The story of Cde Alex Makotore,
aka Cde Bruce Taparara

IT was the dream for every combatant to be at the battlefront.
Some never realised that dream or just managed to evade that part.
But I didn’t want to miss that ultimate goal.
During deployment, it was a random exercise.
I remember ZANLA Commander Cde Josiah Tongogara handed us to Cde Josiah Tungamirai, to Cde Rex Nhongo and to a Provincial Commander, Cde Goronga.
We were handed over to field commanders for Manica Province, Cdes Mike Marufu and Simbi Chinembiri.
Cde Marufu was the sectorial commander with Cde Chinembiri as his deputy and political commissar.
It was the Chinese way of command Cde Tongogara had introduced in the ZANLA setup.
The province of Manica had three sectors; Musikavanhu, Monomotapa and Tangwena.
We would attack Rhodesia from east to west.
Musikavanhu was on the south, involving Melsetter (Chimanimani), Chipinge, Buhera up to Gutu and Chivhu.
Monomotapa involved Mutambara, Zimunya, Bocha-Marange, Odzi, Nyazura, Nyamombe, Maungwe Wedza (Hwedza) South, Chihota, Njanja and Zviambe areas.
While the then Umtali (Mutare), Nyanga, Honde, Rusape, Makoni, Mutasa, Chiduku and Wedza fell under Tangwena Sector.
At the parade that morning, I was busy admiring field commanders who had just arrived from the war front.
Their attire was inspiring — nice jeans and caps.
One had a pilot suit with a Sun Beta cap to match.
Boy, oh boy!
They were smart.
I admired Cdes Marufu and Chinembiri the most.
They looked younger than me.
They also looked like twins to me.
They both carried folding butt AK47s which made me envious.
The morale was high at that parade and we were raring to go to battle.
I kept on reminding myself of the phrase from Mao Tse Tung: ‘The war is not a dinner party’.
I was picked out to be with Cde Chinembiri who was heading for Nyamombe Detachment between the then Inyazura (Nyazura) and Buhera, through Mutambara, Bocha and Maungwe.
I didn’t know these places.
With us was the detachment security of that area, Cde Dangeni Mabasakuseni.
Cdes Simbi and Dangeni were recruits from the early 1970s’ North Eastern Offensive that had launched the Second Chimurenga with the likes of Cdes James Bond, Kid Marongorongo and others.
They had been recruited from the Mt Darwin area.
In that same group, I found myself in the company of an old friend, Cde Godas Kanyanga Chiza from Mufakose.
We had been together from Doiroi to Taks II, together at Nachingwea and now going to the front together.
When we dropped off at Chikamba Dam on the Mozambican side, I had a feeling of nostalgia looking at the locals who hosted us for such a long time.
I thought of their hospitality and love for Zimbabwe.
That evening, a pig was slaughtered for us.
I had never tasted pork in my life.
Coming from a Remba background, I had a tough time swallowing the pork.
I could not complain of the pork dish lest I got dropped from the group for that reason.
Those were nervous moments, for any silly act or comment could have you sent back.
If you were heard making negative comments or showing lack of bravery, you would be dropped and sent back to the rear for some other mission or non-combatant assignment.
Chikamba Dam is on the foot of Tsetsera Mountain Range and we climbed the whole night to get to the top and over into Rhodesia.
It was tough vakomana.
I had my semi-automatic rifle (ten-rounds) a Chinese bandolier with fully charged racks, a grenade (by the way the Chinese grenade was for taking out as many enemy soldiers as one could when you were about to be captured, you would go with them instead of revealing operational secrets), a cache (caixa) of bullets about 7kg on the back and a satchel of personal belongings.
Man, was it heavy!
By late morning, we were resting in the shed and Cde Simbi had a radio on.
The radio was playing ‘Getting back to my roots’ and I started to sing along.
Next to me was this bearded fellow also singing along to the tune and nodding his head.
I wondered who this was.
Among comrades in general, you would not easily find cadres who understood English pop music!
We started to argue over who had sung the tune.
This was the beginning of a long friendship with one Cde Francis Gonese (Samora) or Cde Nyika Tarwireyi from Gutu.
Cde Samora was a University of Lagos dropout who had joined the struggle from Nigeria.
One of those recruits who had given up university college to join the war.
We are still friends with Cde Samora who later finished his studies at the local university.
We spent the whole day on the mountains marching.
You would look into our faces and see fatigue.
It was tough.
I started to have blisters on my feet and between the thighs but carried on.
The energy in the veterans was encouraging.
Cde Simbi was my inspiration.
He would take things ‘easy’.
Also on that march was one Cde Fearless Fang who was the sectoral (MO) medical officer.
Another veteran in that group was a returnee, Cde Black Moses, now Assistant Police Commissioner Moses Chihuri, who was returning to his war front base in Zimunya after medical treatment at the rear.
At sunset that afternoon, we reached the summit of the Tsetsera Mountain and crossed a fence.
Oh!
Is this Rhodesia?
Yes it was!
I knelt and kissed the soil.
This was my home.
I was about to engage the enemy in a bid to have our land restored to us.
Our first port of call was a compound on a farm.
I was shocked when a whiteman waved at us from the farm house.
I said to myself: ‘What is this?’
This was the front and things were beginning to happen.