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When mother escaped death by a whisker

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By Taurai Kadirire

MY mother Lingiwe Kadirire was among the brave women who joined men to fight in the liberation struggle.
In 1974, when she was only 17 years old, mother joined the armed struggle.
My mother’s friend Mako Vheremu had already left for the liberation struggle after being recruited at the Blue Bar in Mbare, Harare.
Shortly afterwards, mother and her friends that included Nkululeko Luke, David Tsike and Pindai Tsholotsho decided to follow their friend Vheremu.
They went to Zambia.
Although they did not know where they were going, mother and her friends knew they would end up at a training camp.
At this period, she said, nothing was more important than joining the liberation struggle.
Staying home while many had left to contribute to the efforts to liberate the country did not sit well with my mother.
And she said the life under Smith was unbearable, there were just too many restrictions.
They passed through Botswana and met a businesswoman who offered them shelter while she sent word of their presence to one ZANU PF representative, Cde Dick Moyo.
They left Botswana by air for Zambia.
In Zambia, they stayed at Nyapundu Transit Camp where they stayed for a year awaiting to be selected for training.
It was in 1975 when they were still at Nyapundu when Cde Herbert Chitepo was assassinated.
Immediately afterwards, they were sent to Mboroma Camp by the Zambian government which was conducting investigations on the death of Cde Chitepo.
For a year they stayed at Mboroma before being moved to Mozambique in January 1976.
In Mozambique, at Chingodzi Airforce Base, they were informed of the camps they would go to, but before being allocated a camp, my mother was sent to Seguranca to ferry military equipment.
On her return, she was sent to Tembwe Training Camp where for six months she received military training.
Mother whose Chimurenga name was ‘Siphikile Masotsha’, after training was appointed to be a member of the General Staff.
In 1977, she was transferred to Mafudzi Refugee Camp, where she operated in the Education Department.
During the liberation struggle education was highly valued and taken seriously.
Both the young and old were given the opportunity to learn how to read and write.
Leaders of the revolution knew that after the liberation struggle, Zimbabwe would need literate citizens to run the affairs of the country.
Mother thus fought through enlightening others by giving other comrades basic education.
Although a teacher, she was not spared the brutality of war.
She recalls a day she escaped death by a whisker in Tete where she had gone for treatment.
Soon after, she and others had been advised to leave the camp by FRELIMO soldiers, the camp was bombed.
Hope and faith that the enemy would be defeated kept her going.
She was among the fortunate comrades that got to celebrate independence in 1980.
She joined Government working at the Registrar’s office.
I am proud to be the son of a woman who made many sacrifices so that the country achieves independence.
If it was not for brave and selfless cadres like my mother, the liberation of this country would have taken much longer.

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