IN the last edition of Struggle for Zimbabwe we looked at détente, the subsequent ‘ceasefire’ and a series of internal peace initiatives by imperial powers aimed at stopping the liberation struggle that was being waged to topple the repressive Ian Smith regime.
Taking advantage of détente, Rhodesians designed a strategy to destroy the struggle from within.
And they identified one of the key architects of the liberation struggle who they liquidated hoping to send the fight against colonialism into disarray.
This week we look at the death of Herbert Chitepo and its effect on ZANU and the liberation struggle.
On March 18 1975 ZANU national chairman Herbert Chitepo was assassinated.
The big question is why was he assassinated and by who?
Born in 1923 at Bonda Mission near Nyanga, Chitepo was one of the people at the centre of the liberation struggle.
He returned home in 1954 from London as Southern Rhodesia’s first African lawyer.
In 1962 Chitepo went into exile in Tanzania and became the country’s first African Director of Public Prosecutors.
In 1966, Chitepo moved to Zambia after the famous Chinhoyi Battle to take up administration of the external wing of ZANU and co-ordination of the armed struggle.
Chitepo was among the few cadres in the liberation struggle who did not agree with the terms of the détente.
He is quoted by David Martin and Phyllis Johnson in the book The Struggle for Zimbabwe as saying:
“We have not been fighting to bring Smith to the talking table – We are fighting for majority rule.”
Chitepo instigated the formation of ZANLA and by the time of his death he had already started negotiations with Mozambique’s FRELIMO to establish rear bases in Mozambique.
It was his zeal to fight the imperialists and bring majority rule that saw ZANLA launching a successful decisive phase which led to the attack on Altena Farm on December 21 1972.
But what led to his assassination?
During the détente there was seizure of food supplies and ammunition meant for the military training camps and this greatly affected the guerrillas as well as those joining the liberation struggle.
Severe food shortages and other supplies threatened to cripple the struggle.
Such difficulties saw some guerrillas being manipulated by the Rhodesians who sought to destroy ZANU and ZANLA from within.
A revolt which was later referred to as the Nhari rebellion ignited problems for both ZANU and ZANLA in 1974.
The assassination of Chitepo was made to look like an internal job with the intention of dividing and confusinge ZANU and ZANLA.
In the book The Chitepo Assassination, David Martin and Phyllis Johnson put together details surrounding Chitepo’s assassination.
The assassin, born Hugh Hind, later earned the nickname ‘Chuck’ and was recruited by the Rhodesian CIO.
He served in the British army and became a member of the elite British Special Air Services (SAS).
He later joined the WatchGuard International, a military organisation known to offer services for military surveys, advice and training of close security guards for heads of states.
He became an expert of explosives during his military service.
His first visit to Southern Africa was in 1967 when Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda wanted the services of WatchGuard International to train his bodyguards and a paramilitary force at a special police camp in Kafue Gorge in Zambia.
On December 1973, Hind entered Rhodesia and was resident at 9 Sandrise corner 3rd Street and Montagu Avenue.
Towards the end of 1974, the plan to assassinate Chitepo was approved by E.J’Ricky May, a senior Rhodhesian CIO.
The work was to be carried out by Hind and another CIO operative who was a white Zambian farmer called Ian Robert Bruce Sutherland.
The pair meticulously planned the assassination and on the night of March 17 they retrieved an explosive device known as Plastic Explosive 4 (P.E4) and other armaments from Better Ole cache.
In the early hours of the morning at around 2a.m they drove to Chitepo’s house, 150 Muramba Road, Chilenje South Suburb.
According to Martin and Johnson, Hind and Sutherland had done a great deal of investigation and had for a long time watched Chitepo’s house.
They waited for the occupants of Chitepo’s house to retire to bed before proceeding to lay the explosive inside the right front wheel of Chitepo’s car parked in the garage.
Hours later that morning, just after 0800hrs as Chitepo was reversing his car a heavy blast ‘shattered the morning routine in Chilenje South and echoed across the southern suburb of Lusaka … in the wreckage lay the body of Herbert Chitepo…’
The liberation struggle was brought to a halt.
The Zambian Government also eager to see the end of the armed struggle was deceived by the Rhodesian regime’s trickery.
The Zambian government decided to arrest most members of the DARE and High command for ‘plotting and actually executing Chitepo’.
The DARE members included high ranking officials Josiah Tongogara, Kumbirai Kangai and Rugare Gumbo and the entire High Command leadership numbering 23.
The easy way for the Rhodesians to carry on with détente was to eliminate those that were on the forefront of denouncing it thus the assassination of Chitepo.
The ZANLA High Command was arrested due to Dr Kaunda’s belief that they had had a hand in the assassination of Chitepo.
Over 1 000 trained ZANLA guerillas were detained at Mboroma and Mkushi, some were killed by the Zambian security in custody.
The Rhodesians went on to release media articles supporting the view that Chitepo was a victim of the Karanga-Manyika feudal divisions.
Even journalists in London picked up the story and did their best to fuel the crisis.
It was Chitepo’s murder that saw Robert Mugabe (then ZANU Secretary General) emerge.
He was sent together with the late Edgar Tekere by his colleagues to continue the journey of the liberation struggle in Mozambique.