Capture at the hands of Rhodesian forces
This week, we continue our discussion with CDE ENERST MDLULI (EM), a former ZIPRA freedom fighter who was given the daring task of travelling from Zambia to Nyanga, where his group was supposed to set up a new base. Last week, he talked about how he was badly treated during his employment at a white-owned farm in Nyanga, where he worked as a casual labourer. He recounted the ill-treatment he experienced when he was employed as a cook and general hand at white-owned construction companies in Zambia (Southern Rhodesia), Malawi (Nyasaland) and Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia). Read on as he narrates to our Senior Reporter TENDAI CHARA (TC) part of the difficult journey he took as a freedom fighter.
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TC: Cde, we concluded our discussion with you having arrived at a farm which was owned by a Zimbabwean in Zambia. Kindly take us through your journey.
EM: Thank you! Like I said last week, from Dube’s farm, we were supposed to be taken for military training in the then Soviet Union. War broke out in Egypt and since we were supposed to go via Egypt, our trip to the then Soviet Union was aborted. War had broken out between Egypt and Israel.
We stayed at the farm for close to two months. The numbers swelled until we were over 200. We were then taken to Tanzania for military training. I was trained at Morogoro Training Camp. That was in August 1966.
We were trained for nine months, but we stayed at Morogoro for close to two years. One of our instructors was Albert Nxele. He was the camp commander. We had Cde Ambrose Mutinhiri. He was the chief of staff and second-in-command to Cde Nxele. We also had Cde Roger Mbambo, who was in charge of logistics at the camp.
At this camp, we had two platoons or companies, Company A and B. Cde Rodgers Nikita Mangena was in charge of Company A. Cde Phillip Maphosa was also in this company.
The other company was under the leadership of Cde Alexander Dlamini. After training, we were taken back to a camp, 15 kilometres east of Lusaka. It was called Kaluwa.
We didn’t stay for long at this camp. Together with six other cadres, we were taken to Inkomo Camp, which was west of Lusaka. At Inkomo, we were joined by other cadres and became a 32-member platoon. We were told that we were going to the warfront.
After two days at Inkomo, we began our long and dangerous journey to the war zone in Southern Rhodesia.
TC: How did you travel from the Inkomo to the warfront?
EM: We first came to Lusaka and from there, we walked until we reached an area near Zambezi River. We travelled throughout the night, reaching the place where we were supposed to get our military supplies. We were then given guns and ammunition. I was 26-years-old.
From this base, we then walked towards Zambezi River and crossed the river at dawn using canoes.
Crossing the Zambezi using dug-out canoes was dangerous since the river was infested with crocodiles and hippos. After crossing the river, we then entered Southern Rhodesia and started the long walk in this dangerous territory.
We crossed the Zambezi River at a place near Kanyemba.
At the crossing point, there is a mountain which has the same features as Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.
We walked for 12 days before we broke into two groups. I think the enemy had spotted us and was monitoring our movements. We decided to split into smaller groups. We often saw Rhodesian reconnaissance planes hovering above us.
When we reached Luangwa River, we found out that the number of Rhodesian planes that often hovered above us was increasing by the day. We concluded that we were now under surveillance.
A few days later, we came under attack and our commander, Cde David Makoni, reacted rather slowly and failed to give us orders in time. Confusion became the order of the day and, sadly, we lost our commander during the battle that ensued.
Of the 32 fighters that set foot into Southern Rhodesia from Zambia, only 15 survived that fierce battle. After the battle, I was now under a section led by Cde Amos Chagonda. Our group then walked for two days and we moved further into the country. Our section was supposed to go to Nyanga.
As we moved towards Hunyani River, we decided to go into villages in search of food. Myself, Lloyd and Koti were told to go into the villages. We were in an area under Chief Makope. The rest of our colleagues remained in the bush.
When we got into the village, we discovered the situation was a bit tense. Villagers were doing their best to avoid us.
They flatly refused to give us food. From their actions, we sensed Rhodesian forces were in the area.
We decided to go to the chief ’s homestead where drums were being beaten. We later discovered that those that were beating the drums were not ordinary villagers, but Rhodesian
security agents.
We walked through the village and met a woman whom we greeted, but she ignored us. We tried to engage her, but she simply walked away.
I knew something was very wrong and I decided not to go to the chief ’s homestead. We decided to abandon the food-searching exercise. We returned to our base empty-handed.
We then decided to return to the village during the night with our guns. We were starving. We desperately needed food.
Our group then returned to the village under the cover of darkness.
Efforts to get food from the villagers were all in vain. The Rhodesian soldiers had threatened to shoot those villagers that were providing food to freedom fighters.
After failing to get food, we moved to other villagers which were a bit far. Since we were famished, we did not walk for a long distance. Luckily for us, people in the next village welcomed us and gave us food. We were given roller-meal and chicken to cook along the way.
The following morning, we made the grave mistake of trying to locate a grocery store in broad daylight. Cdes Koti and Lloyd were given the task of trying to locate the shop. They were subsequently captured by Rhodesian soldiers.
Shortly after Lloyd and Koti had gone on their mission to locate a shop, Rhodesian helicopters started to hover above us. Within moments, Rhodesian paratroopers were dropped and we knew we were in trouble.
Our captured comrades had revealed our location and the enemy was closing in on us.
Our commander decided against confronting the well-armed Rhodesian soldiers. He knew that we stood no chance against the enemy.
As the enemy was searching for us, we decided to hide our guns and move into the village with the intention of blending with the masses.
We were shot at before we moved from the bush to the village. When the first shot rang, we all ran in different directions. I lost contact of my other colleagues and as I was looking for them, I was then captured.
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