Patriot Reporters

This year The Patriot featured a number of war veterans including ex-detainees, ex-restrictees and war collaborators on this column Through their children’s eyes. This week we look at some of the 2013 major highlights on this column.

Inspired by Kid Marongorongo
TORMENTED and haunted by the social, political and economic injustice of the Rhodesian regime, Eric Mavhurere, also known as ‘Cde Mhofu Tofa’, decided to join the liberation struggle.
It was the ‘untimely’ death of the famous Cde Kid Marongorongo (Mawrong Wrong) which was published in the African Times Magazine that prompted him to join the Second Chimurenga.
Cde Tofa was put under the Manica Province in Monomutapa Sector (Mutamba Detachment) where he operated from 1976 to 1979.
He was among the guerrillas that attacked Rhodesian bases at Chimanimani, Biriri and Nyanyadzi.
In 1980 Cde Tofa played a pivotal role in the formation of ZANU PF party structures in Mashonaland West province working in partnership with cadres like Cde George Rutanhire and the late Cde Chipwanyamombe who died in a plane crash in Kariba in 1980.
Cde Tofa is now a successful farmer after benefiting from the Land Reform Programme.

‘Drakula’ my father’s war name
AT the age of 17, Simbarashe Kagande marched to Mozambique to join fellow comrades to liberate Zimbabwe.
It was in December 1976, when Kagande had gone to herd cattle with his uncle.
The two did not know that they would not return home, that they would leave their families without saying goodbye.
Kagande was no stranger to discrimination and ill treatment of blacks by the whites.
In Mozambique he assumed the name ‘Drakula’.
He received his military training at Nyadzonia.

War stories dearly missed
IN 1976 Sydney Madawo’Kwenda joined the liberation struggle.
Born in 1954, it was while in Rushinga that he took the decision that transformed his life and that of all blacks.
He abandoned his teacher training programme.
Stories he had heard and awful experiences at the hands of Rhodesians propelled him to fight and Rushinga was the hotbed of the struggle.
He had numerous encounters with freedom fighters leaving and entering the country.
Madawo’Kwenda said the brutality had become unbearable and the logical thing to do was to stop it.
He joined the war not because he was brave and thought himself a fighter, but because there were no other options to improve the livelihood of the black majority.
Thus in 1976 he left the life he knew and decided to go to war.
Instead of chalk, he would have the gun and it was in Mozambique that he received his military training in Gaza Province.
He assumed the name ‘Tichatonga’.
Madawo’kwenda fought until the announcement of Ceasefire in 1979.
He was among the fortunate that lived to see independence in 1980. Many of his compatriots perished and some never even got proper burial.
When he returned home he resumed his studies that had been disrupted by war.

It was about Cde Chitepo
THE assassination of Cde Herbert Chitepo in 1975 increased the determination of black people to join the liberation struggle.
That same year, Augustine Chitsaka was doing Form Three at Regina Coeli Mission in Nyanga.
The principal was one of the sympathisers of the revolution and this helped in opening eyes of a number of students at the school.
Although knowledge about the harassment and ill treatment of the black majority was common, many people became enthusiastic about joining the Chimurenga after they heard news of Cde Chitepo’s death.
In August 1975, Chitsaka and fellow students arranged to cross the border to join the liberation struggle.
After crossing, they were handed over to FRELIMO soldiers who took them further into Mozambique.
Together with the leaders they went to Chimoio before an instruction came for the leaders to go to Quelimani and later Maputo for security reasons.
Chitsaka’s Chimurenga name became ‘Topsy Engels’.
With other cadres, they went back to open up Nyadzonia camp which accommodated the thousands of people who were coming in on daily basis. The perfect time came and Chitsaka was instructed to go to Tembwe Training Camp under Tete province to receive his military training.
He was ready to become one of them, (Vanamukoma), cadres who had decided to dedicate their lives to free Zimbabwe from colonial bondage.