The story of Damian Chigwete Mutandwa

THE need for highly effective guerillas required imparting basic military training to villagers not content with just being chimbwidos and mujibhas.
I was one such person who received what came to be known as ‘training at the front’.
There were areas, in the early days of the struggle, which guerillas could not penetrate without raising suspicion.
As guerillas took the war to the doorstep of Rhodesians by attacking critical establishments in the cities, they relied on the help of trustworthy collaborators.
I received basic military training in Muzhawa Village, Madziva.
I was determined to deliver more than material support to the fighters, thus I found myself at a guerilla base along Gotora River ready to learn how to use the AK and other weapons that vanamukoma used.
I was joined by my young brother Claudius, as well as Ignatius and Borden Jemu.
When the freedom fighters were satisfied with the skills we had acquired, they gave us our first mission.
We were ‘city boys’ so-to-speak.
We were familiar with Salisbury and our task was to throw a bomb in one of the establishments in the city regularly frequented by merry-making Rhodies.
I chose to bomb the popular La Boheme Nightclub located right in the heart of Salisbury.
I successfully carried out the mission on July 25 1975.
The nightclub was located at the corner of Moffatt Road (Leopold Takawira) and Kingsway Road (Julius Nyerere).
Cde Mabhonzo had instructed us on how to use the various explosives in the guerilla’s arsenal.
The other comrades who trained us included Paradzai Mabhunu, TNT Holdness, Mazivarimwe, Joe Musango, Chenjerai Mabhunu, Hondo and Tafirenyika Musango.
I was a salesman with the British America Tobacco (BAT) and had all the documents required to work in town.
Thus my mission was not too difficult; I was familiar with the city.
My mission was to detonate a Chinese hand stick grenade into any shop or bar that accommodated whites.
I had to bring back the pin of the grenade and the newspaper story of the bombing.
This would be a mission that would be reported in the newspapers.
I hid the grenade in the door panels of my 1960 Ford Corsair and drove to the capital.
La Boheme was a good target because South African organist Peter Kruger and South African singer Sally Vanghum were holding a show at the venue, thus it would be packed.
For three days, I cased out the joint.
On the day of the attack, I left Kambuzuma at around 6pm.
I was accompanied by my young brother Claudius, my accomplice Borden and Cecil Kamangira, my cousin.
My brother Claudius was behind the steering of my Ford Corsair.
We drove into the city centre and parked at Jameson Hotel.
Claudius and Kamangira remained in the car and I went to execute the mission with Borden.
I instructed them to keep the engine running.
This would be a typical guerilla attack, a hit-and-run in fact.
Swiftly we got to our target; the grenade was in my left hand.
Borden had a machete hidden in his overcoat.
We were prepared to die if the worse came to the worst.
We entered the club and the patrons charged towards us, livid to see blacks entering the joint.
“Kaffir this is a place for whites, go kunochera mbeva,” said one of the patrons.
One of the Rhodesians spat in my face, but I controlled my emotions and apologised.
We went out.
We had spotted an open window that would ensure maximum damage.
I pulled the pin and threw the grenade into the nightclub through the window.
As we ran, the explosion kept ringing in our ears.
We jumped into the car and sped off to Kambuzuma.
The noise in the Rhodesian media the next day was deafening.
We were happy and satisfied as the attack was confirmed by The Rhodesia Herald.
The Rhodesian Special Branch offered money to anyone who could provide information that would lead to the arrest of the ‘culprits’.
They made it appear like a criminal, not a war act.
However, they knew the truth that the guerillas were infiltrating the cities.
Two days later, I drove to Madziva, The Rhodesia Herald in hand.
Cde Mabhonzo was delighted with our success.
We were given another assignment, but this time, our target was a train.
Compiled by Emergency Mwale-Kamtande