HomeOld_PostsFrom a student to a liberation medic

From a student to a liberation medic

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By Steiner Mlambo

IN 1975 my father John Mlambo joined the liberation struggle.
Although he was still going to school, he knew that liberating Zimbabwe was a priority.
He knew his education would be irrelevant in a repressive environment.
Father talks of Cde Stansilas Chigwedere at Hartzell High School near Umtali (Mutare) who taught him English from Form One to Three.
Cde Chigwedere, though an English teacher, never missed the opportunity to emphasise the country’s history and importance of the liberation struggle.
It was through the teachings and stories of brutality by Rhodesians that led the students to consider joining the liberation struggle.
While they were contemplating joining the struggle, Cde Hebert Chitepo was assassinated and my father needed no other reason to go and fight.
Soon after, my father ran away from Hartzel High School.
He left school in the company of his friends that included Tain Mudondo, Sweeten Dirorimwe, Charles Gandanzara, Shakespeare Madondo, Maxwell Remau, Gilbert Mandimutsira and Davis Musara.
For him there was no going back, he vowed to participate in the struggle until the country was liberated.
He assumed the Chimurenga name ‘David Tavaziva’.
They travelled through Mutare, Burma Valley and met FRELIMO soldiers in Rontanda, Mozambique.
For three weeks they stayed in Rontanda and then were transported to Chimoio, Zhunda Base.
From Zhunda, they were taken to Tete.
Father was among the first people to stay at Tembwe, however, their training at the camp was affected by hunger.
Father was trained to be a medic. His operations as a medic took him to Batalliao Camp.
He was now fighting by curing the injured.
At Batalliao, father received further training as a medic from Cde Bvepfere.
His medical techniques improved as father took the responsibility of taking care of the injured at the front.
One Cde Chorosi, a sectoral political commissar, took father to be his assistant since they wanted to operate with a medic.
It was while with the group that father experienced a huge enemy attack at Mukumbura Camp.
The enemy attacked with jets and helicopters..
They returned to Tete where he was ordered to remain.
Father said he yearned to go to the front and join fellow guerrillas.
Lucky for him, one Cde Granger, a sectoral security commander told him that he wanted to go back to the front with him.
It was a happy moment for father, who really needed to be among those fighting back home.
Unfortunately on their way when they were near Nyamapanda, they were attacked by Rhodesians and two comrades were injured.
Again father was instructed to go back to Tete with the injured fighters.
At Tete, father made up his mind to leave for Zimbabwe and jumped into a vehicle going to Mukumbura.
He was helped by one comrade called Simba Chiurayamhandu who agreed to go with him.
They walked for days until they reached Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe.
It was the second day in Uzumba when they were talking with the people in a protected village ‘Keep’ that an attack took place.
This was very unfortunate for father who had little knowledge about the place they were operating in.
He got out of the ‘keep’ with the help of an old man whom he did not know was a traitor.
The old man (traitor) nearly cost him his life.
For six months father stayed in Pfungwe before going to help out in Mutoko.
In Mutoko, father was again instructed to go back to Mozambique with some injured comrades.
At the border they realised that the enemy had laid anti-personnel mines at crossing points.
On seeing this some comrades decided to go back, but father bravely volunteered to remove the mines although he had never disabled any.
He successfully removed the mines and they passed through.
Father later returned to Mutoko and operated there until ceasefire.

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