AUGUST 9 brings with it sad memories of the brutal massacre of refugees at Nyadzonia Camp in Mozambique by Rhodesian forces.
This year marks 40 years since the special counter-insurgency unit of the Rhodeisan forces, the Selous Scouts, carried out a heinous attack on the Nyadzonia Camp which housed ZANLA refugees, killing more than 1 000 people, mostly women and children.
The date chosen for the attack was the day after a ZANLA holiday, ZANU Day, at which point it was expected that some high ranking ZANLA members would be present and be targets or potential captures.
A column of seven armoured Unimogs, four Ferret scout cars in FRELIMO colours and mounted with an array of weapons including three twin MAG machine guns, 12,7 mm heavy machine guns, two Hispano 20 mm cannons, one .50 Browning machine gun and three .30 Brownings were used against unarmed innocent refugees.
Code-named ‘Operation Eland’, the attack was approved by General Peter Walls at Combined Operations (COMOPs) in Salisbury (Harare) and was carried out by over 72 Selous Scouts under the command of Captain Robert Sidney Stanley Warraker.
These Selous Scouts wore FRELIMO uniforms, had same type of weapons as Mozambique forces and drove vehicles with Mozambican army registration numbers, including armoured cars closely resembling FRELIMO trucks.
White soldiers had disguised themselves by painting their hands and faces black.
According to the report by Hugo Idoyaga, UNHCR representative in Maputo, a section of the raiding party sabotaged the main bridge across the Pungwe River near Nyadzonia refugee camp and another section laid ambushes on the road leading to the refugee camp.
The Pungwe Bridge was demolished in order to frustrate any attempt by FRELIMO to advance in force from Chimoio once news of the operation had reached FRELIMO headquarters.
Support units with 81mm mortars were also strategically deployed to knock out escaping refugees and the main party was then led into the refugee camp itself by Morrison Nyathi, aka Livison Mutasa, a ZANLA commander-turned-sell-out by the Rhodesians.
At the main gate, an SAS with a good command of Portuguese ordered the FRELIMO guards, who were the only security guards for the Refugee Camp, under the FRELIMO Commander Jose Carvalho to open the gate.
The deceived guards complied and the column entered Nyadzonia Camp, driving straight onto the parade ground at exactly 08:25am.
More than 5 250 refugees stood on the routine early morning parade for counting and daily duty allocations that morning.
The vehicles spread out in a line and all eyes gradually turned towards the newcomers and a buzz of excitement began to generate.
Notwithstanding the general air of festivity within the camp, the expectation among many within the camp was that the long promised transport to carry them to their training depots had arrived.
This caused an excited rush towards the vehicles.
This was amplified by some improvisation by a Portuguese speaking Selous Scout who shouted through the loud hailer that Rhodesia had been defeated and for all to gather round and hear the news.
Refugees who knew Nyathi very well innocently broke the parade and rushed to the vehicles in response to a burst of slogans from inside the vehicles.
But soon, those refugees who were close enough to recognise the white occupants of the vehicles who had used black paint on their face and hands, screamed to the others that it was the Rhodesia security forces.
“I was shocked when one of our commanders, Nyathi, shouted words that I will never forget for as long as I live,” Cde Everisto Liberty Founder Pfumvuti told The Patriot earlier this year.
“Makomuredzi, nhasi tapandukirana!” shouted Nyathi.
Simultaneously, Warracker gave the order to fire, marking the beginning of a genocide never to be forgotten.
At point blank range, wave after wave of bodies fell to the ground.
The mortar teams came into action here, providing supporting fire, and again covering avenues of possible escape and slaughtering anyone in view.
The main hospital compound, a large thatched construction, was set ablaze killing those inside as they were unable to evacuate.
Most refugees, children and women, were slaughtered mercilessly.
The Ferret cars also drove the refugees into the Nyadzonia River, to drown or to die from their wounds.
About 200 children drowned as they attempted to swim across the Nyadzonia River.
Another unpalatable procedure was the flushing out and killing of individuals attempting to hide in the dense reed banks in the lee of the river.
The rate of fire continued several minutes – later observers of the scene commenting on behalf of various international forums observed that a carpet of spent shell casings seemed to cover the entire scene after tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition had been expended – and continued until all visible movement in the killing bag had ceased.
As if that was not enough, the Unimog pigs drove around deliberately crushing all the bodies on the ground.
It is estimated over 1 000 people were killed, thousands were injured while others actually disappeared.
“It was horrifying and terrible,” recalls Monica ‘Chido Chimurenga’ Mutsvangwa, who was among the survivors of the Nyadzonia massacre.
“I had just arrived at Nyadzonia after spending over 24 hours walking from Nyanga.
“Things happened so fast I saw headless refugees running, blood flowing; this was a bad experience for a little girl.
“There were a lot of dead bodies on the ground.
“I had not undergone any military training, so I did not know how to take cover or protect myself in situations like that.
“I just followed the crowd to the nearby Nyadzonia River and to make matters worse, I could not even swim.
“I was fortunate because I found a FRELIMO, Cde Kasablanga, who helped me and other young girls across the river.
“Unfortunately, some drowned while trying to swim.
“Joe Gwabuya wandakange ndabva naye kumusha akaerera ndakamutarisa.”
She recalls they had to walk for three days before reaching the nearest camp, which was Zhunda.
Their first meal was an orange shared among 20 people.
For this heinous attack, Warraker was awarded the Silver Cross of Rhodesia ‘for exhibiting great leadership qualities in carrying out the Nyadzonia massacre’.
As for Nyathi, it is reported after being used by Rhodesians, he was abandoned before he met his fate.
His demise was typical of all quislings.
He died miserable.
Perhaps he should have known that whites never have permanent friends.