Suspicions start fading: Slowly ZPRA cadres begin to trickle to assembly point Lima

guerrillas. NF1 had three sectors, namely Jambezi in Hwange District, Tsholotsho and part of Bulilima-Mangwe District and it was here that AP Lima was set up. Nyamupingidza’s deputy at NF1 was Makanyanga (Patrick Dube). NF2 was commanded by Phebion Mutero (Ernest Moyo) while NF3 was under the command of Joseph Mbedzi.

Hopefully, this locates the position of Lima Assembly Point within the context of the Northern Front and the key personnel therein. Also coming under the auspices of AP Lima, in addition to guerrillas operating there, was the regular Battalion which was commanded by Smile Madubeko Moyo. Now we return to Mike’s account which he titled,

Mike was a member of 161 Battery and narrates that in their peacekeeping mission it was 90 percent boredom interspersed with moments of terror. The ceasefire, he says, was announced on 28 December, 1979. They stayed at AP Lima for three months and left before the election results were announced.

The Kiwis in the group belonged to numerous specialist areas: gunners, infantrymen, engineers, and Special Air Services (SAS). The peacekeepers were thin on the ground so that they would not raise suspicions or threats among the warring factions in the Rhodesian war. The size of their force was beefed up a week or two later with two more Kiwis and later still with a dozen Brits from the King’s Regiment.

The guerrillas in the bush were deeply suspicious of the whole ceasefire arrangement. They moved with utmost caution. In the circumstances, individuals who arrived first undertook some reconnaissance. Colonel Zikhali was there but how would they know he was not one that the Rhodesians had turned in? Within the ranks of both liberation movements, that is ZPRA and Zanla, there were guerrillas who were captured during operations and then turned in and released back to join their former colleagues, but this time to spy on them and send information to their handlers. There were many such turned in guerrillas and used codes to identify each other, including the way they held cigarettes when they were smoking.

The New Zealand group of ceasefire monitors were white. How could guerrillas know they were not Selous Scouts and end up falling into a fatal trap? Extreme caution was necessary and included sending in guerrillas of junior ranks who were heavily armed. Indeed, on 29 December at about 17:42 two heavily armed guerrillas (to him they were communists) walked cautiously into their quarters. Their weapons were trained at the peacekeepers. One carried an AK47 assault rifle with taped magazines. The other guerrilla was armed with a PBSM43. Both weapons had their safety catches off and were set on a rock and roll.

The two guerrillas did not know Colonel Zikhali. However, Colonel Zikhali knew well their commander Lt John Nyamupingidza and described him vividly to their satisfaction. Once Colonel Zikhali had satisfactorily presented his credentials to the two ZPRA guerrillas, he then proceeded to introduce them to members of the peacekeeping force. Then came the time to consume food. Fear, trepidation and deep suspicion were palpable. The two guerrillas placed their plates full of food on the ground and proceeded to eat using their left hands. Their trigger fingers were on their weapons ready to pull should that become necessary. Throughout the eating ordeal, their weapons were pointed at the members of the peacekeeping force who, on their part, placed their weapons across their laps and were on “state two.”

After taking the meal, the two stood up and bade farewell to Colonel Zikhali. “Zimbabwe!” they uttered the slogan. In response Colonel Zikhali shouted, “Zee (actually, Zi-i).” This was the slogan for the ANC-Nkomo as it was known after the Abel Muzorewa-led African National Council that was formed after the release of detainees disintegrated. It was then that Zapu adopted the slogan that was used by the guerrillas, which the two guerrillas and Colonel Zikhali were exchanging. In a way, it was evidence that the three belonged to the same political movement.

On 30 December, a young man that Mike describes as a turned up at the quarters. The boy soldier, as he describes him, was clad in pieces of different uniforms and carried an SKS. He was bubbling with confidence. He proceeded to talk to Colonel Zikhali. This was still part of checking out on the authenticity of both the ceasefire arrangements and Colonel Zikhali’s guerrilla credentials. Was he ZPRA or was he not? It turned out the young had come to report two guerrillas that had been wounded. It is clear the members of the peacekeeping force had been briefed on the liberation movements prior to their deployment. Mike obviously got confused between ZPRA and Zanla as the former did not use the term

A team was hastily put together to go to the assistance of the wounded. In a Land Rover they rode shotgun. Two medics were in the team, including Mike. The two possessed some few medical skills: suturing, jabs, administration of drips, and minor surgery. The first guerrilla had been slightly wounded and was attended to and left soon thereafter. The second, reports Mike, had a large chancre (some venereal ulcer) on the side of his “John Thomas.” He was given a jab of penicillin, a dose powerful enough to drug a horse.

Reports were received that the road to Plumtree had been remained, making it unsafe to bring in food and other supplies along the road. Instead, supplies were dropped from a British Hercules aircraft. All that peacekeepers needed to do was to pop smoke high into the sky and the aircraft appeared on the horizon. Supplies were dropped down attached to pink parachutes. Before the road could be reused a Rhodesian “Pookie” had to go and do some demining. The Rhodesians had innovated a vehicle which they used in demining operations.

The next group to arrive was that of women. These were party supporters who used to sing revolutionary songs from outside the perimeter fence. That became a routine and was an electioneering stunt. Next to make an appearance was some old man who cycled to get to the camp. He wanted to see and speak to Mr Brian. He meant the force commander, Major Hewitt. “Don’t worry Mr Brian, the boys will come and there are more than one hundred.”

The peacekeepers got busy establishing a tented reception (using an 11 by 11 tent) where guerrillas were going to settle. The site was about a kilometre away from the quarters of the monitoring force. Here the guerrillas were going to report and have their details captured: their names, the type of weapons that they carried and their serial numbers.

On New Year’s Eve, beer with brand names of “Shumba” and “Cane” were in abundance. And yet NF1 or the regional commander was yet to report at the Assembly Point Lima. That he was going to do when he had satisfied himself the ceasefire was not a hoax.