhunu.
KB: How was the journey? RC:
We were heavily armed with weapons that were feared during that era — including the M90, AK47, pistols and sub-machine guns. Personally, I carried three guns and a medical kit. After leaving the base, we first arrived at Espungabera in Mozambique, then proceeded to Chikwekwete, crossing via the Chipinge area. As we were crossing, there were now about 200 of us.
Other cadres were also coming into the country to fight battles in different areas. It was a gruelling journey. We walked non-stop for four days without eating. One of the biggest challenges we faced was crossing Save River. It was flooded, so we lost some of our guns that were too heavy to carry while crossing. We managed to cross at night and finally got some food after we arrived at Nyahunda in Bikita. Given that we had gone for four days without eating, comrades were really hungry and some of them overate.
KB: What happened soon after you arrived? RC:
It was a bolt from the blue! We were attacked by the Rhodesian forces on the first morning after we had arrived in Bikita. We received the alert from mijibhas and chimbwidos that all people who had given us food at their homes in the Nyahunda village had been captured by some members of the security forces. We had to act fast to rescue the povo.
So, we went after the enemy, tracking them from behind in army formation. They had placed the povo in front of them, so we knew this was an advantage to us — to attack from behind and allow the povo to escape. We fired at the enemy and they could see that the ammunition we carried was heavy. By the time they attempted to take cover, we were already firing. The povo managed to flee.
This was my first direct exchange of fire with the enemy. This was not child’s play but we were up to the task. When I fired my M90, it tilted the balance in our favour. The M90 had a large bullet — the size of my hand — so, when it strikes, it makes a large sound; it has a lot of shells that can penetrate hard surfaces. They were no match for our heavy artillery and we defeated them.
We finished them off after we destroyed their military trucks. This was after we had received tip-offs from the povo about where the military vehicles were parked.