A PICTURE is worth more than a thousand words, it is said.
That can be said for the picture above which was published recently in The Patriot.
The above picture generated much interest among the readers who have inquired more about it.
A glance at the picture shows a group of liberation fighters determined and focused on mapping the way forward during the liberation struggle that birthed Zimbabwe.
Indeed, the picture which was captured in Zviyambe in 1977 shows an intense moment during the height of the war where comrades were strategising on how best to defeat the enemy.
In the picture is the Deputy Director General of the Central Intelligence Organisation Aaron Nhepera whose Chimurenga name was ‘Simbi Chinembiri’ who was the Sectorial Commander for Monomutapa, Gibson Gumbo Mashingaidze the Manica Provincial Political Commissar, Zimbabwe Prison Services Commissioner General Paradzai Zimondi who was known as ‘Tonderai Nyika’ the then Manica Provincial Commander.
Also in the picture the late Oliver Shiri who was a member of the general staff and the late Stan Matipa who was the Sectorial commander for Tangwena.
Nhepera said the picture was taken during one of the visits by the Manica Provincial Commander.
During the visit, he said the provincial commander Comm Gen Zimondi came with camera persons from FRELIMO and ZANU who were based in Mozambique.
“The provincial commander had come to meet with the commanders of the sectors making up the province,” he said.
“He had come and we were being shown the boundaries of our sectors.
Manica province was made up of three sectors namely Tangwena, Monomutapa and Musikavanhu.
The sectors, Nhepera said, were demarcated in such a way that the sectorial team had a specific operational area.
Areas making up the sector headed by Nhepera included areas such as Buhera, Wedza, Marange, Chikomba and Mahusekwa.
Part of the duties of the sectorial commander, he said, included commanding more than 2 000 combatants operating in the area.
“My main duties included directing operations, instructing on what targets to attack, where to deploy, liaising with the provincial committee highlighting the materials required by the combatants, updating on any contacts made with the enemy,” he said.
One of the major highlights in 1977 in Nhepera’s sector after the visit by the provincial commander was the successful attack on Grand Reef Air base in December.
“It was just before Christmas when Augustine Chihuri who is now the Commissioner General of Police led a reconnaissance team to the base and we later met them in the field,” he said. “We later went to the rear where the team completed training and conducted rehearsals.
“We then marshalled 200 combatants one of the biggest forces we ever put together and we went and attacked the base.
“The Rhodesians did not expect us to attack the base as it was a heavily guarded place.”
Such was the nature of freedom fighters, unpredictable.