Siphakeme .Mnindwa
THE decolonisation of Portuguese colonies in Africa, especially in Southern Africa that is in Mozambique and Angola, drove one young man from the village of Ntalale in Gwanda District, Matabeleland South Province to leave the then Rhodesia and cross the border into Zambia via Botswana to join the armed struggle.
Cde Kenneth Sibanda pseudonym Cde Lee Madiro or Mountain said he was inspired by the events in Mozambique and Angola when the Portuguese rule collapsed, ushering in Independence in the two countries as well as in another colony, Guinea-Bissau.
On Friday last week, our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS) spoke to Cde Sibanda to get an account of his participation in the armed struggle. Cde Sibanda, after training in Zambia and the then Soviet Union, was then deployed in Mashonaland Central Province particularly in the then Sipolilo (now Guruve District). He said he was deputy commander of the detachment that attacked Mushumbi Garrison.
The commander of that detachment was Cde Clive Mataure. In the past weeks, we have been publishing accounts of another freedom fighter, Lt-Col (Rtd) Nimrod Ndlovu aka Cde Fomoja who also took part in the attack of Mushumbi Garrsion, a feat that changed the direction of the war in that area.
The attack on Mushumbi Garrison, a feared military facility of the Rhodesians, even gave the local population hope that after all the Rhodesian forces were not invincible. Below is Cde Sibanda’s account of how he joined the armed struggle.
MS: Let’s begin our conversation with you giving us your brief background.
Cde Sibanda: I was born Kenneth Sibanda on 4 August 1955 in Ntalale area of Gwanda District in Matabeleland South Province. I started off my education, that is lower primary at Nyambi School in 1964 before moving to Gungwe School for upper primary education. I completed my upper primary education at Gungwe in 1972. Then the following year, 1973 I moved to Bulawayo to look for employment.
MS: Tell us about your time in Bulawayo.
Cde Sibanda: I got a job at Connolys Company where I worked for some time before moving to Rhodesia Plough which, if I am not mistaken, is the company that is now known as Zimplow. We were manufacturing agricultural implements such as ploughs. I was staying in Old Magwegwe.
MS: How then did you start being involved in political activities?
Cde Sibanda: Around that time, the political temperature was very high, with some youths leaving the country to join the armed struggle. At the same time, the colonial government was also throwing politicians into prisons. I had moved to Gwabalanda staying at a section which is commonly known as Tshaka.
The now late Norman Mabhena was at the fore-front of organising Zapu activities in Gwabalanda and the Luveve general area. Also part of that group of politicians was Cde Patrick Nyamanyama. I then got hooked up in the Zapu structures. We would hold secret meetings in houses. I really became political. I had also started following political events through the media in other countries and they had a big effect on my decision to join the armed struggle.
MS: Which countries and when did you leave the country to join the armed struggle?
Cde Sibanda: The political events in Portugal in 1975 that led to the end of colonial rule in Mozambique, Angola and Guinea-Bissau were an inspiration to me. We realised that it was possible to defeat the colonial government not through talks but on the battlefront. I was very inspired and felt the urge to leave the country and cross the border for military training. I then left the country in March 1976.
MS: Take us through your journey to join the war.
Cde Sibanda: There were four of us when we left Gwabalanda.
MS: Do you remember the names of your colleagues?
Cde Sibanda: Yes! The other three were now Major-General (Rtd) Stanford Khumalo, uMadliwa, Promise Ndlovu and Lawrence Phiri, not the former Highlanders footballer. These guys were part of the Zapu structures and we used to attend meetings together. We went to Renkini Long Distance Bus Terminus and being a Friday, it was a hive of activity as a number of people were travelling to their rural homes after knocking off from work. We looked for a Suka Sihambe bus, which was heading for Mangwe District and would have its final destination at Mphoengs.
However, while we were still preparing to board the bus, Lawrence disappeared and returned home. So we ended up travelling without him. He might have developed cold feet on that day, but he ended up following and we met in Zambia.
MS: You managed to travel to the border without any incident?
Cde Sibanda: The trick was to create a relationship with bus crews, and that is what we did. They then tipped us off that there was a permanent roadblock at Figtree. Before reaching the roadblock, we disembarked from the bus and walked. They waited for us a distance from the roadblock, and we got onto the bus and continued with the journey. We then travelled without incident until we reached Mphoengs and we dropped off near the bridge. We were shown the direction to the border and it was deep into the night. We then walked and crossed into Botswana.
MS: How were you received in Botswana?
Cde Sibanda: We approached a homestead and the people were very good to us. In the morning we got transport that took us to Francistown. We were taken to the State prison where we found 10 other guys who were also on their way to Zambia.
I remember the names of the two of them, Nyika and Lovemore Ndlovu. We stayed in Botswana and more people kept on coming. We left Botswana in June around the 16th as I remember it was during the days of the Soweto Uprising in South Africa. We were flown to Zambia.
MS: Take us through what happened when you got to Zambia.
Cde Sibanda: From Lusaka International Airport we were taken to Freedom House where we were kept for some time until we were moved to Nampundwe, which was a transit camp.
n To be continued next week with Cde Sibanda talking about training in Zambia and then the Soviet Union
