By Salimu Ngulube:

THE liberation struggle was fought by both dedicated men and women in Zimbabwe and my mother was among those brave fighters.
Born in 1960, my mother, Thandiwe Ngulube joined the liberation struggle when she was only 15 years old.
Regardless of the tender age, mother joined others in defending the country’s heritage and the future of generations to come.
Mother says she joined the war after a careful thought of words shared to her by one Comrade Obert Beta.
During those days, the black majority were crossing into Mozambique and Zambia in small groups.
Mother talks of stories they were hearing about Vanamukoma (guerrillas) who had started the liberation struggle.
She talks of how they were scared of the guerrillas who were being described as animals that could vanish into thin air.
To some like mother, they did not really know what to believe. Sometimes they brushed aside stories about the struggle, dismissing them as false rumours.
Although news about the liberation struggle was not new to my mother, she could not fully understand.
She knew that her parents were active in ZAPU back in Harare, but could not understand why they were so secretive about it.
She was still young and did not pay much attention to what her parents were up to.
Mother believed that the country was owned by the white people and that as blacks, they had no say whatsoever.
She says when she was 15 years old, she went to visit her grandparents in Chimanimani, where one brave man called Cde Beta visited their village.
Cde Beta was coming from Mt Darwin where he was operating as a guerilla.
He moved around spreading the word of the liberation struggle while urging fellow Zimbabweans to join the war.
Here was a comrade fighting for his country, telling fellow black men and women about the untold story of the country.
Mother says it was the first time for her to listen carefully to an issue about the liberation struggle.
At that time in 1975, she became aware of how it was important for her to participate in the liberation struggle.
She began to understand her parents and why they were involved in politics.
Mother says at that time she gathered the courage to be among the men and women who were crossing to Mozambique for training.
Together with her friends, Tutsirai Murimo, Eshter, Winnie Machova and her uncle Elijah Ngani, they started moving around with Cde Beta while at the same time doing chores for him.
By doing chores and providing information, my mother and friends became war collaborators.
Mother talks of an incident when Cde Beta attacked a mobile Barclays Bank and took some money.
Due to that incident, Cde Beta came for help at my mother’s place and they had to hide him for three days.
For three days, mother and her friends kept that secret.
They were doing it for the struggle hence protected Cde Beta from the Rhodesian soldiers who were looking for him.
Cde Beta decided to leave for Mozambique and left word for mother and her friends to follow since it was dangerous for them to stay.
After several months, mother and her friend Tutsirai bravely decided to follow Cde Beta to Mozambique.
They did not tell anyone about their decision, but they left as if they were going to fetch water.
They knew that from Chimanimani, Mozambique was very close.
They were going to cross through Mutsvangwa.
On their way, news about Rhodesian soldiers patrolling across Mutsvangwa reached them.
They were not scared or deterred, but continued and crossed through Mutsvangwa.
However, it was the masses in Mozambique who told them that it was dangerous to continue walking during the day hence they had to hide.