AFRICANS never seem to be getting anywhere because they have largely ignored the bold patterns in their historical experience.
The boldest of those patterns is the one that sets black against black, to the extent that those who have underdeveloped Africa have successfully done so only with the aid of Africans.
That is how Africans were enslaved. That is how Africa was colonised.
That is how Africans were not compensated for the ‘extraordinary crimes’ committed against Africans during slavery and colonisation.
They were used to commit those crimes against themselves.
They were used to frustrate the effort to get compensation.
They were used to frustrate efforts to recover what was taken from African ancestors through ‘extraordinary human rights abuse.
The following is an excerpt from Selous Scouts Top Secret War (Ron Reid Daly 1982: 116-118)
Lieutenant Colonel Reid Daly (pictured) was commander of the notorious pseudo-guerilla Selous Scouts regiment during the Rhodesian genocide.
“The time had arrived now for me to brief the African element on the course with the true nature of the regiment and get the final phase of their selection course under way.
Stretch Franklin, Basil Moss, Corporals Chibanda, Lameck and two tame ZANLA terrorists had meanwhile arrived at the camp but were staying out of sight.
It was with some trepidation that I called the men together the next day … this was the moment of truth … literally. We simply could not afford, at this stage, for anyone to back out and perhaps spread the news back at their units as to exactly what our true role was to be.
They were all there … everyone who had passed the course … they all wanted to remain with the Selous Scouts … but would they still want after my briefing?
I waited until they had sat down and made themselves comfortable.
‘Two days ago,’ I commenced, ‘we went on an exercise which I tricked you into believing was the real thing … now I have to confess, I have deceived you again, but as with the Zambian operation this was also done for a good reason.
‘Before I take you all into my confidence and tell you the main purpose of the Selous Scouts, I had to be absolutely certain of each man among you … that you were real men … and I can now confidently say I am very sure of that. ‘
I paused and watched a light of pride pass over their faces. I then continued.
‘Most of you chaps have been on many operations and you know as well as I do the greatest problem we face is not in killing the terrorists…it’s to first find them so we can bring them to contact…and then kill them.
‘We have all, I believe, experienced the frustrating difficulties in getting information from the local tribesmen who have been subverted by the terrorists. Now you are Africans … imagine the problems that all-European units, like the Rhodesian Light Infantry, are experiencing.
‘Now, we have discovered a new method of getting information from the subverted tribespeople … and you are the men who are going to get that information. You will not become … as you had believed … the Army trackers.
‘Instead, we are going to turn you into terrorists … freedom fighters … the boys in the bush … call them what you will … and you are going to be far better freedom fighters than the real ones ever were. You will have to be good because your lives will depend on just how good you are. You will pretend to be ZANLA or ZIPRA terrorists and infiltrate the population … you will infiltrate the circles of the terrorist sympathisers and form your own networks … and you will try to edge your way into the actual terrorist groups themselves. Now, perhaps you will understand why I was only looking for real men.’
There was a stunned silence and … before anyone could really recover their composure … I called for Basil Moss and the others to come in.
Basil Moss introduced the men with him and then, in pure and fluent Shona, spoke to them at some length … spelling out the tasks relating to the experimental teams … telling of the teams’ experiences … their successes … their problems … and of those who had died already.
I watched the faces of his audience … they were absolutely spell-bound and … I knew that in spite of the obstructions put in my way by the commanding officer of the Rhodesian African Rifles and some of the Staff at Army Headquarters … the Selous Scouts had won the day.”
Thanks to the African element of the Selous Scouts, the regiment would be credited with the worst atrocities and greatest number of kills of fellow Africans during the colonial genocide.
They became the black champions in the white settler’s fight against black majority rule, iconised by Ian Smith’s declaration:
“I don’t believe in black majority rule ever in Rhodesia. not in a thousand years!”
“They were all there … everyone who had passed the course … they all wanted to remain with the Selous Scouts … but would they still want after my briefing?,” Daly says.
They remained with the Selous Scouts … Even after being briefed that their role was to pretend to be ‘the real ZANLA and ZIPRA freedom fighters’ whom the people trusted to be fighting for black majority rule
It is needless to mention that it is ‘the real ZANLA and ZIPRA freedom fighters’ who eventually carried the day.
Former President Robert Mugabe would remind the rabid CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour, kuti:
“Don’t forget that it was my party which brought democracy into the country and not the British. We had to fight the British for democracy for one man one person one vote.”
The racists had gone back to the drawing board and reincarnated the Selous Scouts regiment in the Tsvangirai-led Movement for Democratic Change purporting to fight for African freedom while in fact paid to defend exclusive white minority interests.
The white settler problem was still the same in Zimbabwe as it had been in Rhodesia. And, their appeal to the MDC activists was still the same:
‘We have all, I believe, experienced the frustrating difficulties in getting information from the local tribesmen who have been subverted by the terrorists. Now you are Africans … imagine the problems that all-European units, like the Rhodesian Light Infantry, are experiencing.
‘Now, we have discovered a new method of getting information from the subverted tribespeople … and you are the men who are going to get that information … we are going to turn you into terrorists … freedom fighters … the boys in the bush … call them what you will … and you are going to be far better freedom fighters than the real ones ever were. You will have to be good because your lives will depend on just how good you are. You will pretend to be ZANLA or ZIPRA terrorists and infiltrate the population … you will infiltrate the circles of the terrorist sympathizers and form your own networks …’
After creating the Selous Scouts incarnate, MDC, and surrounding the puppet leader Morgan Tsvangirai with white invaders, racist British Premier, Tony Blair, assured the British beneficiaries of imperial interests in Zimbabwe kuti:
“First of all, we are guided to a large extent, I think rightly, by what the MDC and other opposition groups say within Zimbabwe and we try therefore to keep whatever measures we are taking in line with what they are asking us to take because they are the people after all who are on the ground; they are the people who know best what actually helps”
The problems presented by all-European organisations working for regime change or a Rhodesian come-back appeared foregone.
The black skin of the MDC leadership appeared to be enough camouflage to conceal the white minority contraband.
Notwithstanding that he purported to be a far better freedom fighter than the real ones ever were; standing for democratic and not violent change, the emboldened Tsvangirai threatened violence:
“What we would like to tell Mugabe today is that: ‘Please go peacefully. If you do not want to go peacefully, we will remove you violently.’”
(Following other blunders, the racist handlers would in future regret their choice of puppet and concede that Tsvangirai needed massive hand-holding).
Tsvangirai was surrounded by racist settlers, cheque books in hand when he threatened violent regime change.
But then in the face of war-seasoned ZANLA and ZPRA war veterans his bark turned out to be worse than his bite. Job Sikhala, one of those he later sent to try to bribe the Security Chiefs reported that he was scared stiff of the veterans.
It was time to guide Tony Blair and George Bush as to the measures he thought would work, incidentally, with the corporation of other Africans:
We know that it is within the capacity of South Africa to cut our electricity and fuel needs and that is the most effective way to send a signal.
When black South Africa would not succumb to pressure to hurt black Zimbabwe, the next recommendation became the US Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA).
It was drafted by MDC legislators ‘massively hand-held’ by the local Rhodesian mafia (Roy Bennet, Eddie Cross and David Coltart) and presented to the racist US government to impose on international financial institutions.
The informing template for the Movement for Democratic Change was the Rhodesian Selous Scouts Regiment whose deception accounted for the worst atrocities and greatest number of kills of fellow Africans during the colonial genocide.
The Movement for Democratic Change and all its mutations over the years, the last of which is the Chamisa-led Citizens Coalition for Change have been equally harmful to fellow black Zimbabweans all in defence of exclusive white imperial interests.
